Teachable Moments: The Best Person for the Job

Susan Kennedy, PMP, has over 30 years of experience leading teams. She has successfully managed information technology and human resources projects globally. From 2012 to 2014, she served as the Vice President Professional Development for the PMI Dallas Chapter. She has managed projects across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia. Susan and her husband own Granite Group International Inc., a consulting services firm, and they manage a real estate business in the Dallas area.

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Topics: Lessons Learned, Resource Management, Talent Management

Teachable moments are formed when you have done something--regardless of the outcome--and learned from the experience. Learning makes us better at what we do and provides a great opportunity to develop others and sharpen skills. We’ve compiled our best Teachable Moments from our community members for you to learn from and share with other project managers.

Years ago, I received a call from a high-level manager in another part of our large IT consulting organization.

“Susan,” he said, “I understand you used to work for ABC Company before joining us. You know we just won a large consulting project with them.” I confirmed that I had worked at that company and it had been a wonderful experience.

“I understand the president of that company is a woman,” he continued. Yes, I replied, the president was a woman who had been in the position for several years and I had met with her on multiple occasions. “What I’d like to know, in your opinion,” he said, “is do you think it would be better for us to place a woman in charge of her project?”

Excited that a woman would be given the opportunity to lead such a large account, I said something like, “I think that would be great! Yes, it would be a great idea to put a woman in charge of the account. The president is tough and business savvy, and she&…

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