Episode 326

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Published on:

21st Sep 2025

326: Strategy Isn’t a Scary Word

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers!

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills

Strategy is just planning for IMPACT. This is what PMO leaders do night in and night out: plan, prioritize, and align across the portfolio. That alone is influencing strategy.  

 

So if PMO leaders are experts in strategy, why are they still left out of strategic conversations? 

 

In this week’s episode of the PMO Strategies Podcast, I break down why the word “strategy” feels intimidating, why that belief holds teams back, and how to translate your daily work into the language executives expect. 

 

This episode is a practical guide for PMO and strategy leaders who want to lead the conversation with clarity and make the plan deliver real business value. 

 

What You'll Learn:  

  • Why “strategy” always comes back to a plan, and how to say that in plain language 
  • How to explain strategy as planning for IMPACT in terms your executives respect 
  • The role strategy plays in cutting projects, surfacing bottlenecks, and aligning capacity 
  • How to walk in prepared with two questions that change the room 
  • What to change in planning sessions so you shift from status to choices 
  • The simple language to claim your seat at the table and drive the conversation 

👉 Press play to learn how to recognize your planning as strategy, claim your seat at the table, and lead decisions that drive IMPACT. 

P.S. Ready to lead where strategy happens? The IMPACT Accelerator Mastermind gives you the coaching, tools, and community you need to stop operating like a support function and start driving the business outcomes your executives are counting on. Click here to learn more! 🚀

Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast!

I welcome your feedback and insights! 

I’d love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online!

Warmly,

Laura Barnard

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About the Podcast

PMO Strategies
with Laura Barnard
In this podcast, PMO leaders and those wanting to capitalize on the best of project management to deliver the organization’s strategy will uncover the hidden secrets of the best PMOs, learn the game-changing techniques that transform any PMO into a value-driven IMPACT Engine, and explore the best ways for the PMO to become an integral part of the fabric and future of an organization. After spending two and a half decades helping organizations deliver change, with 15 of those years in the shoes of PMO leader inside organizations, Laura strongly believes that there is more to making an IMPACT than templates, tools, and process. She’ll show you how to make the shifts necessary to become a business-focused PMO that will become an invaluable organizational asset. With her guests and insights, we explore the sticky situations and tough challenges PMO leaders face, from sorting through all of the “noise” about what the PMO “should” do to finding the best ways for your PMO to make an IMPACT. Listen in, and you can discover how to shift your focus from outputs to outcomes, fundamentally changing the game for your PMO and personal success.

About your host

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Laura Barnard