Alternative TextSusanne Madsen

Susanne Madsen is a Project Management Leadership Coach, and author of The Project Management Coaching Workbook (2012) and The Power of Project Leadership (2015). She is a PRINCE2 and MSP Practitioner and a qualified Corporate and Executive Coach. Susanne is a member of the Association of Project Management (APM) and has over 17 years’ experience in leading large change programs for the financial sector. You can visit Susanne’s website at http://www.susannemadsen.com and follow her on Twitter: @SusanneMadsen.

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7 Secrets of Highly Productive Project Managers

December 8, 2015 | Susanne Madsen

I recently went to Romania to run a two-day leadership workshop for project managers. I was looking forward to understanding how their project management challenges might be different to those of other countries; instead, I found that they weren’t that different at all! From the automotive industry in Romania, to manufacturing in Denmark, banking in...

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9 Steps to Managing Risk for Your Project

November 30, 2015 | Susanne Madsen

Risk and uncertainty are inherent parts of all project work. Which is why so many projects—especially large technology projects—run into trouble. When studies tell us that easily half of all IT projects run over budget and past deadline, we see how easily risk turns into real trouble for projects and their organizations. But there are...

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6 Tips to Manage a Demanding Workload

October 21, 2015 | Susanne Madsen

Here’s a common pain point that I see in my project management coaching practice: project managers with an overwhelming workload who are unsure how to turn the situation around. The overload generally stems from running too many projects at once, or not having enough support when managing that big project. Plus, as project leads they...

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The Dark Side of Productivity

September 8, 2015 | Susanne Madsen

Most of us love the feeling that comes with a productive day and finishing tasks that are on our list. As a manager, you probably also love seeing your team move through tasks so efficiently that your projects stay on track and it becomes easier for you to serve—and please—your clients. We live in a word where we value the...

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How to Make Your Team Active Participants in Organizational Change

August 13, 2015 | Susanne Madsen

We’ve probably all been at the receiving end of a poorly-managed organizational change—a change where the rationale wasn’t clear, and where you and your teammates weren’t included in the change process but were affected by it. And maybe adversely so. If you’re in a leadership position and facing an organizational change, you can make up...

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Why You Should Get Your Team to Challenge the Status Quo

July 6, 2015 | Susanne Madsen

Have you ever worked in an environment where the manager came across as controlling and shot down all the team’s great ideas? It simply wasn’t a priority to explore how the team could be working more effectively or inventively, or to increase teamwork and engagement levels. All that mattered was to get the current assignments...

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How to Write a Killer Status Report: Dos and Don’ts

April 30, 2015 | Susanne Madsen

Chances are, at this stage in your career, you’ve completed dozens of progress reports—if not hundreds. But how effective have they been? Did you have a clear purpose when writing the reports—for instance, did you want your stakeholders to take certain action as a result of them? Or did you fill them in because it...

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5 Best Practices for Managing Large IT Projects

April 14, 2015 | Susanne Madsen

If you’re embarking on a large technology project, there’s a lot at stake. IT projects are technically challenging and can easily go on for more than 10 or 12 months. Team members are highly specialized and are often spread between different locations and across time zones. According to a McKinsey & Company article, “Delivering large-scale...

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8 Signs You’re Ready for a Leadership Position

March 11, 2015 | Susanne Madsen

Would you like to move into a leadership position but are unsure if the time is right? If so, take a look at the indicators below. Even though every situation and leadership position is different, there are common signs that can help guide you. Count up how many of the descriptors below you can identify...

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How to Transition From Project Manager to Project Leader

February 4, 2015 | Susanne Madsen

Many project managers—and especially those with a technical background—have a predominantly rational and analytical way of thinking. They are good at analyzing facts, calculating duration, coordinating activities and making logical decisions. They are task-oriented and their strength is in executing someone else’s vision—rather than defining it. Being logical and task-oriented is important, but issues arise...

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7 Things Project Managers Should Do Every Day

January 19, 2015 | Susanne Madsen

Being a project manager is a big job. You’re the one team members and stakeholders turn to for day-to-day decision-making, direction, and issue resolution. There’s a lot you have to know and be accountable for. How do you keep on top of it all? Here are seven actions to focus on every day–cover these and...

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9 Ways to Set Yourself Up for the Best Year of Your Career

December 2, 2014 | Susanne Madsen

As the end of the year approaches, here’s a question for you: How do you think your year went? Whether you achieved most of your goals; veered in an unexpected direction or simply fell short, this is the time to review time gone by and set up some bright new career goals to achieve. Here...

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