The Learning Lab

Program Description: 

While you may not be an “official” Project Manager by title, most modern professionals assume these responsibilities on an ad-hoc basis. Unfortunately, projects can easily go awry and those who lack experience and/or training can quickly become overwhelmed, resulting in costly setbacks and potentially damaging career consequences.

This session will help those who are not professional Project Managers to effectively oversee the various steps involved in projects from simple to complex; manage the people, tasks and timelines involved; and ensure exceptional results that meet the defined specifications.

In this Learning Lab, participants will learn:

• The step-by-step process for organizing and guiding a project from concept to completion
• The top reasons for project failure and how to prevent them
• Strategies to handle the inevitable unexpected surprises and mitigate their impact
• How to minimize risk and set yourself up for success from the beginning

As a participant, you will be working on a project of your choice during the structured activities. You will also have access to a sample project if you’d prefer to work on that.

Jump to register for February event >> 

Jump to register for August event >>

Program Description: 

In the modern workplace, there’s always “too much to do and not enough time.” If you want to achieve professional success, you must learn how to manage it all without causing undue stress on yourself or others. Unfortunately, effective time management is more complicated than most people realize. It requires a special set of tools and skills that must be adapted to meet the individual’s needs. This session will explore 7 essential topics related to task and time management, and will provide guidance for creating your own personalized systems.

In this Learning Lab, participants will learn:

• How to assess your own time management capabilities and identify areas for improvement
• How to use efficiency audits to identify micro and macro trends—plus, how to use that information to define reasonable expectations and optimize productivity
• Strategies to effectively capture and clarify tasks and prioritize competing demands
• Tools for tracking routine tasks and follow-up activities to ensure nothing falls through the cracks

As a participant, you will be working on managing your own task list during the structured activities.

Jump to register for March event >> 

Jump to register for September event >> 

Program Description: 

In today’s working world, we often do things the way we’ve always done them because that’s the way we’ve always done them! Rarely do we stop to re-evaluate our processes and ask, “Is there a better way?”

However, when we look at our established ways of working with fresh eyes, we often find a lot of wasted time, energy, and resources, and many opportunities for streamlining and optimizing how things are done. In this Learning Lab, you’ll learn how to identify these opportunities, advocate for necessary improvements and take the lead in developing more effective processes.

In this Learning Lab, participants will learn:

• How to define and identify what processes actually are
• Simple strategies for evaluating current processes and analyzing predictable results
• Tools to identify inefficiencies and uncover opportunities for improved outcomes
• How to develop new (or revised) processes that are clear and easy-to-follow
• How to “sell” proposed improvements to decision-makers and gain buy-in from the rest of the team

As a participant, you will be evaluating a process of your choice during the structured activities. You will also have access to a sample process if you’d prefer to work on that.

Jump to register for June event >> 

Program Description: 

Nothing is constant—except for change. It’s an inevitable part of modern work life. Even under the best of circumstances, change is a disruptive force and, for many professionals, it’s a trigger for stress, fear and anxiety. If not carefully managed, it can destroy morale, decrease productivity, and wreak havoc on a team and an organization.

The field of Change Management is robust and covers a lot of territory: While it certainly involves managing your own response to change, it also includes helping support others as they navigate it. This session will show you how to embrace the spirit of change and become an informal change management leader in your organization.

In this Learning Lab, you will learn:  

• Strategies to manage your own mindset around change even when your natural instinct is to resist
• Different models and theories regarding change management, human behavior, group dynamics and learning—and how these things apply to you
• How to determine where people are in the change cycle and provide the right support
• How to proactively prepare yourself and your team for change
• Strategies to communicate change in the right way and avoid common mistakes
• How to use tools to evaluate, measure, and monitor the impact of change initiatives

As a participant, you will be working on a change initiative of your choice during the structured activities. You will also have access to a sample change initiative if you’d prefer to work on that.

Jump to register for April event >>

Program Description: 

Every day, you encounter problems in the workplace. Some are simple and straightforward; others are complex with many contributing factors to consider. In either case, you need to approach problem solving strategically. Otherwise, you run the risk of creating more problems.

Similarly, every day, you have many decisions to make. As you rise through the ranks of your career, your decision-making capabilities become more essential, as the consequences of a “bad” decision can have far-reaching impact. It is, therefore, critical to demonstrate sound judgement in all decisions, regardless of size or scope.

This Learning Lab will help you expanding your problem solving and decision-making skills, and dramatically increase your value in the workplace.

In this Learning Lab, participants will learn:

• How to identify the root cause of problems, rather than simply cleaning up the mess
• A proven step-by-step methodology for solving ANY problem, no matter how big or small, and avoiding unintended consequences in the process
• Tools to expand your critical and creative thinking skills and enhance your problem-solving prowess
• The key elements of a “good” decision—and how to incorporate them in your daily decision-making processes
• The most common psychological traps that can trick you into making a bad decision
• How to recover and learn from a “bad” decision that backfires

As a participant, you will be working on solving a problem of your choice during the structured activities. You will also have access to a sample problem if you’d prefer to work on that.

Jump to register for May event >>

Program Description: 

Project management is a rich and complex field with a wide variety of frameworks, philosophies and methodologies. Perhaps you’ve heard terms like Scrum, Waterfall, Sprint, Kanban, Lean, Kaizen, and Agile, and wondered what exactly they mean and how they apply to the projects you manage each day. Maybe you’ve explored different PM tools and strategies, but you’re just not sure how to incorporate them into your work as an “unofficial” PM.

If you have experience managing projects, have already done basic PM training, and you’re ready to take your learning to the next level—this workshop is for you! In this Learning Lab, you’ll gain deeper insight into the dynamic world of project management and learn advanced strategies to take your project work to the next level.

In this Learning Lab, participants will learn:

• A high-level overview of the principles and practices of the most popular PM methodologies and how to select which one is right for your project
• Specific tools to coordinate efforts and enhance communication within virtual and hybrid project teams
• How to identify, monitor, manage and minimize risk throughout the project lifecycle
• Strategies for stepping into the leadership role, even without direct authority, and managing the increasingly complex “people side” of projects
• How to get an off-track project back on-track

PRE-REQUISITE: This is an advanced workshop. You must have already attended the Project Management Learning Lab in 2020 or 2021. If you sign up for this lab and do not have this pre-requisite, your registration will be cancelled. If you would like to apply for an exception, please email Chrissy@EatYourCareer.com.

As a participant, you will be working on a project of your choice during the structured activities. You will also have access to a sample project if you’d prefer to work on that.

Jump to register for November event >>