I’ve been recently asked by Colltrain, aka the team behind the collaborative training tool that empowers trainers and facilitators to achieve success with remote delivery, to share a bit of my professional philosophy and journey and to talk about how I managed to navigate the different constraints brought on by the pandemic.
After doing the interview I realized my answers could construct a slightly different, more creative type of resume, delivering a better understanding of why and how I do what I do.
So here it goes!
The WHY
The main reason that became obvious to me quite soon after starting my career in Project Management, more than 20 years ago, and the engine that still keeps me going every day is: passion.
I love everything that has to do with projects: talking about them, finding ways to improve them, helping people achieve results in a more comfortable and fulfilling way.
Basically, what I do now is sharing what I learned and experienced and the ways I managed to make my life easier in projects. My purpose is to empower people and make their professional life better and easier.
This is who I am professionally and this is the focus of all the products and services I’ve developed.
The HOW
The short answer would be: helping organizations transition from working on an ad-hoc basis to a new, modern way of working in projects.
But to go from what started, frankly, as daydreaming, to the point I’m at today, was quite a journey.
It wasn’t quick, nor easy, even though project management has been both my professional dream and my profession for as long as I can remember.
It took years of jumping between training delivery, consulting and implementing cross-functional projects for multinational companies within almost every industry.
As an after effect of this bouncing (and while doing it), I’ve developed several products my team and I needed in order to work better, deliver more and be happier on a daily basis.
The next step was realizing that if they worked so well for us, they might help others too, so I began developing them further with this idea in mind. Then… think organic growth: I started delivering them, I learned what needed to be perfected, I identified different collateral needs my clients had and developed new products in order to meet them.
And then… here comes the pandemic, so I had to take a step back, adapt and adjust to the new normal and do it quickly!
The end result? My current training portfolio: 3 types of products designed to support project delivery at every stage and at all levels, depending on where the most support is actually needed.
ACCELERATORS
3-6 months
ONLINE COURSES
3-5 weeks
CORPORATE TRAINING
The New Normal
And what helped me overcome this challenge and, also, what you can expect if we were to work together:
Both my professional experience and being an empath help me connect to my trainees and relate to their specific situations.
My attitude spells more big brother than trainer. I’m relaxed and familiar, I’m eager to listen to you and help you and, first of all, I want you to feel comfortable and I provide a safe space for mutual learning and interactions.
My approach is a mix of real-life examples, problem solving and technical/theoretical information.
Technology wise, I use Zoom for interaction and training delivery, Colltrain for practical exercises and bringing joy into the room and also, the more traditional: Google Docs, Ipad Good Notes, Zoom pool feature and mind mapping tools.
