Episode 354

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Published on:

5th Apr 2026

354: Stop Wasting Time: End Your Meeting-Based Culture Now

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

PMI Talent Triangle: Ways of Working

Meetings aren’t the enemy. Dependency is.

In this episode, I address a problem many PMO and transformation leaders quietly create: operating models where nothing moves unless everyone gathers in a room. Meetings are part of leadership. Alignment, tradeoffs, escalation, and decisions often require conversation.

But when calendars become the operating model, execution suffers.

If your team spends all day in meetings and all night doing the real work, that’s not a productivity issue. It’s a system design issue.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Why meeting saturation signals weak governance design.
  2. How undefined decision rights create calendar dependency.
  3. The difference between decision-driven meetings and status theater.
  4. Why execution shifts to nights and weekends in over-scheduled cultures.
  5. How to redesign your environment so meetings produce leverage

A portfolio review that makes no prioritization decisions isn’t governance. It’s performance.

👉 Press play to hear your next move. When meeting them changes nothing.

P.S. If your PMO is struggling to show strategic value, positioning may be the problem. Watch the free Rescue Your PMO webinar to diagnose what’s off track. Get the exact steps to turn things around fast. Learn more and register now.

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I welcome your feedback and insights!

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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