Episode 117: Interview with Corbin Links

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In this episode we feature an interview between Cornelius Fichtner and Corbin Links, host of the Identity Management Podcast. The interview was originally recorded for Corbin’s show but is also being released here on The Project Management Podcast.

Corbin and Cornelius discuss the essential skills needed to manage large, multi-year, multi-million-dollar projects and explore how the role of the project manager evolves into that of a project leader. Cornelius emphasizes leadership, communication, motivation, and even political acumen as critical success factors for project leaders.

The conversation also covers the role and value of the Project Management Office (PMO), based on survey findings from over 500 project managers. Cornelius shares that PMOs deliver the most value through company-wide standardization of project management practices and improved consistency across teams.

Other topics include the Standish Group Chaos Report findings on project failure, the impact of restarts, cost and schedule overruns, and strategies to improve project success rates. Cornelius also discusses the importance of user involvement, executive support, clear requirements, and realistic expectations.

Later in the discussion, Cornelius highlights the opportunities created by economic downturns, the risks of relying too heavily on tools ("a fool with a tool is still a fool"), and his perspective on the growing importance of project management as a profession. He also introduces his PMP training program, The PM PrepCast, which helps students prepare for the PMP exam through podcast-based learning.

Topics discussed include:

• The evolution from project manager to project leader
• Essential leadership and communication skills
• Managing politics on large projects
• The true value and purpose of the PMO
• Common causes of project failure (based on the Chaos Report)
• How to recover from restarts and maintain momentum
• Why “a fool with a tool is still a fool”
• Opportunities for project managers in tough economic times
• Overview of The PM PrepCast and PMP exam requirements

Listen in for practical insights, a few laughs, and timeless lessons about leadership and professionalism in project management.