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 […]
Tag: leadership skills
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 […]
If There Is Any Doubt, There’s No Doubt: The Decision Rule Every Project Leader Needs (and When to Break It)
In the 1998 thriller Ronin, Robert De Niro plays Sam, a wary ex-operative who refuses to walk into a meeting that doesn’t smell right. Pressed on it, he offers the rule he lives by: “Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt.” Asked who taught him that, he says he can’t remember — which, […]
Beyond Certification: How Specialist Training Develops Career-Long PM Competency
The PMP certification opens doors. It signals to employers, clients, and peers that you’ve achieved a recognized standard of project management competence. It often triggers salary increases, expands career opportunities, and enhances professional credibility. But here’s what’s rarely discussed: the difference between holding a PMP certification and being a genuinely competent PMP-certified project manager extends […]