Wake Up Eager Workforce 
Episode 120 Transcript

Suzie Price: Today I'm talking with the beautiful and talented Tamara McLemore. She is an executive consultant, a certified project management professional instructor, has her own business around the PMP certification that we're going to talk about and she is a speaker. So you're going to want to tune in today if you've ever been curious about the PMP certification, Project Management Professional Certification and what it could do for your career. And everybody's a project manager, so it'd be interesting if you've never even considered it, which I had not. But I find what she's doing fascinating, and I can see how helpful this would be. There's so many more nuggets here, we're going to talk about the best strategies for retaining large amounts of information under pressure. You know, if you ever get overwhelmed when taking exams or completing certifications this is going to be helpful to you. So whether you're thinking about PMP or not, you're going to benefit from this. And also a lot of inspiration about taking charge of your life and making sure that you have more options and deciding to do things. So a lot of goodness in this episode. I'm so glad that I've had the opportunity to talk to Tamara and I’m eager to share it with you. Michael. Hit it!

Intro/Outro: Welcome to the Wake Up Eager Workforce podcast, a show designed for leaders, trainers and consultants who are responsible for employee selection and professional development. Each episode is packed full with insider tips, best practices, expert interviews and inspiration. Please welcome the host who is helping leaders, trainers and consultants everywhere Suzie Price.

[00:01:38] Suzie Price: As Michael said, you're listening to the Wake Up Eager Workforce podcast, where we cover everything related to helping you and the employees in your organization build a high commitment, low drama Wake Up Eager workforce. We help leaders in organizations make good decisions about their people. And the way we do that is in all of our work. It's about empowering people to know who they are, to understand their strengths, to understand their talents, and then to apply them at work, and for leaders to help people understand who they are, what their strengths are, and get people in the right fit so that you have this entire virtuous cycle of wake up eager team members, wake up eager leaders, wake up eager teams, and then you end up with a wake up, eager workforce. And that's so much of what we talk about today in this episode. It is so much more than just being about PMP, but it also is fascinating about the PMP certification, too. So this is episode 120, and the title of today's episode is the Project Management Professional Certification for Me. And we talk about why getting your certification is the best shortcut to advancing in your career. So all of this was new to me, and I very much understand this now, based on the conversation with Tamara, and I'm quite an advocate for what she is doing.

[00:03:03] Suzie Price: And so if you want to get the links from today's episode and links to the show notes and everything that we cover, you can go to pricelessprofessional.com/pmp. The main things we talk about today is talk about how project management skills enhance every area of our lives. We talk about learning strategies for not only ourselves, but organizational success around project management and just learning in general. And there are many inspirational thoughts and ideas that Tamara brings, in addition to just her presence, and how she shows up. But there are two actions and one focus area that can, I believe, really lead to a wake up, eager life and wake up eager work. So I'm eager for you to hear about those actions and to ponder them. So Tamara's background. She is the founder of Tamara McLemore enterprises, and she is an instructor and a speaker and an executive consultant. And the instruction is around the project management professional certification. She coaches many people, a lot of mid-career professional women in all kinds of industries, men too. And her focus is empowering people with the necessary skills, confidence and language to obtain their PMP certification and then take that and secure significant career advancements. And she just doesn't do any old PMP certification.

Suzie Price: She's got a two week bootcamp, which we talk about, which I found fascinating. Just as I think about learning models and helping people get to where they want to go. She's taking this two week intensive, this process that usually takes 6 to 8 months, and helps people pass their exam between the boot camp and the coaching within 30 days. So it's not only about the certification, but she repeats this and gets back to this often is positioning people in careers they really deserve. And so we align so much around that objective of helping people live the life they want to live, that the time is now. She's been recognized for her appearances, which is no surprise to me. She's been a guest on the Women Project Management and Harvard Business Review, Women at Work keynote speaker at prestigious events such as the Women of Project Management Conference, E Ignite Conference and the Wonder Women Tech Summit, which I love that I'm part of a Wonder Women mastermind, so that's very cool. So personally, she enjoys traveling and lives by the motto to be a service to all mankind, and she is indeed doing that. Let's go to our discussion now. Tamara, it's so good to see you. Thank you so much for taking time to be on the podcast.

[00:05:51] Tamara McLemore: Thank you so much for having me. I am super excited to talk to your audience and share some nuggets and some gems that hopefully they can implement immediately. So, I'm super excited to be here.

Suzie Price: Awesome! And since you are the PMP Queen… I've now crowned you the PMP Queen. Tell us what PMP is. Not everybody will know exactly what it is, and then why people in general pursue this certification.

Tamara McLemore: So the PMP is the project management professional certification and it is historically a certification for IT, government, military. HOWEVER, I have to say that with all caps, however, project management is for everybody. I mean healthcare, executive admins, education, you name it. Every industry is requiring project managers. Now you don't have to all get the certification if you don't want to. But my belief is that everybody is a project manager. The end. Period.

Suzie Price: Yes. I have good project management skills, but it's just because I got honed early on. But I also was reading about what you were saying. I was like, huh, a certification might be interesting because I love to learn and I don't officially get hired for project management, but that's what you do all day, every day.

Tamara McLemore: All day, every day. I have domestic engineers and you know what a domestic engineer is? Do you know what that is?

Suzie Price: I do. My husband's a commercial contractor, so I should know. Domestic engineer, engineers things domestically.

[00:07:23] Tamara McLemore: It's a housewife. It's a housewife.

Suzie Price: Silly girl.

Tamara McLemore: Or stay at home, mom.

Suzie Price: Oh, there we go.

Tamara McLemore: They're project managers. That PTA and all those other duties at your kid's school. You know the sports. That is project management at its finest. Your household. And people may say, well, no, not really. You know, It absolutely is. And we can talk about that later. But everybody's a project manager. Nobody is exempt.

[00:07:52] Suzie Price: If you can't organize your day and your time, you're not waking up eager, which is my whole driver in life is to, you know, enjoy every day. And if everything is pure chaos, you're not going to enjoy every day and anything. Yeah, absolutely. That's so funny. I immediately took it to corporate. Since I'm in corporate so much. It's actually a homemaker, a wonderful homemaker. So you've talked about that everybody should consider getting a PMP certification. Talk about why it's so valuable and how the knowledge helps people in their life and in their work and their personal professional growth. And then you can talk about it in leadership roles, how leaders can benefit. So kind of step through that for us.

Tamara McLemore: Absolutely. A lot of people believe that when you get the piece of paper, your life is going to change tomorrow. It's not about the piece of paper per se. It's about the information, the knowledge areas in the project management certification. So for instance, we have procurement. Most people say they don't do procurement. But you do. You order products, you order food, catering, paper, pencils, any supplies. That is procurement, the finances, the budget, the schedule, communications, project management is 100% of communicating. So when I say the knowledge areas for project management is so vast and one of the new areas is HR people management, it is 42% of the new exam.

Suzie Price: Wow. That's interesting.

[00:09:25] Tamara McLemore: A lot of people don't because project managers traditionally we think of it as more of a hard skill. But what we found is project managers suck at managing people. But we have 50, 75 people on a project, 150 people that we have to manage whether they report to us or not. And so it's balancing the hard and the soft skills. And I was just corrected by two of my good friends that are executives in HR. They're not soft skills anymore. They're power skills.

Suzie Price: Oh, I like that. Yeah.

Tamara McLemore: The people part, their power skills. And so that's why everybody should consider getting the PMP certification, because it gives you a good balance for managing projects, your day to day, whether you're an individual contributor, whether you're a manager. And more importantly, like you said, if you want to move up to leadership. I work with a ton of people that are in government, and if they want to be an SES’r, they need that project management because now you can manage strategically. I have a lot of VPs, directors, the S-suite, they want you to have this PMP. Now, one group of individuals that really surprised me that are requiring the PMP certification is healthcare. Doctors and pharmacists. Can you believe it? They have a whole MD. You know how much school they've gone through? And now in order to manage a hospital, or a facility, or research, their management is requiring them, somebody that went through all this school to go back and either get an MBA, which is 2 or 3 years, or a PMP, which you can get 30, 60, 90 days. Yeah. Which one would you choose?

Suzie Price: Yeah. PMP. And and it makes sense to me because you think about you, you like I have the expertise in my skill set and I know my tools and I know my business. And just like the medical doctors, they know medicine, but they don't know how to, to have a methodology. You have to have a framework or it is chaos. If somebody grew up with a very orderly family, maybe you have some real good orderly built in, you know, not like a PMP, but, you know, you have some good framework. It was pure chaos in my childhood home. So, I started with nothing when I started in corporate America. You know, I was like, okay, I have to figure out how to get organized because, you know, I didn't grow up with that. I wish I would have gotten PMP way back then because I've suffered through a bunch to get to here.

Tamara McLemore: But it gives us our good, how can I say, our chops in the real world? It really does benefit us to do it the wrong way or the chaotic way. And now most people that are highly successful with the PMP, they are yearning to do it easier and better. So those are the best candidates. Like I've been pushing through, now I want to do things a little easier. So it's like that toolbox that you have in that hall closet. You use the same tools over and over. The wrench, the hammer, the screwdriver. Every once in a while, you pull out that that power tool with the different bits and you're like, oh my gosh, this is so easy. And it just unscrews something and screws it back.

Suzie Price: Yeah, it's so simple. So it sounds like what you're saying is the PMP is very practical. Like it's not all theory. It's very practical.

Tamara McLemore: Absolutely. So I've just started a new bootcamp and it is the third evening. Last night I can tell I was losing them. And I have people in every industry from executive admin to automotive to retail. I have people that are in social work, you name it. I have people in bootcamp. Guess what? I was losing them all last night. I'm not going to lie. And so we had to go through the questions, and they perked up because they were getting questions right with material we haven't even gone through. And I had to show them. You already know this, or at least can eliminate some things that just don't make sense to do. And they really perked up. And so that's what I love when I can see those light bulbs go off to say, I've been doing this, I just didn't know it had a term to it.

Suzie Price: Yeah. And so when you know that you can do it on purpose.

Tamara McLemore: That has been my word for the last four years. Every year I have a new word on purpose, intentional. Ooh, that just gave me chills. Yeah. Being very intentional. Being very intentional on how you manage projects.

Suzie Price: Oh yeah, I'm very intentional about how I spend every day. I have plans for every day now. I'm willing to be flexible throughout the day, but I know what I'm doing today. Not flying by the seat of my pants.

Tamara McLemore: So even if it's to do nothing. So my tomorrow is zero and I'm very intentional about doing nothing tomorrow.

Suzie Price: Yeah, yeah. So tell us about the boot camp. So you have a whole group of people and how long is it? And then they meet in the evenings. I think that's interesting. And I think it would be interesting to be in a it's probably virtual. Is it virtual?

Tamara McLemore: It is virtual, yes.

Suzie Price: Be in a room virtual room with the people from all different industries. I think that would be interesting.

Tamara McLemore: It is very interesting. So the boot camp is two weeks, Monday through Thursday, and it's 6 to 10 p.m. eastern. When I tell you that time goes by so fast, meaning my husband bet me good money that I would not get us out of ten because most times I end it at like 9:45, 9:50 and we go to 10:30 because they're like, they got so many questions, and they're excited. So it is hard to get people that have worked all day, adulting, have kids, and they still want to talk. So that's how much fun we have because it's different industries. And you get to see they're having the same issues or the same successes that I'm having, and it gets us to hear a different perspective.

Tamara McLemore: And I do want to add I have people from the same company, but do different things. That one was really interesting. When I did that one, it was like we didn't even know how that was going to work out and go. But people from all over the country for one company doing different things, they learned a ton. They learned a ton.

Suzie Price: Yeah. Well, you know, nothing like cross pollination to understand just by the basis of their questions, what they're faced with every day that you never even thought about.

[00:16:01] Tamara McLemore: Absolutely. So that's the curriculum Monday through Thursday. On Friday, our brain has got to rest. We have the whole workweek. We have the whole bootcamp. I don't allow people to study on Friday. They don't even get the curriculum till Saturday morning because I have overachievers, you know, that want to study ahead of time and I just don't allow it. And they thank me for it because their brain has got to rest. Because on Saturday morning we get up and get our coffee and our tea, and we actually go through the questions that were there fresh, and they're seeing the questions and we're breaking the bad test habits and we're accentuating the good test habits. And when was the last time most of us had been in school? Yeah, it's been a minute. And even when we were. When is the last time, or have you ever taken a four hour exam?

Suzie Price: Yeah. I was going to ask you how long the exam is. Yeah it is.

Tamara McLemore: It's almost four hours and 180 questions. But the thing is, they ask you the same thing, different ways, different scenarios. So once you get in your rhythm, it's like riding a bike. And I tell I like the analogy going to the gym.

Suzie Price: Yeah.

Tamara McLemore: If you haven't been to the gym in a while, it's going to hurt a little bit.

Suzie Price: Yeah.

Tamara McLemore: But once you start working the machines and getting in your classes.

Suzie Price: The body remembers.

Tamara McLemore: There you go. It's the same thing. And so that's what we do on Saturdays. So by the time the boot camp is over, you're rocking and rolling with those exam questions. And then you still have me. We do one on ones. You still have your cohort. They still meet until everybody passes. So it is a true community. We have all nationalities, all races. I know you, we talked earlier. It's mostly women. However, we do have a few good men because my husband said you cannot discriminate. That's reverse discrimination. And it does bring a different perspective because women, we know what we know. And every once in a while, you know, a man, there are a lot of them are introverts and they're engineers. They will speak up and they say, ah, that's from a women perspective. Let me tell you, I'm in the room. I'm in the C-suite. And that is not how it works. And so it's a good balance. It's a good balance.

Suzie Price: It's good. That is so good. So it truly is a boot camp. I mean, there's a big commitment to it, but at the end they're ready to take the exam or they're about ready anyway. It depends on the person because everybody learns differently.

Tamara McLemore: Correct, and more importantly, like I said before, it is not about passing an exam. Yes, you're going to pass exam, but it is about showing up different. It is about utilizing your time. It is about working in your strengths. I'm a huge component of strength finders. When I found out what my strengths were, I was like, my productivity went through the roof. Because I'm a learner, I'm an executer, I'm a connector. All these strengths. I'm not good at math. My mom spent probably hundreds of thousands of dollars on tutors growing up. And all these programs, one plus one is two. That's as far as I go, you know?

Suzie Price: Yeah, yeah.

[00:19:10] Tamara McLemore: So I need to hire somebody for my deficiencies. And that's what you learn how to be intentional and how to get a good night's sleep, you know, after you've worked all day because you're not worried about your project. It gives you a better work life balance. It really does it.

Suzie Price: Yes. And one of your strengths, and we'll talk about that when we get to the wakeup eager strength segment, is you are an advocate for balance and harmony and creating. You know, not being in chaos. And so I mean, as I was looking at your results, I'm like, oh, she is exactly in the right place. I don't need to tell you that, but I was seeing it and I don't even know you until today. So that's very cool. And I love that you encourage folks okay, let's rest. We're going to rest. And, you know, let's take a break and then we'll be back together.

Tamara McLemore: You have to even when I come off vacation, I go on a lot of girls trips. Me and my husband, we do a lot of trips. And what I found now is I'm doing solo trips. But one thing my husband brought to my attention I need a day, maybe two after the trip. It's mandatory where I clear my schedule. He doesn't bother me. We don't talk about household things because I need to decompress from that trip. And so it is just so important that we rest our brain, we rest our body. And it's a full, holistic view of just everything that we do, not just project management.

Suzie Price: Yeah. Self-care.

Tamara McLemore: Self-care. There you go. Yeah.

Suzie Price: How do you help others if your tank is empty? We all know it, but we don't always do it.

Tamara McLemore: Absolutely.

Suzie Price: You're being a great role model for that. That's amazing. Very cool.

Tamara McLemore: Thank you.

[00:20:45] Suzie Price: So we do love to learn over here at my company. Theoretical is one of my top drivers, so I attract a lot of people who love to learn and have certifications and deeper dive training and a lot of stuff that I do. So I'd love to tap your brain because you've really focused on this. You've taken a program that takes 6 to 8 months for most people to complete, and you shortened it and tightened it so that they can complete it a lot faster. Though that's not the only objective, but that is a very attractive aspect to it. So there's some strategies for effective learning that you have learned or that you it sounds like you have mastered. So talk about when people under time pressure, what are some of your favorite learning strategies?

Tamara McLemore: The first one is create a study schedule. Like we're scheduling everything. We're scheduling our vacations. We schedule what we're going to do on the weekends our kids, our nieces and nephews, our fur babies. We're scheduling everything. But for professional development, you're just going to wing it? You're just going to fit it in when you have time? It is not going to happen. So if you're serious about any type of professional development, you're going to pull out a calendar. You're going to look at, okay, we're we only have a couple months left in this year. What are we going to do with them? And you're really going to say, huh, the next 30 days, if I dedicate some of my weekends, my evenings to my professional development, I am going to be highly successful. So that is the first thing, we have to schedule it. If you're serious, you're going to pull out that calendar. The second thing is, which is a project management methodology that I didn't realize I was doing until recently, is fail fast. I'm going to say that again, fail fast. Now, a lot of people this this boot camp that I have now, we have a ton of perfectionists. Normally I have 2 or 3. I think this whole class is perfectionists. So I had to try to make them fail really quick so we can get over that burn and that sting. And I had to give them examples of multi-billion dollar companies. That's what they do. They fail, they learn, and they keep it moving. The quicker you fail, the quicker you learn. You can move on. And like I said, I could see the tension. It's just like steam on a kettle. Just leave.

Suzie Price: They're like, okay, okay, I'm going to take a deep breath. I'm going to try not to be a perfectionist. Yes, yes. It's almost like you got to be okay to look like a beginner. You know, you can't really look like a pro unless you know it. Everybody who looks like a pro has put a ton of work into it to make it look that easy.

Tamara McLemore: Absolutely. And so they had to get over themselves. And they quoted themselves last night. They had to get out of their own way. They had to trust the process. And so that community of people from different races, different ages, just differences. Having a couple of things in common about this PMP certification. When we got off that call, I slept like a baby because I was like, oh, I have cracked the nuts, the hard nuts in the class.

Suzie Price: You probably have to remind him a couple more times, but they heard you and you're giving them permission. You know, because we all our strengths can be our opportunities. And for them, their strengths are they probably always get it right. But then the opportunity is you're not willing to let go.

Tamara McLemore: Oooh, which is one of my favorite project management knowledge areas is risk. Because no risk, no reward. Risk is really opportunity. And you have to think of it glass half full. And so I'm just a huge proponent. And a lot of people didn't grow up like me. We couldn't say “I can't” in our household. Like words like that were bad words. It wasn't cussing. It was saying, “I can't”. So it's just not in my vocabulary. And so I don't allow people to say it.

[00:24:43] Suzie Price: Yeah, that's good. That's who you need in front of the room helping people reach this big goal. So top strategies, plan it, fail fast. What else? Anything else. Or you think those are the top two things that get in people's way that they want.

Tamara McLemore: And then have a good community because the community helps. Our family and friends, they mean well. But these internet streets have so much bad information, and so it's just been passed down and passed down. Our coworker, neighbor. So when you have a community and a professional instructor like myself that have been in the business, I'm not just theory from textbook. I've been doing this for 20 plus years. I don't want to date myself, but Y2K, I've been doing this since Y2K, so half my class don't even know what that is. Yeah.

Suzie Price: But you don't look like you could have been an adult in 2000. Yes. Y2k.

Tamara McLemore: Thank you for saying that. And so I bring the actual experience and the textbook. So that's what I would say are my sweet spots in getting people to pass. Other people think it's something else until they get into boot camp. They're like, oh, I thought it was XYZ. But it's really the community. It's failing fast. It's the study schedule and it's Tamara experience, bringing each individual person in the boot camp, their experience to life. So that's my secret sauce.

Suzie Price: Yeah, I love that secret sauce. Perfect. Yeah. The community piece gets overlooked. You know, people will just struggle on their own. And I just can't tell you how many different communities in my life that I tap into for all the different things that I'm focused on from my personal, you know, fitness and nutrition. I have communities, and it's easier than ever to get those communities. Some of them are richer and deeper than others, but they're there.

Tamara McLemore: They're there.

Tamara McLemore: And I owe that to my success. It is. Today, is it Thursday? I think it is when we're recording this, but I just cleaned out my mom's basement and I found my Girl Scout sash, and I've been in community forever. And I live in Atlanta, Georgia, and I have patches, two patches. I'm from Saint Louis, but from Georgia, where I've always was an avid reader and always in Girl Scouts and community. And just it's always been a staple in my life. So community. So absolutely.

Suzie Price: And so what I would say to anybody listening is if you are, if you realize that maybe that's an area that's not fully fleshed out for you. The word is and let people in or invite people in because they're not going to go drag you into their community. You have to go jump in.

Tamara McLemore: At least knock on the door.

[00:27:24] Suzie Price: Knock on the door. There we go. Yeah. Or let's just let them in. I mean, I just I know some people who are very lonely. And anytime you reach out, they just kind of. They got their guard up. And, you know, you try to help. And these are personal friends, it's like, okay, could you just let everybody in because people want to connect.

Tamara McLemore: They do.

Tamara McLemore: They do. Didn't we learn that from Covid? We learned to wash our hands and that people are lonely and isolated and we need community. We learn those things in Covid. Wash your hands, community.

Suzie Price: Yeah. Yeah. We're all heard that, at least the hand part. Hopefully the community part. So talk a little bit about how HR leaders and executives could use these strategies or other strategies to, you know, because they're leading development efforts. Any additional strategies for an organization that you would share?

Tamara McLemore: Yes. So right now, there are quite a few organizations that have tapped me for a project management fundamentals and basics class because like I said, everybody's not going to sit for the exam. However, everybody needs to know the basics and the fundamentals of project management. There's one thing with operations, you're doing the same thing over and over. It's repetitive. You know your job, but when you have those special projects, those other duties as assigned, let's say all those 5K walks, the PTA, the sports event. We don't do bake sales anymore. I don't know where, oh, we're doing the online sales for the popcorn. Like all that stuff that is fund raising. That is a project. And you have to understand it at a basic level. So that is what organizations are realizing now. And t means so much for people to invite, not just the tech people, the sales, the marketing, the finance, the HR in these classes. Then they identify which executives or management level individuals need to go to the next step and take the PMP and go even further. So that is what is happening now, because what is happening is so if you go get your PMP and you come back with all these tools, everybody is going to be looking at you like, what the heck is she talking about? It's going to be like Charlie Brown, like a foreign language. Womp, womp. Oh, here she go. She got another certification. Here she comes. But if they know just the basic framework and some of the terms, then they're like, okay, I know what she's talking about. We need to have a kickoff meeting. Everybody needs to come to the initial meeting so that we gather the requirements, meaning we have everybody's input, like they're going to understand we have to close this out. We have to pay the invoices. We have to have a wrap up meeting. So next year when we do this we, it's easy breezy. So they're going to start to really get into it.

[00:30:16] Suzie Price: Yeah I love it. It becomes a part of the culture. Yeah. So and and for executives and HR leaders thinking about this, make project management a part of the skill set for everybody.

Tamara McLemore: Absolutely. There you go. It has to be it has to be embedded in the culture, in the organization for it to be successful. Absolutely.

Suzie Price: That's wonderful. Anything else you would add, or do you think that's the biggest nugget out of that for organizations?

Tamara McLemore: I would say that's one of the biggest nuggets. The other one is the project management. Like I said before, methodology, I want to say it's maybe 10 to 12 knowledge areas. And like I said before, it's the softer power skills and it's also the harder quality, risk management, procurement, the ethics we're dealing with, the international population, international business. The people in the US. We can't think that our way is always right. Last night people got some questions right, and I kind of cringed a little bit because they have a rude awakening. They're going to get a lot wrong because when we get to those international questions about culture and norms and customs. I've been to over 25 countries and I had me a culture coach.

Suzie Price: Wow, that's smart.

[00:31:31] Tamara McLemore: When I went to the Middle East and I still did things incorrectly, like grabbing a check, wanting to pay for stuff, and that's a no. And so just doing things different, it's not a switch. You know how you flip a switch to turn a light off and on? It's a knob that we have to turn, and gradually, gradually, you know, change the way we're doing business.

Suzie Price: I love that analogy. I'm writing that down.

Tamara McLemore: Very good, I love it.

Suzie Price: Good with your analogies. So, this PMP I mean it talks about culture and I that's so interesting what you said people and they've you know but that's really interesting. Yeah that is great. Okay. So let's look what about somebody who and I do have people in some of my certifications who are struggling with the information and they're struggling with, you know, work, family. Then they also on top of that have a fear of failure, or they just struggle with accumulating or assimilating all the data and they get overwhelmed. What do you tell people? I'm sure you see that. What else do you say? You gave some good learning strategies to planning, fail fast, and good community, but anything else you would add?

[00:32:42] Tamara McLemore: So I give them concrete examples. I'm from the Show-Me state. I'm from Missouri, so I showed them people's test results last night. That's what I did. On how somebody went from a 45% to a 60% to a 68% and pass in four days. And I had to add that he and he said he missed a key class. He missed the Saturday drills. He said I'm not going to be in class, but I will be doing my test in the evening. He traveled a lot for work and this gentleman had a child. His son must have been 2 or 3. He was a very active parent. His child sat on his lap in class. He would go off camera, feed his son. Then he would have story time, bath time. We saw it play out in boot camp. So I tell people, I don't even know how to say it, but just to say it. People with kids that can't even microwave, under five, they do tremendously well because they are really organized and their time is valuable and they have to get it and fit it in where where they get in and you just have to manage it. And this is in a class where you have to be prim and proper. But like I said, I let them see the examples in my email, in my DMs and they can see the timestamp, they can see the conversation. So I'm not making this up. And then sometimes I bring people back, depending on the class, to talk to them about how they were in this industry, they were struggling and how I helped them. Because as an instructor, I can say it's I'm blue in the face.

Suzie Price: Yeah, they need to see it.

Tamara McLemore: They need to see it. And so that is how a lot of times I help people overcome that fear, that perfectionism, that they're juggling so much. And I have to tell them I have people that unfortunately, they're caregivers for their ailing parents that are going through cancer treatment, that are in hospice, that themselves are going through treatment. I've had women that are separating from their partner, their spouse that are sleeping on somebody's couch, so for all intents and purposes, are homeless. And so you living in a 5,000 square foot house, I need you to come again with a better excuse. I need you to come again. Turn around and give me something else.

Suzie Price: Yeah, I love that. Yes, yes. No excuses. What I always say is that people will respond to change or doing something when they are aware. You know that they need to do it and they're ready. And sometimes people just aren't ready. And if you're not ready, then you could try all kinds of tactics that won't work. So make sure you're ready. And that's 80% of it. And what you're kind of saying is, if you feel like you're ready and you're aware that you really need this, just make the decision.

Tamara McLemore: Yeah. And I will say I screen people for that because I have gone over my bootcamp and people, they felt like they were ready, but to me, they didn't answer the questions properly when I asked them, why are you getting this? My boss said I needed my husband, my partner, my spouse. No, you are not a good candidate. You're not. Come back when you want it. You never said why you're going to use this. Yeah, so I don't want them part of my community. I don't want a Debbie Downer. And so they're not a good candidate and I don't even accept their money. I don't.

[00:35:54] Suzie Price: Yeah. Love it. Yeah. Come back when you want it. And that's okay if they don't want it right now. So that's the thing. Yeah. That's what I'm always talking about in regard to giving advice to people and stuff. You know, you don't give advice until they've asked, you know, and you and you don't encourage people to sign up for a program until they're really ready. You know, that's really good. I love that. And then the fear of failure, we've kind of already talked about that. Any other tips on balancing work and study? You talked about planning? Um, are there any things you do around note taking that you think are particularly helpful or talk about that?

Tamara McLemore: Oh, so I don't allow people to take notes.

Suzie Price: Oh you don't?

[00:36:31] Tamara McLemore: So when are you going to read those notes? You're not. And when we're taking notes, this is not the traditional school. We're taking notes. We're worried about spelling, punctuation. Gotta get those bullets, highlighting. And you're missing what I'm saying. What you need to be processing is “I hear what Tamara is saying”. That makes absolutely no sense. I'm never going to use that. I need you to verbalize that so that I can help you see that you have already used it. You will use it. But if you're taking notes, you've missed all of that. You missed all of that. Yeah. And you're not going to look at the notes later. What I do provide you at the end of the bootcamp is audio. And that way, because as an adult, emotional intelligence tells us that you're going to get very little reading a book, a textbook in the evening, you just are. And so I just x’d that out. I can't take full credit. Suzie and your audience, you need to get some Gen Z's in your life because they're the ones that, I kind of knew it but one day, one of my mentees, we were reverse mentoring because I was mentoring her, but she didn't know she was mentoring me. She just flat out said, Miss Tamara. You can stop sending this damn book. Nobody's reading the book. Stop sending it. And I'm thinking, okay, for your age group, that may be okay, but the rest of the age, half the age group need the book. Well, I started to pay attention. And during Covid, when the logistics and the books were delivering late Suzie, people that registered last minute for the boot camp and every boot camp, those people passed quicker than anybody else. And then as the data. So we really paid attention. And so then people that didn't get the book because of where they live, they pass quicker. And so I intentionally start sending the book after the boot camp and then eventually not. And so we just paid attention to what worked. And you don't need the book. I send you an agile guide, which is a very small, really quick read with pictures, but I pay attention to what works and what doesn't work. So hopefully I answered your question. My boot camp is totally different. I pay attention to how people learn and it is not a textbook.

Suzie Price: Wow, that is really interesting. I think that's interesting because yeah, so I in my certifications they do get a book. So I'll have to revisit that and think about that. I just know for myself that sometimes I need to write to underline and highlight.

Tamara McLemore: People say that. But no, because like I said, the fail fast. I need you to say I like this theory, but for somebody else, I would never use that. And so if you're writing, you're not saying it. And I need to see that confused look on your face like I just saw about I need a highlight. And then I'm going to ask you, Suzie, tell us more of that. And when you do that, you're not just helping yourself, you're helping somebody else in the class who feels the exact same way.

Suzie Price: Well, what you're talking about, too, is it's not just in your head. So when you verbalize something, then you begin to own it. And then you question that you're really asking because it's like, okay, yeah, this is going on in my brain. And then. Yeah. And then you're answering it. So that really lands.

[00:39:44] Tamara McLemore: Absolutely, absolutely. So what happens in my boot camp, people are using it not when they pass the next day. And their managers, their coworkers, because they're like, I'm going to try this out. Tamara gave me this example of a project I'm working like she made me. She put me on Front Street to try this out and they are surprised, like heads were turning. They're like, tell me more. And a lot of times I’m like, I don't know more, that's like day three.

Suzie Price: All I got is this. I'll be back with you later on.

Tamara McLemore: But they start to try it out bit by bit. And they, they really surprise themselves. They really do.

Suzie Price: That is wonderful. Yeah, you sound like an amazing teacher.

[00:40:27] Tamara McLemore: Thank you. And that's because I failed at the PMP certification. So I have to say that. I cannot say that oh, I had everything correct. The federal government sent me back and forth to D.C. from Atlanta to DC. I got a master's certificate in it. The teacher told me to stop answering questions in the class. “Tamara, you know it. Let somebody else answer.” Well, I failed because I could not apply it. And then I came back to Atlanta. I did the 12 week study group through PMI. I failed again. And so my husband had to give me a tutor, and the tutor said the same thing. “You know this”. I said, if one more person tells me I know this, I am going to lose it.

Suzie Price: Yeah.

Tamara McLemore: Well, I did know it. I just didn't know how to apply it. So I knew I could verbalize it, but the application, there was a disconnect and answering the questions. And so I make sure everybody can do all three because it's so important. It's so important.

Suzie Price: Yeah, that's amazing and amazing that it can happen in such a short window of time. Well, you also have all the follow up too. You know, people can come back with questions as they apply it. So that's good. So let's reiterate, you've talked about it and you have really convinced me how important PMP is without even really trying, with your excitement and enthusiasm and apparent, you know, your knowledge. So I'm very interested and kind of excited about PMP now, so thank you.

Tamara McLemore: I've done my job. Go ahead.

Suzie Price: Good job. We can sign off now except we have some more questions. But talk a little bit about or kind of close this piece out maybe a little bit with, you know, we talk about building a high commitment, low drama, wake up eager workforce. And the wake up eager is a Monday night or Sunday night, I'm not dreading going to work because I use my strengths on the job. My talents are recognized. You know, good leadership, good project management. So talk a little bit about how PMP can contribute to that kind of environment that we advocate for.

Tamara McLemore: So you must have been in my email list or just in my brain. That is my favorite email that I sent out. I haven't had the Sunday night scaries in years and my people don't. Because with the PMP certification, the number one thing they have is options. They have options. They could lead their organization and go somewhere. These organizations, they don't just have one department. You can go to another department with a PMP certification. You can go sideways, you can go up. You can even go down if you want. A lot of people are like at the, you know, downsizing or downsizing their job. They don't want all this responsibility. So you have options within your organization. You have options outside of your organization. And what people are realizing. You can go from education, to healthcare, to the airline industry, to the federal government, to corporate. to nonprofit. All these industries and organizations want project managers. And that is one thing that is transferable, and that is the PMP certification. So that gets rid of the Sunday night scaries.

Tamara McLemore: And you have confidence. Like, I don't have to take this. I don't have to put up with this. Yeah. And then you have the confidence. Your resume says it. You know how to interview better, and you just can, like they say, deuces. You can leave.

Suzie Price: Deuces. That's perfect. Deuces. Yes, I love it. Okay. So this is fantastic. We're going to learn a little bit more about you. And we're going to kick it off with the Wake Up Eager strengths segment. And as we always do in this segment, we have you complete the Talent Insights assessment which measures what puts gas in your tank according to the assessment. So that's you know, what you want to do five days a week. And then it also talks about how you like to drive around which is how you like to communicate. And so what the assessment said is that you are, this is no surprise to everybody who's been listening, very friendly and enthusiastic. Naturally, that's a great strength. And you're and you can be direct and express some urgency. It also says that you like to go at a fast pace, your pace is more fast and that you can work very independently, like the freedom and independence that's a little bit on your communication style. And then for the motivators, which I just saw in spades as we were talking. And if you could, when you see the video of this, you'll see how nice or space is behind her and the beautiful color she has. Her number one, according to the assessment, is aesthetic and you score passionate.

 Suzie Price: So that is you love to enhance your surroundings can be very intuitive. You talked about I can watch signals of people in the class and know what they need. You do the big picture. So, I don't have aesthetics. So sometimes I can have different strengths, but that I will put things in compartments. And so I need somebody from high Aesthetic to say, wait a minute, look at the big picture. Yeah. And so you see the big picture. And when you walk into a room, you pick up the big picture according to the assessment. You promote harmony and balance, which you've talked about today. So that's your top one. And you scored passionate. So you according to the assessment are more passionate about this than others. And that's that taken the two days. And then the second one that was the strongest is knowledge. So I'd love to be an expert. And I like to help other people become experts. And then the one that you said was your number six, according to the assessment, is you liked new methodologies and new ways of doing things. And look how you reinvented the PMP training.

Tamara McLemore: Thank you for that. And I have to say, when you said about the, you know, my personality, I didn't realize I was that way until, do you know, someone complained that I was too positive and too bubbly in the morning they went to management on me and management brought me in the office and was like, we got some complaints, we got some concerns, and I'm like, oh my God, my work thinking it's going to be about work, that you speak to everybody, you're just so daggone on ten in the morning. I'm not a morning person. Ask my family and friends. I'm not. And I was like, what am I supposed to do with that? Yeah.

Tamara McLemore: Yeah, yeah. Like stop thinking?

Tamara McLemore: Like, I don't know what to be a Debbie Downer. I don't know what to do with that.

Suzie Price: Yeah, I can think of two instances when I first read my report because it, I have a similar the high I style and it said something about, you know here's here's your strengths and then here's how it might be perceived by others. And I read the perception I'm like, oh, ouch. Because I'm like, I can remember two instances. One, I came around, I was a recruiter at the time, a long time ago, before I had my business, and I came around out of my office to go to pick up the candidate that I was going to interview. I'm like, hey! And it was somebody who has a more reserved personality style. And I caught it, you know, like, oh my gosh, I think I just totally overwhelmed this person, you know? And then another time, I can remember going into events like a ATD program or something, Association of Talent Development. And I just come flying in, you know. And I thought, oh, that could be perceived as being just a little too showy without meaning to.

[00:47:42] Tamara McLemore: You're not meaning to. And so I don't tone it down. But at the time I did, and I realized I wasn't myself and I was acting. And so I can't do it anymore. I just I have to show up as myself in the end. That's the only way I know.

Suzie Price: Yeah. And you're in work now that rewards that and needs that to enthuse, be enthusiastic and supportive and optimistic and help them see it if they can't see it. I mean, yeah, that's you.

Tamara McLemore: Can see my bright colors. And I was gifted this hat by my mentor, a man, because I would refuse to wear the hard hats at the site. And I would hold them and they would say, Tamra, you have on stilettos and open toed shoes and you won't wear the hat. I'm like, I can't wear these Yankee hats. So one day I came in the office and I could just see the hot pink from down the way. And I was like, it's for me. He was like, no one will accidentally pick it up. No one will steal it. It has my name, the logo. Like, this is yours. And I have carried it from organization to organization. It is one of my prized possessions because I'm a girl in a male dominated industry. But I have to show up as myself. That's the only way I know.

Suzie Price: And when you do that, and it's really I mean, it's so seen in this assessment in regard to at least parts of it, the aesthetic, you know, which is that, you know, I like how I look and feel and, you know, I'm not going to wear an ugly hat, you know, I'm just not. Even for my safety.

Tamara McLemore: Exactly. Even my golf ball is pink back here.

Suzie Price: So there we go. I see that, I see that, that's fantastic. That's fantastic. And it's, you know, you doing you in your work and that's the objective. That's the objective. And that's the whole idea around these tools is, you know, so it sounds like some of what I shared rings true for you. Some of the things that it said on one of the pages, page 43 were combines the two style and motivators. And it's to what we just said. We'll bring high energy and enthusiasm to the researching process. Yeah. Motivates others to continue education. Initiates action to create or enhance.

Tamara McLemore: Woo! That's a huge one for me. And like you said, that one I did have to tone down because my friends, when they come to me, I want to go into action and fix it. Are we leaving or are we staying or what are we doing? And so I have to really put a muzzle on myself.

Tamara McLemore: And I won't say anything like, hello, are you on the phone? I'm like, no, I'm waiting on permission. Yeah. Because, you know, I'm going to go-in-and-fix-it mode and action, execution. I have recognized that in me. So thank you for that.

Suzie Price: And it's that urgency in your style which, you know that a lot of entrepreneurs might have that in their style. And it's the aesthetic was just you want to create something you want them to for it to be better. You want them to have what they want. You want the balance.

[00:50:29] Tamara McLemore: Absolutely a lot of my people. Either they have young kids or they're getting ready to be empty nesters. And my motivation for them is you need a car or two that that you can pay cash or that's paid off or paid quickly. So you need to get this substantial increase, which is one of the benefits. You need to stop working that job because you're miserable. You're passing it on to your kids, you're going to have college tuition and parties and travel like. So I make them think like, you need this for you and your household. So absolutely. So that's where my mind is with me.

Suzie Price: It's about your life. It's about your life. It's about the life you're creating. Yeah. I knew I needed to have you on this podcast. Because I usually select people. I don't usually take solicitations. But I read what you're doing, and I watched your videos. I'm like, oh yeah, she's coming on. We don't really know each other, but now we do.

Tamara McLemore: Thank you, I appreciate that.

Suzie Price: Yeah, a couple more favorites that I like demonstrates a forward looking approach to old questions.

Tamara McLemore: You have to have a fresh way of looking at things. You just do. I read Autobiographies, Masterclass. When people were binge watching TV during Covid, I was doing masterclass. And that's why companies are successful. They're reinventing themselves. People are reinventing themselves. So that's just me. Absolutely.

Suzie Price: And your whole approach to PMP is outside the box. You know, that's a forward-looking approach that's working.

[00:51:58] Tamara McLemore: It is working like you would not believe. And I'm so glad I'm a learner because I've been open to listen, to understand what works instead of just going. My people in my boot camp tell me when they finish. This worked. And one of the most, the funniest things that people would after they pass, they would send me a screenshot of their certification. But they would also send their book in the brown UPS or Fedex envelope, because I didn't believe they weren't opening the book for certain people. I just did not believe it. And I was like, wow, you really did not open the book.

Suzie Price: Okay, I don't need to do it.

Tamara McLemore: Yeah. And they get from it.

Tamara McLemore: And they were the biggest critics. So when they would get on the call with the next boot camp, they would show them this is the unopened book and they would, you know, say what age group they're in and they've been doing this for 20 years. You don't need a book.

Suzie Price: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That is being open and not being rigid, you know. And that's part of your profile too with the traditional regulatory if it scores really high. what they bring is let's we got a process, we got an order and we stay with traditions. And that's a benefit too. That's a strength. But it can be the blind spot can be being too rigid. Correct. And so you're not rigid at all with this. You're continually remaking it to make it better and better.

Tamara McLemore: Yes, I had to learn how to be rigid when I worked for the federal government. Working in contracting. And you have to. And I was Scary Mary, so I did everything by the book.

Tamara McLemore: Because I was Mary.

Suzie Price: Scary Mary, that's cute.

Tamara McLemore: I was obligating funds on behalf of the government. I am like, stringent, but I had to learn that part, which I do it very successfully. But that was a different part of my brain that I did have to have to.

[00:53:43] Suzie Price: Yeah, yeah, because this isn't about ability. This is about interest. You know, the motivation. So you're more interested in mixing it up. But it doesn't mean you can't do the regulatory, which you obviously did. You know, but look at the energy that you have today. So it's fantastic. Talk a little bit about advice you give your 25 year old self?

Tamara McLemore: Ooh. I would say find a community sooner than later. People can say they don't have any regrets. I actually do have a couple of regrets. I had an opportunity in my 20s. I had a lot of discretionary income. I didn't buy a big house. I bought a townhouse, I got a large bonuses. I couldn't even eat the money or shop the money. In your 20s, what do you do with all this money? I got approved for a Subway. I was looking into opening up other franchises in addition, to a gas station. I didn't have a community and I let people talk me out of it. And if I had community or been with people that were doing that, I would have. I would just be further along. And so get into community as quick as you can get with people that are 1 or 2 steps ahead of you, and they're smarter than you.

Tamara McLemore: Yeah, you can keep your old friends. Like Girl Scouts, make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, the other is gold. You have to do that. You have to do that.

Suzie Price: Yes, yes. And you know, you can have like I have my Wonder Women mastermind that's in this assessment business, you know. So I have that group and then you have your I have my high school friend group, and then I have my, where I live in Georgia, and Big Canoe, Georgia up in north of you, Big Canoe friends, you know, and community. And then my TriMetrix community, you know. So yeah. So you can have all these different groups that you're a part of and you get new ideas. Yeah. That's fantastic. Yeah. Can't say enough about that I love that.

Tamara McLemore: You cannot. And just like you, I'm in a mastermind. I have my high school friends, my college friends, my Atlanta friends. I got friends, friend groups that are just for different reasons and different purposes and seasons. And so it's so important. So important.

Suzie Price: Yes, yes, yes. So do that sooner. Um, if you could put a billboard anywhere to influence people, what message would you put on the billboard? And do you have a specific place where you place it?

Tamara McLemore: Oh, so I did look this up. And so I don't think it's trademark, but I say this all the time like Nike says, just do it. Yeah.

Tamara McLemore: Just do it.

[00:56:18] Tamara McLemore: And then the second thing is the best project you can work on is yourself.

Suzie Price: Oh, I love that. Yes. So with the just do it, you want people to not hesitate so much and to go after things. Is that what you're talking about?

Tamara McLemore: We'll have people have every excuse. And when they're on the zoom or in front of me, I'm listening. And they're waiting for a response. And I'm like, uh, it's an excuse. And I'm like, when you come with something substantial, we can have a conversation. And because I don't want to just beat people up and just go back and forth, but I'm just waiting on something substantial that we can have a conversation about and work out. And so I just I'm just my tolerance for BS and excuses is like very low, extremely low. So ust do it.

Suzie Price: Do it or put it aside. And don't talk about how you can't do it.

Tamara McLemore: And like I said, think about it. We have hairstylists. Some of us, we get our hair color, we get it straightened, we get all this stuff. We go to specific manicures and pedicures, doctors, all type of doctors. But our professional development, or therapy, or something that is going to help our brain and advance us, we just wing it, or we we'll do it when we fit it in.

Suzie Price: Yeah, this is your life. This is now take it. Yeah. We are so on the same page. Yeah. I want to be in your friend group. This is great.

Tamara McLemore: Thank you. Absolutely.

Tamara McLemore: We think exactly the same I love it.

Suzie Price: Similarities in my mind. But yes, the time is now. Time is passing, you know. Time is passing. And so enjoy the time and make decisions and be intentional. Yes, yes, I love it. Just do it. And then say the last one again. The best project is the work you do on yourself.

Tamara McLemore: The best project you can work on is yourself.

[00:58:22] Suzie Price: Yeah. Love it. Yes. And then this whole idea, like you said, about hesitating to get a help around those personal things, is a big deal. So we're like, last question, last two questions. And one is just telling about how people can find you. But what's one piece of advice you'd offer to our listeners who want to enhance their culture and themselves? What's the last piece of advice you'd give?

Tamara McLemore: I would say volunteer at work. Ask your boss, your manager, your coworker. Hey, I want to work on this special project. Can I shadow you? A lot of people feel like they don't have the experience. Speak up. Use that God given tool that we have. And raise your hand. Your boss is going to be like, oh my god, that is a breath of fresh air. Somebody's actually volunteering, so I don't have to make them. And then it makes you just look like a team player. There's so many win wins for doing that. And then you get to learn and do something different. But that's the biggest advice. And then if you're interested in a project management certification or a fundamentals course, set up a one-on-one with me. I have free, keyword free, 99 consultations where I get on a call 15-20 minutes and we talk through this. How can you get started? How can you go to the next step? I have a free questionnaire. I got a lot of freebies. Youtube University. Be careful. I love a good internet, but you have a lot of outdated things and I will steer you to other free advice or paid advice. But be very careful in these internet streets, okay?

Suzie Price: Internet streets. Good. I like how you said that earlier too. And then you have quizzes. We'll have links in the show notes to all this, but this IwantmyPMP.com which you have some free quizzes there where they can kind of sort out is PMP for me and that's what's there right?

[01:00:15] Tamara McLemore: Absolutely. We have a free questionnaire on IwantmyPMP.com where you can really answer a couple questions to see. Are you already a project manager? A project coordinator? We have so many fancy titles. But the key goal is are you managing projects? And eight out of ten people are saying, yes, absolutely. And like I said, we have a lot of good resources. Your podcast will be on there. Just a lot of freebies to check me out in my community.

Suzie Price: Well, you're a rock star. Thank you for being on the podcast today. I love spending time with you, and I can't wait to get this out and share it with people. So thank you.

Tamara McLemore: Thank you for having me. I am super excited. Finally somebody that has done an assessment and we're doing the results. When I got it and going through it, I was like, huh? So we're not just winging what type of person we are, personality traits and our strengths. Like I said, I love a good strength finder. I love a good assessment, I love professional development. So thank you for having me.

Suzie Price: Oh that's awesome.

Tamara McLemore: I really appreciate it.

[01:01:21] Suzie Price: Thank you. I hope that you enjoyed our interaction and that you got a lot of good takeaways from today. The show notes for links and things we talked about are at pricelessprofessional.com/pmp. priceless professional.com/pmp. And remember that's always lower case with our trackers. So you can get the show notes. And so some of my top takeaways and I really believe this now is everybody's a project manager. I'm very interested in managing time effectively. And I feel like if we can't get a handle on that, we can't have the objectives and we have to do it our way. So there's not one way for everybody. But it sounds like this project management methodology really is all encompassing and fantastic. I'm going to have future episodes with some people from the Getting Things Done book, which is another methodology that I'm sure aligns perfectly with PMP, but it is a way of organizing your day and your time. So we have to be a project manager at work, but we also have to be a project manager in our life, just like she talked about. It's funny, I didn't even get it, the domestic engineer, people running their homes. And of course I feel like I'm doing that on a regular basis as well as running a business. So I'm a domestic engineer and I work, but that these skills help us all. So I hope you're convinced, because you can tell I am. And the thought that I think is the biggest takeaway in regard to I had said there were two actions and one focus area, and it was when Tamara shared the best project is the work you do on yourself. So let's not put ourselves last. Let's not put everybody ahead of us. Doesn't mean we make everything about ourselves, but we make ourselves a priority. We don't live our lives through other people. We live our lives for ourselves. And when we do that, the funny thing is, if we're on track for ourselves, then we are actually more present and able to be there for and help others. So we can't leave ourselves out of the equation. So that's my favorite focus area out of all of this, the best project is the work you do on yourself. And so the other two actions that she talked about that I thought really meant a lot were when she referenced quite often, numerous times about making sure we create some balance and we get the rest. Now, as I'm older, I'm good at that. I was not good at that before. It was not my strength. And she really that's kind of one of her messages that she brings to the world. If you think about her assessment and the high aesthetic and scoring passionate around that, people who are passionate about the aesthetic or score that way, and the motivators are people who bring a sense of balance, who have a drive for creating harmony and creating balance and connection.

[01:04:27] Suzie Price: And so I think that's one thing taking time for that. Self-care is part of balance and rest and then the creating a community. So the two actions balance and rest, take care of ourselves. And second community. Are you inviting people into your life and are you doing it in all the different areas of your life? If you are not, what I'd like you to do is pick one action that you will take. You're going to either ask somebody to go to lunch with you. You're either going to go join a pickleball group or something, a bridge club, or go to a fitness center and hire an instructor to help you get your fitness regime in place that can become your community. So invite people into your life and remember that the best project is the work you do on yourself. I want to recap a couple of the individual learning strategies to make sure that you have those top of mind, and they were spot on, which is first: Plan it. So we plan everything else. But are we planning our own professional development? Get a study schedule together, get serious about it and focus on it. And you don't have to be high theoretical to do that in the assessment. You just need to care about and initiate action for your own continuous learning.

It is energizing. It will feed you if you're feeling bored, that's a sign that, you know, our greatest satisfaction is we have an objective and we're moving towards it. So what are your objectives and where in that do you have the planning for learning? The second thing that I thought was fantastic was fail fast. So we have to get over our perfectionism. And some of us this is easier for us. It's easy for me to make mistakes and keep going. It's not always easy. It's different. DISC styles sometimes can be a part of that. Sometimes it's if we're really naturally really hard on ourselves, it can be a part of perfectionism. But whatever it is, we've got to get over the perfectionism. And I love how she talked about that and how she does that with her students. And this is a quote that I am using in a presentation that I'm doing soon for an organization. But the quote is, “it is impossible to get better and look good at the same time”. Give yourself permission to be a beginner. So sometimes it's going to look sloppy when you're reaching for things fast, or you're reaching for the next rung, or the next idea, or the next action. But this quote is from Julia Cameron, who is a bestselling book, The Artist's Way. But it is impossible to get better and look good at the same time. Give yourself permission to be a beginner and just don't beat yourself up.

[01:07:04] Suzie Price: Fail fast. Get over it. I say it and Tamara says it. So there you go. And then in the individual learning, we got plan it, fail fast. And then get yourself a community. So the community might be you with a coach, might be your work colleagues. All of that will be talked about. So community. Do not underestimate the power of learning from others, getting energy and connection around being with others. She had a couple organizational strategies. So if you're thinking about okay, wow, I'm really bought into the idea that we need more project management skills. One of the ideas that she talked about is have everybody take a fundamentals class and you have all the areas there. So they're just getting the fundamentals. So we've got a language around project management. So everybody up levels their skills. And then maybe out of that group you have a couple of people who become PMP certified. So I thought it was fascinating that the certification includes hard and soft skills. So you've got the actual, you know, things like procurement and budgets, but then you also have the people skills and it includes not only communication but ethics and culture. I mean, it really sounds like a great certification and something maybe it's a skill that you see as all leaders need this, all employees need this. So a couple more things and then we'll wrapping it up.

Suzie Price: I liked her visual about and I think she talked about it around learning. But I could see you know, sometimes we think we just flip a switch and we're there. But it isn't just flipping a switch on almost anything. We have to pre-pave. We have to warm up. And then what she said, it's not flipping a switch. You turn the knob slowly. Sometimes the knob goes a little faster. But if you could realize that, you know, to get to where you want to go, you don't just flip a switch. There's a lot of actions that happen in between the on and the off or the off and the on, and you turn the knob slowly. I just for some reason that image made sense. So you can be more patient with yourself if you don't have it perfect yet that it's okay to be the beginner. And then as you turn the knob, you just get stronger and the and you know, the light gets brighter and brighter. So it's a really good learning analogy. So remember get your rest, have community invite people in. Uh, I guess I want to mention too, a little bit about when we talked about the wake up eager strengths that she has. Isn't it amazing? I just love how it's so. I hope it's becoming more obvious to you as we do the wake up eager strength segment. It's another example of how using our strengths, she's such a good fit for her role. I mean, you can just see it in our conversation. You could see it in how she does her work, and she's bringing this new idea and new way of doing this, and she's helping so many people. So when we use our strengths and they're all different, we feel better and we can have a bigger impact. Whether it's a bigger impact within your family, within your community, maybe outside your community, whatever it is that makes your heart sing matters. And I want you to know what it is, and I want you to take it and use it. And again, it's not going to be a like flipping a switch from off to on. You're going to have to turn the knob and it'll be some steps along the way. And so lastly, I guess we'll close with some links for connection is no more scary Sundays. So think about the PMP certification and you can take. She's got some quizzes on her site that help you kind of think through. Is this a match? And then there's another thing on there that I noticed. What about, you know, company paying for it? Is it possible? So she can walk you through all that. And she does some complementary work in regard to talking to you, but her web page and you'll see it on our show notes at pricelessprofessional.com/pmp.

But I'll mention it here, it's very simple to remember. Iwantmypmp.com. That's her website. And don't forget that we do training too. And one of the things that we spend time on with a lot of our clients is TriMetrix. We have a basic training, we have a deeper dive training that we've done a lot of that this year with a lot of our clients. And then we also take it to the next level with certification. So if you want to learn more, reach out to me at pricelessprofessional.com/Suzie. Suzie. I would love to talk to you. And so thank you for tuning in. Thank you for being a part of our community. And if you benefited from this episode, we'd love for you to leave a review. You can go to Apple or Spotify. Let me know that you did that, and I will send you a complimentary assessment so you can see. And I'll send you some debrief resources that go with it so you can see what your wake up eager strengths are. So thank you for tuning in and we'll see you on the next episode. We've got some great new interviews. One is with the National Hockey League. Some people who work within that and then some therapists. It's going to talk about some interesting things, a lot more planned. And just so fun to to be with you. So take care. Have a wake up eager day and we'll talk soon.

[01:12:08] Intro/Outro: This episode of the Wake Up Eager Workforce podcast was brought to you by Priceless Professional Development. Thank you for tuning in. If you enjoyed today's show, head over to pricelessprofessional.com to gain access to more professional development resources.