1. Two of my favorite activities!
EATING AND LEARNING
Two of my favorite activities! by
Kathy Schwalbe
March 2018

2. Building a successful career using a variety of project management skills
Summary of my career path
Examples of project management skills that help in building a career and balancing it with your personal life

3. I didn’t talk until I was 3!

4. I was often bored in school

5. When I was 16, I told my parents I wanted to go to college
When I was 16, I told my parents I wanted to go to college. My dad said, “What do you want to go to college for? You’ll just get married like your sister did!”
Avon, MN 1982

6. But I decided I was just as smart as other kids, and my dad’s “motivation” strategy worked!
Notre Dame, 1981
Notre Dame, 1981
University of Minnesota
Ph.D. 1996

7. Personal experiences motivate people
First dental visit
Sports
School games (boys vs. girls)
Remembering my Uncle Pete’s advice
Taking advantage of opportunities
Helping others who needed more confidence and knowledge

8. The Air Force helped me a lot, financially and in gaining leadership experience and confidence
Basic training, 1979
Hanscom AFB, 1983

9. Leadership examples Boss’s boss’s reaction to inappropriate comments
Seeing that boss’s boss screaming at people
Experimenting with different styles
Being yourself

10. Learning to Delegate You can’t do it alone, so pick “your people” well
Trust your instincts
Take time to teach others and clearly share your expectations
Don’t think the “smartest” person will always do the best job; find the best fit

11. After the Air Force
We had two children before my husband got out of graduate school – off to St Louis
McDonnel Aircraft Company (now part of Boeing) was the place to be
Practiced more skills in communications, empathy, technology, and teamwork
Shocked to be on the “lay off list” after several rounds of layoffs

12. Communications and empathy skills
Being “astute”
Developing empathy
Practicing speaking skills
Being noticed for good writing skills

13. Technology and Teamwork
Measures of Merit (MOM) example
Learning about new technologies with/from others
Collaboration examples
Focusing on meeting business needs
Building relationships

14. After Boeing
Took a risk and became an independent consultant at an oil company
Spent more money and got more projects done in 9 months than the previous 10 years!
Developed more skills in leadership, negotiating, stakeholder engagement, technology, mentoring, and entrepreneurship
Was also yelled at by my boss for the first time!

15. Move to academia
I always told my students I could afford to go into teaching after being an independent consultant!
Envied the lifestyle, learned pretty quickly how to focus on student learning and knowledge transfer versus just teaching
Taught at Augsburg College for 24 years (adjunct at the U of MN for 7 years)
Wrote my first book in 1999, now working on the ninth edition of IT Project Management; self- published the sixth edition of An Introduction to Project Management in Sep 2017 and second edition of Healthcare Project Management in Dec 2017
Retired from teaching to have more time for writing and my personal life; found my passion and purpose

16. I never imagined I’d end up being a teacher or a writer/publisher
Last PM class at Augsburg, May 2015

17. So, What Words of Wisdom Can I Share With You?
Take advantage of opportunities
Necessity is the mother of invention; reason I started writing books!
Don’t be afraid to take risks; it’s never too late to try something new

18. Learn From Others, and Keep Learning
My Ph.D. program included a course called Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
What part of learning is really in a teacher’s control?
Structure of the course
Clarity of presentation
I continue to learn by taking Master Classes, reading a lot, and connecting with others

19. Life is precious; take time to enjoy it!

20. Questions? Feel free to contact me at schwalbe@augsburg.edu
(pmtexts.com)