THE WINNER’S CURSE, PART 1 You didn’t find the best vendor. You found the one who understood the work least. You ran a clean procurement. Five bids came in. You picked the lowest, came in well under the next one up, and the sponsor was pleased. Six months later you’re negotiating the fourth change order […]
The New PMP Exam, Explained: Every Change in One Guide
Updated September 2026 The PMP® exam changed on July 9, 2026. The Business Environment domain tripled in weight, AI and sustainability became testable topics, case-study question sets arrived, total exam time grew to 240 minutes, and eligibility rules were adjusted in candidates’ favor. Here is every change, what each one means, and how to prepare […]
The Reference-Check Pause: How Smart Evaluators Treat Doubt in Hiring — and What That Means When You’re the Candidate
You’re on the phone with a candidate’s former manager. You ask the only reference question that matters: “Would you hire them again?” And there it is — a beat of silence, then careful words. “In the right environment… I think they could do well.” Nothing negative was said. Everything was said. In the first post […]
How the Best Project Managers Learn From Others’ Moves (Not Their Own Scars)
There’s a compliment that gets paid to project managers that I’ve never fully trusted: “She’s been through it. She’s got the scars.” It’s meant well. Scars mean experience, and experience means judgment. Fair enough. But think about what a scar actually is. It’s the mark left where something went wrong and you were the one […]
What “Sound Judgment” Means at Work in 2026 (And How to Prove You Have It)
TL;DR: Sound judgment at work means consistently choosing the best available option under incomplete information, time pressure, and competing priorities. It’s the most-paid skill at senior levels because it’s the hardest to automate and the easiest to misjudge in hiring. You prove you have it by showing a documented pattern of calls you made, the […]