Episode 335

full
Published on:

23rd Nov 2025

335: Leveraging Imagination as a Strategic Superpower with Dr. Rebecca Sutherns

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

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills

PMO leaders are great at execution. They know how to plan, deliver, and measure. But when change accelerates, those same strengths can become constraints. What’s missing isn’t discipline or process—it’s imagination. 

A failure of imagination is what causes teams to drift, leaders to burn out, and organizations to lose alignment. We picture success differently, chase separate goals, and end up working harder without getting closer to what really matters. Imagination isn’t fluff—it’s a serious strategic tool that helps you see around corners, prepare for what’s next, and create shared clarity before execution begins. 

In this episode, you’ll learn how to use imagination as a competitive advantage. Dr. Rebecca Sutherns shares how PMO and transformation leaders can stretch their thinking with her ELASTIC leadership framework—and how imagination, when practiced collectively, can align stakeholders, energize teams, and turn your PMO into a true strategic IMPACT engine. 

You'll Learn:  

  • Why a failure of imagination leads to misalignment and drift. 
  • How to build a shared, vivid vision that aligns people. 
  • How to use imagination to strengthen strategy, not replace it. 
  • What the ELASTIC leadership framework teaches about leadership. 
  • A simple way to bring imagination into your next planning conversation. 

👉 Press play to see how imagination can move your PMO from order-taker to strategy-shaper—and help you lead the future, not just respond to it. 

 

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! 🚀

Connect with Dr. Rebecca Sutherns: 

Follow her on LinkedIn 

Listen to her podcast interviews


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

GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES | TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN | PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for PMO Strategies

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

Profile picture for Laura Barnard

Laura Barnard