Episode 333: Project Manager Career Path Boost Through Thought Leadership (Free)
This episode is sponsored by The Agile PrepCast for the PMI-ACP® Exam:
If you are looking to boost your project manager career then you are very likely thinking along the lines of getting a mentor, taking on a stretch assignment, going back to school to get a degree or certification, or maybe even improving your public speaking skills.
But most likely you haven’t thought about accelerating your project manager career path through thought leadership in project management and joining the ranks of famous project managers out there.
And if you think that becoming a thought leader in project management is hard to do, then think again.
Our guest Dr. Emad Rahim, DM, PMP (www.linkedin.com/in/erahim, @DrEmadRahim) assures us that talking about what you love -- project management -- through writing, speaking or simply by finding and sharing pertinent articles will make you get noticed as a thought leader in our industry.
It’s a simple but powerful concept to boost your career in project management.
Episode Transcript
Podcast Introduction
Cornelius Fichtner: Hello and welcome to Episode #333. This is the Project Management Podcast™ at www.pm-podcast.com and I'm Cornelius Fichtner. Thank you for joining us.
If you are looking to boost your project manager career, then you are very likely thinking along the lines of getting a mentor, taking on stretch assignments, going back to school or get a degree or a certification or maybe even improving your public speaking skills. But most likely you haven't thought about accelerating your project manager career path through thought leadership in project management and joining the ranks of famous project managers out there.
If you are a project manager who wants to become Project Management Professional (PMP)® or PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® certified, then the easiest way to do so is with our sister Podcast - The Project Management PrepCast™ or The Agile PrepCast™ and study for the exam by watching the in-depth exam prep video training from www.pm-prepcast.com.
Oh and if you think that becoming a thought leader in project management is hard to do then think again. Our guest Dr. Emad Rahim assures us that talking about what you love, project management, through writing, speaking or simply by finding and sharing pertinent articles will make you get noticed as a thought leader in our profession. It's a simple but powerful concept to boost your career in project management.
And now think about it for a minute and then enjoy the interview.
Podcast Interview
Female voice: The Project Management Podcast’s feature Interview: Today with Dr. Emad Rahim, appointed Endowed Entrepreneur-in-residence for Oklahoma State University and Visiting Scholar at Rutgers University.
Cornelius Fichtner: Hello, Emad! Welcome back to The Project Management Podcast™!
Emad Rahim: I'm glad to be here, thank you for having me.
Cornelius Fichtner: Yeah! So we want to talk about thought leadership in project management. Most of our listeners, they are going to be active project managers. They have their project, problems to think about. What's in it for them? Why should they be interested in being a thought leader?
Emad Rahim: Well you know thought leadership is something that we all should aspire to do and provide. Because at the end of the day as project managers, we are technically entrepreneurs, right? We're always looking for that next contract, that next job. Well in order for us to be successful in getting that contract and getting the next job, people need to know who we are, know our expertise, know our background and that comes in thought leadership that we are leaders on this topic, on this aspect of project management. So that's what's in it for them. It's money, right? It's opportunities, to increase their net worth and sense of awareness of the project management industry.
Cornelius Fichtner: You are an educator and trainer and you always advocated on the importance of education. So I assume that project management education, project management training is probably your top pick when it comes to becoming a thought leader in project management, right?
Emad Rahim: It is, it is because we can’t really explain what we do unless we have done it. We can't be an expert on something if we have never experienced it, if we have never executed on it. That comes from our education. That comes from our experience. That comes from training. So it's important for us to get enough training to force to get enough education.
When I say 'enough' I mean that you become confident in what you're talking about, in what you are saying and what you are recommending. Obviously, education is always lifelong learning. It's always continuous. But you should be able to have enough education, enough training that you are updated on what's happening in this industry, that you are aware of the problems but also aware of the solutions because that’s what your clients want. They want the solutions but they want to know that you have experienced these problems that you have worked with clients that have gone through these problems and know that these solutions have worked. So that's where it comes from. That education, that training is vital. It's important. And it also boosts your level of confidence when you are speaking on that subject as a thought leader and also when you are explaining this topic to your client and to the public.
Cornelius Fichtner: What about leveraging your colleagues and other professionals in your circles?
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