July
2019

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PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Chapter President Penelope Luedtke, PMP

Jul2019 President Letter 1of2 “If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand, if you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.” – Daniel Goleman

Hello Chapter Members!

They say to grow, you need to operate outside your comfort zone, and boy let me tell you, being the leader of this chapter is anxiety-inducing. If there ever was a time to doubt myself and my abilities, this would be it.

But curiously, I find myself very calm. Perhaps it is because I know I am surrounded by supportive, engaged Board Members that have my back. Perhaps it is because I’ve worked with PMI Global long enough to know there are staff and resources aplenty that have my back. I’ve been involved enough and have met enough of you in person, to know YOU have my back!

We’re all project managers, we all want the best result and we all strive to do the best we can with what we have. We all have EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. It is the trait that makes us excellent project managers. I know this about you, our members, and I know that you will allow me to lead authentically and genuinely from my best intentions.

If you don’t know about emotional intelligence and need more training on this topic, the 2019 PMI Portland Chapter Annual Conference is a great opportunity for you. Our conference theme of Talent, Inspiration, Motivation and Emotional Intelligence (TIME) brings you a valuable event with relevant sessions. We have a great team of volunteers working tirelessly behind the scenes to deliver a day of learning and sharing. This is an opportunity to meet over 400 of your industry peers, gain professional development units (PDUs) and take a day to recharge and refresh with the energy and enthusiasm of our top-notch speakers.

I’d like to thank all the volunteers working on the Annual Conference. I want to publicly recognize all the folks taking time out of their lives to plan this premier event: Sandra Koelle, Akilah Johnson, Yolanda Karp, Kyle Townsend, Stacey Jannsen, Jacob Zych, Scott White, Natalee Webb, Tim Booher, Jesse Boydstun, and Rasha Kroonen.

Sincerely,

Penelope Luedtke, PMP
President, PMI Portland Chapter

The new PMI Portland Chapter Board of Directors, Assistant VPs and Directors:

Jul2019 President Letter 2of2 HQ

ARTICLES

Chapter members, please note; there will be no PMI Portland Chapter newsletter release for August 2019. Newsletters will resume in the Fall starting September 2019.
– Paul V. Mai, MBA, PMP | Asst VP of Marketing Communications & Interim Director of Newsletter

Flex Your EQ

By Reni Towns, PMP

Jul2019 Article Flex Your EQ

If you wanted to improve muscle tone, you would hit the gym a few days a week and lift weights. You might work with a trainer or even a friend to help you develop a strength training plan. Your workout buddy could give you feedback on your form, and it could be helpful for you to shadow their workouts. After a few weeks or months, if you are focused and consistent, you should see the physical results to your physique. Have you considered leveraging similar strategies to strengthen your EQ?

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) represents a person’s ability to recognize and manage their own emotions and leveraging that self-actualization to develop relationships with others. EQ is a top indicator of successful leaders. According to TalentSmart, a provider of emotional intelligence assessment and training, 90% of high performers at work have a high EQ, while 80% of poor performers have low EQ.

Bottom line – emotional intelligence is a critical leadership skill, especially for project managers who need to work with a wide range of people and personalities to achieve project success. Let’s review a few tactical ways you can flex and grow your EQ.

First, improve your self-awareness, or your ability to understand how your moods and emotions impact other people. Consider how your negative emotions like frustration and disengagement impact your team or your boss. Recall a stressful time at work and ask for feedback from those who were working alongside you. Did your reaction impact your team?

Next, try to self-regulate. One easy way to do this is to pause before firing off an angry email. Wait a few hours before responding. Hold back a snarky comment at a meeting and follow up with a less emotional one-on-one conversation later in the day.

Become the office optimist. Focus on staying positive, especially when interacting with your team. If you catch yourself complaining – stop it. People find optimism more energizing and motivating. While it's difficult to receive criticism, don’t be offended. Turn it into a learning opportunity.

Finally, show empathy by responding appropriately to the emotions of others. If a team member is reacting emotionally to a decision, figure out why. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and verbally acknowledge the other person’s feelings and point of view.

Increasing your EQ takes time and practice. It requires introspection. You will need honest feedback along the way from people you trust. It is like doing bicep curls to increase upper body strength, your EQ fitness will improve with repetition, coaching, and dedication.

“Let's Be Human To Each Other:” Emerging Leader Liz Lockhart Shares Her Professional Journey and Perspectives for Effectiveness

By Rachel Crane, PMP

The running question you can't help but think when speaking to Liz Lockhart is one that reveals what makes her so striking: Does this woman ever sleep?

A renaissance woman, Lockhart is a Director of PMO, Adjunct Professor, business consultant, volunteer, and mentor—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Lockhart developed a strong work ethic and business acumen early on by working in her family’s online business.

“I’ve been answering phones and taking orders since age 12 and managing people since I was 16.”

When growing up in a family business, Lockhart says, “You learn there’s no one else to solve your problem. You have to figure it out.” She stresses that her early experiences taught her how to “work with people, collaborate, and break through blockers—inspiring confidence that anything is possible.”

Lockhart attended the University of Portland, studying Operations and Technology Management while holding two jobs. She also took a three-year stint teaching leadership to high school students in a summer camp environment. This role, she says, “is what I would consider the foundation of everything I’ve done since.”

Lockhart’s career started in a service desk role; this quickly led to a role in technology procurement, where she facilitated mergers and acquisitions, optimized spending and promoted change management. Next, while working through an MBA program, Lockhart joined Smarsh, delivering a large customer-facing email migration that demonstrated her ability to execute complex technical projects. As Lockhart’s role expanded, she established and began leading Smarsh’s PMO.

“Our PMO is rooted in agile principles,” says Lockhart. “Through putting people first, seeking to understand, and having the ability to run the experiment or fail fast, we’ve been able to execute transparently and change as needed. Our PMO serves as connective tissue between departments and groups.”

Asked her perspective on what makes a project manager effective, Lockhart focuses on the importance of communication.

“Our superpower is connecting people in productive ways, asking good questions, seeking to understand, and communicating—the number one project management competency.”

Speaking of her near-term goals and five-year plan, Lockhart is laser-focused on what comes next.

“At Smarsh, my next goal is Senior Director or VP, leading our larger PMO activities and diving in with key strategists. I will also continue teaching and aim to expand my course offering to additional universities.”

Lockhart highlights her desire to advance her engagements in mentorship, volunteer, and consulting relationships, saying, “There is value in offering and receiving help…Learning from each other is something we don’t do enough.”

Discussing how to grow and thrive in project management, Lockhart appeals to her set of core tenets: “Let’s be human to each other, understand that collaboration is key, seek to understand, and know that servant leadership is essential. Don’t be afraid to fail fast. Be the person your dog thinks you are and meet your stakeholders where they are. Be easy, life is hard enough.”

Are you or someone you know interested in being interviewed for the PMI Portland newsletter leadership profile? To nominate yourself or a colleague for consideration, please contact us at content@pmi-portland.org with a few details about your nominee.

Building Emotional Intelligence Boosts Leadership Effectiveness

By Florence Gerber, MBA (Mariano and Associates, LLC)

Emotions are innate, originating in the nervous system as a reaction to our environment. (Though the words emotion and feeling are often used interchangeably, feelings arise from the part of the brain linked to reasoning and function to make sense of situations using past experiences and reactions to emotions.)

Jul2019 Article Building Emotional Intelligence Famed professor of psychiatry Robert Plutchik, Ph.D., studied emotions and came up with eight primary ones, each a polar opposite of another.

Trust: Disgust
Joy: Sadness
Fear: Anger
Surprise: Anticipation

As Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions (see image) demonstrates, the intensity of emotions spreads from highest at the center to most diluted at the outside. The circle also depicts (between the petals) how primary emotions combine to form new ones. For example, Plutchik argued that Trust + Fear = Submission, and Anticipation + Anger = Aggression. Similarly, Disgust + Anger = Contempt, and Surprise + Sadness = Disapproval.

We’ve all seen these types of complex emotions play out in professional settings. Building our emotional intelligence can teach us how to react to, counter, and even leverage these emotions to harness positive results.

Since emotions drive human behavior, understanding your own emotions and any behavior derived from them―as well as those of team members―can help guide decision-making and how you can facilitate interactions as a project manager.

Using Plutchnik’s Wheel, project managers can heighten their emotional intelligence by consciously identifying their own emotions in a variety of environments (e.g., notice you get irritable when a teammate is consistently late for meetings). Pay attention to your own behavior in light of that irritation. Does your reaction then impact the meetings?

Building emotional intelligence takes practice. First, work on yourself, then apply your advanced consciousness to others when you interact. Is their behavior tinged with emotion? If so, what might be driving it?

Intentionally paying attention to emotions, reactions and their possible sources of origin, can help you become a better leader who helps build positive changes for better results.

Have Knowledge to Share?

Submit an article -- or share an idea -- by sending an email to Director of Content Marketing.

EVENTS

Chapter Meetings

“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” – Anthony J. D'Angelo

There are no Chapter Meetings for July or August 2019. We'll see you back in September for the monthly Chapter meeting and the Annual Conference on September 20, 2019, at the Oregon Convention Center.

Certification Classes

The PMI Portland Chapter offers certification prep courses for project leaders ready to become Project Management Professionals (PMP), individuals looking to establish credibility in the application of project management processes as a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), and Agile professionals looking for formal recognition with the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) credential.

PMI-ACP Exam Prep Course | October 12, 19, and 26, 2019
Prepare for Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP) certification through the PMI Portland Chapter. ACP is a recent and progressive certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI) and it “sets the bar” for agile project professionals! Three Saturdays, October 12, 19, and 26, 2019, from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm. Click here to find out more.

Annual Conference and other Events

PMI Portland Annual Conference | September 20, 2019
Portland Chapter’s 2019 Annual Conference will be here before you know it. This year’s conference, held at the Oregon Convention Center, is shaping up in exciting ways.

The PMI Portland Annual Conference has provided premier educational experiences for Project Management in the Portland region for the past 18 years. This year, with a theme focusing on TIME: Talent, Motivation, Inspiration and Emotional Intelligence, we’re looking to bring the best and brightest in the profession together to expand our knowledge, make connections, and elevate our industry to new heights.

Visit Annual Conference 2019 for more information. Save and sign up early!
Individual Registration | Group Registration

Roundtables

PMI hosts various roundtables across the metro area. Roundtables are a great way to get connect, earn PDUs and guidance on project issues from fellow PMs. Click here to learn more about roundtables and find the one closest you.

Chapter Event Calendar

COMMUNITY

PMI Portland Nomination for Featured Leadership Profile

Giving Back with the PMI Portland Outreach Team

By Angie Eastman, Asst Military Liaison, Meei Lum, Asst Dir of Associations, Kim Geist, Asst VP of Outreach, and Jennifer Whybra-Ucar, VP of Outreach

Jul2019 Community Giving Back

Many thanks to all who responded to the Outreach Team’s “Call to Action” in the June newsletter for the community service initiative. As a result, the team has been lining up non-profits and participants for the pilot program launching this fall.

Here are three additional volunteer opportunities that may be of interest:

Remote Area Medical (RAM) is a nonprofit working to prevent pain and ease suffering by providing free quality healthcare to those in need. Angie Eastman is a core volunteer and travels several times a year to run the vision lab during medical outreach missions. Earlier this year Angie worked with RAM in partnership with the Salvation Army and US Public Health Service in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The next West Coast volunteer opportunities are available this fall (October and November) in Nevada and California. Volunteers are responsible for their own transportation and lodging.

If interested in learning more about RAM, email Angie Eastman at asst_military_liaison@pmi-portland.org.

The Columbia Slough Watershed Council (CSWC) is a diverse group of neighbors, property owners, businesses, environmental groups, recreation advocates, and government agencies who work to restore and enhance the sixty miles of waterways known as the Columbia Slough. The CSWC organizes several events that need volunteer support:

The Great Slough Clean Up on Saturday, July 20, 9am-1pm
Join the council for the annual trash-hauling extravaganza! After the clean up there will be a cookout at Whitaker Ponds featuring free food, beer, and prizes. This event is for volunteers age 14 and up.
24th Annual Columbia Slough Regatta on Sunday, August 11, 10am-2pm
This is a fun excursion for experienced and novice paddlers alike. The Regatta features complimentary 45-minute canoe and kayak rentals (all equipment provided) for registered attendees. Participants can also visit with local environmental and water-based organizations and enjoy hands-on nature activities, live music, and guided tours. Free t-shirts and refreshments provided while supplies last.
Stewardship Program from Fall 2019 through Spring 2020
This program is dedicated to improving watershed health. Stewardship Saturdays are morning work parties in local parks and natural spaces. Activities range from invasive species removal to litter pick up, native plant planting, and more. Tools and training provided. No experience is necessary.

If you are interested in volunteering for CSWC with other PMI members, contact Meei Lum via vp_outreach@pmi-portland.org.

In4All is a nonprofit that unites educators and businesses to support historically under-served students during their K-12 education. On June 7, Outreach Team members Brooks Dahmen and Kim Geist took part as judges in the Design Thinking Student Showcase at the State Capitol building. This event marked an exciting achievement for In4All middle school students, as they presented their final projects integrating math, science, sensitive community issues, analytical problem-solving, practical planning, and teamwork. In September, new students will begin the eight-session program with volunteers from PMI and the community.

Contact Brooks Dahmen at association_outreach@pmi-portland.org for more information about working with In4All.