1) Why did you want to get into project management?

When my boss, the department head, pointed at me as the one to lead a cross-departmental initiative as part of an organizational annual goal we just made in a Franklin-Covey-guided-brainstorming-session and then he put a sign on his closed door that read, “Ask Chad!” That was the moment I realized how important professional project management practices are. Talk about, “Here’s your sign!”…haha. It was not only intended for the project but for the operations.

That led to me making real impacts in changing business and work life for the better and I have been smitten ever since. At the time, I already held a loftier title, having worked up the ranks from Administrative Assistant positions to Operations Manager, but I was stuck in a rut with the rest of the organization. It was the typical tale of a functional manager being given project manager duties to create a new more efficient process on top of everything else I was keeping going in daily operations. And daily operations had become repetitive and boring. I wanted to better learn, adapt, and grow myself and the businesses I served!

2) Where are you at in your career progression? Where do you want to go from here?

At some point, I learned about Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, but it was several years after I had been unofficially officially leading medium to large projects in real-world environments that needed project management but didn’t have formal project management positions, teams, or executive sponsorship along with sound policies, processes, and procedures set up to best integrate project work and further mature businesses. Unfortunately, I have found that this is all too common in most of our workplaces. And better business value outcomes suffer the most as a result!

This is the reason I created a 3-in-1 system of programs to help all business professionals (Future Leaders/Managers/SMEs), business teams (Managers and SMEs), and business organizations (Business Leaders) wherever they are at in their career/business/project management journeys to bring it all together. It goes way beyond certifications. Turns out, one person with certification in an organization doesn’t cut it. Projects require a collaborative, coordinated, communicative team being all in, working together, and constantly improving as a cohesive unit across projects, divisions, and all levels of the organization to pull off the most effective strategic project change initiatives.

At this point in my career, I have held loftier titles, but have not actually held the “Project Manager” title as my position title because the businesses I have served have not had such full-time roles. I would like to officially fit the mold of project manager within an organization, knowing our work breaks the mold and is constantly pushing the limits of the status quo. I’ll go wherever the next organizational project takes me!

3) What types of projects and businesses do you want to work on and what impact do you believe it can make?

I have a grandiose Vision of making work better for everyone in today’s business world. I want to make our way of work a little less corporate cut-throat and a little more business teamwork. I don’t see any reason why what is good for the worker can’t be good for the business and vice versa. It will just take us all aligning our business stories and getting on the same page to continually strive toward aligning with greater purpose in shared work bigger than us all.

I believe project management is the solution for so many business problems and challenges that start from within, but that with the right people, processes, and tools we can make winning business cultures where everyone wins. I have chosen to focus on using and enhancing my supplementary program guides in my own project work in tandem with any other project management efforts being made by others toward continually learning and adapting in our field. This helps me to span the divides in our organizations and for our teams to pull off more successful organizational project executions.

I have found project management works for any project in life and is very helpful in entrepreneurial endeavors. Interestingly enough, my wife is about to become a restaurant owner. And since I want to support her dreams, my next project is to sustain and grow that business venture, while pursuing my writing project dreams (I am a published novelist after all.), including getting my programs out to the world (I am excited to see how it will shape other’s stories once they discover it.).

1) Why did you want to get into project management?

My journey into project management has been fascinating, to say the least. Initially, I pursued the role simply to earn the title of Manager. At the time, I was a Subject Matter Expert in a BPO, managing broadband and wireless router troubleshooting processes. However, had it not been for the 2008 recession, I may not have stayed in project management at all. Early on, I struggled to enjoy the role, but the challenges of the market pushed me to give it my all.

Over time, something began to shift. As I gained exposure to the nuances of the role, I started developing key skills, such as crafting compelling emails and understanding the broader responsibilities of project management beyond coordination. I sought out advice from peers, explored how even a junior project manager can contribute meaningfully, and realized that project management is not just a job—it’s an opportunity to lead and impact outcomes.

This realization sparked my interest, particularly as I recognized my natural inclination toward management and leadership. I started to envision project management as akin to running a small entrepreneurial venture—a chance to solve problems, take ownership, and lead initiatives, even without formal authority. Over time, the role began to offer a deeper sense of fulfillment than simply managing people or climbing the hierarchical ladder. It allowed me to make a real difference while cultivating leadership skills that transcended titles.

2) Where are you at in your career progression? Where do you want to go from here?

With 17 years of experience under my belt, I’ve had the privilege of managing a wide array of large-scale projects, including data center consolidations, cloud migrations, service delivery management, and technology integrations post-M&A. These experiences have shaped me into a Program Manager who approaches each project with a blend of technical expertise and strategic insight.

Today, I’m venturing into program management consulting, where I aim to help organizations bridge the gap between strategy and execution. By addressing costly execution mistakes, I enable businesses to save valuable revenue, time, and energy—ensuring their resources are aligned for success.

Looking ahead, my long-term vision is to build a consulting firm specializing in strategic program execution, eventually expanding into a full-fledged IT company. This would allow me to not only deliver impactful solutions to my clients but also create an ecosystem where innovation thrives, and meaningful work is achieved.

3) What types of projects have you worked on (or want to)? How do you feel your projects will make (or have made) a real impact on you, your teams/other professionals, and the businesses you serve?

Over nearly two decades, I’ve worked across diverse technical projects within the IT infrastructure space, gaining insights into both the technology and the human dynamics that drive successful execution. My passion lies in business-focused program management, serving as the critical bridge between strategic vision and execution.

One of the key lessons I’ve learned is that execution can often falter due to a lack of clarity among interdependent teams. Too often, teams struggle because they don’t fully understand why a project is being undertaken or how their roles contribute to the bigger picture. This challenge inspired me to focus on consulting in this area—helping organizations align their teams and processes to ensure seamless execution.

By addressing these gaps, I aim to save organizations time, money, and energy while delivering impactful outcomes. My unique blend of real-time program management expertise and a strong understanding of core business operations positions me as an ideal partner for organizations seeking both strategic guidance and practical execution. I’m driven by the opportunity to empower executives and business leaders through this unique combination of skills, making a measurable difference in their success.

Meet Daniel Hemhauser . . . (Click here for LinkedIn profile . . .)

See Daniel’s answers below . . . (Click here for PDF “Road Map” . . .)

1) Why did you want to get into project management?

I didn’t set out to be a project manager. My path was anything but linear. I started as a systems engineer and a network engineer, before finally landing in project management. Regardless of my role though, I naturally stepped into roles that required structure, coordination, and problem-solving. I enjoyed the challenge of pulling stakeholders together, figuring out how to move forward when things were on fire, and creating order out of chaos. Over time, I realized I had a knack for managing this chaos and complexity, building trust with teams, and driving results. That’s when I embraced project management as more than a role.

2) Where are you at in your career progression? Where do you want to go from here?

Today, I’m a senior project and program manager with experience leading cross-functional initiatives in enterprise and mid-sized environments. I’ve led everything from strategic digital transformation programs to small product rollouts. At this stage in my career, I’m focused on mentoring other PMs, shaping high-performing teams, and aligning project work with business strategy. I continuously try to sharpen my toolkit. Not just with certifications but by learning from real-world wins, setbacks, and lessons in both project management and leadership. In the long term, I want to expand my impact by helping other leaders foster healthy project cultures where ownership, clarity, and accountability are the norm. Beyond work, I want to do this by building an online community of project managers where we can mentor and coach each other to success.

3) What types of projects and businesses do you want to work on and what impact do you believe it can make?

More recently, I’m drawn to projects at the intersection of innovation and operations. Anywhere where there’s room to solve meaningful problems, improve experiences, and move the business forward. AI comes to mind and would like to focus a good portion of my energy on this as I believe it is the future of project management and can significantly change how we manage projects and teams. I especially enjoy working with mission-driven companies or teams undergoing significant change. The real opportunity for me lies in helping teams adapt confidently—equipping them with plans, tools, and mindset shifts that sustain long-term growth. That’s the kind of impact I want to be a part of.

Meet Logan Langin . . . (Click here for LinkedIn profile . . .)

See Logan’s answers below . . . (Click here for PDF “Road Map” . . .)

1) Why did you want to get into project management?

I got started as a project manager when I was a lab technician for a rare disease (neurology) research laboratory. I recognized early on that the scientific method aligned pretty closely to the phases of a project and started to utilize this to frame my projects accordingly.

Over time, our lab grew and the opportunity to collaborate on more projects with larger teams and stakeholders (pharmaceutical/therapeutics companies and other research groups) led to me developing out my skillset even further and obtaining my PMP (with the science project experience I had gained).

I really enjoy the aspects of taking an idea and making it into something tangible and useful for someone else. While I had the technical knowledge and language of formal project management application from my PMP, I really thrived and enjoyed leveraging and growing the soft skills to influence others and support them through the progression of a project. Over time, I came to learn that my natural abilities related very well to relationship-building and analytics, two key areas for effective project management.

2) Where are you at in your career progression? Where do you want to go from here?

I’m currently a Senior Enterprise Project Manager in the healthcare field and I get to work on unique projects very regularly. Sometimes it’s new software or enhancements to existing ones, sometimes it’s establishing new lines of business or programs within a certain department. Other times it’s moving to a complete different process and integrating new and existing groups to that process. But all of them are strategically aligned to the growth of our organization.
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This diversity of project experience has helped me grow in many different ways. Different projects mean different problems to solve, new goals and metrics to measure against, new and diverse stakeholder groups both within and outside of my organization, as well as different roles as a PM as I support those teams and the leaders that oversee them and the projects themselves.

My role has also allowed me to gain a higher level of visibility within our organization, which has exposed me to new leaders and mentors to continue to grow not only as a project manager, but as a servant leader.

3) What types of projects and businesses do you want to work on and what impact do you believe it can make?

What types of projects and businesses you want to work on and what impact you believe it can make on your career and business? (Also, how do you believe change/project/knowledge management in general can make a difference in the future of business!)

I really enjoy the variety of projects I’ve been able to work on in my current role and am always eager to jump onto new ones that will test my abilities and help me grow (even though those unfamiliar projects can be uncomfortable at times). I think having that diversity of experience will make a strong candidate wherever I choose to go in the future, whether that’s continuing to move up the ranks as a project manager or moving into a specific area as a leader.

Project management is broadly applicable across all roles and industries and it’s an exciting time as businesses look to move faster, more efficiently, and cheaper. Effective project managers are at the center of successfully implementing a project with those 3 areas in mind.

Equally exciting is the shift in how project managers do their day-to-day work and the expectations and evolution of project management over the next decade. With advancements in technology, AI, and PM tools, project management roles will look less like they do today and will leverage more of those soft skills that allow good project managers to motivate and support people through execution.

If you know anyone who is doing great things with project management to bring team efforts together and advance business, let me know. I would love to reach out to them on LinkedIn and spotlight their professional journey and its business impact.