Episode 377

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Published on:

13th Sep 2026

377: Practical Strategy Execution with Paul Thompson

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

PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen

If you are responsible for helping strategy become reality, you probably know this tension: the executive team wants the portfolio moving faster, but you cannot move work you cannot see.

Hidden departmental initiatives compete for the same people. Decisions wait for the next meeting. The same specialists become the bottleneck on every “top priority.” Then everyone calls it a resource problem.

In this episode, I’m joined by Paul Thompson, Founder and CEO of Metagyre, to get practical about what PMO and transformation leaders can do differently. We dig into the execution system underneath the project plans and what changes when you start managing the flow of work like a business leader.

🔹 Why “ruthless transparency” matters when hidden work is consuming capacity

🔹 How smaller, controlled releases can reduce risk and create momentum

🔹 Why the best meetings ratify decisions instead of beginning the debate

🔹 How to find the constraint that is actually setting the pace of the portfolio

Press play to hear how to move strategy forward with the people, capacity, and complexity you already have.

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P.S. Did you miss the live Six Moves to Build a High-IMPACT PMO workshop? I’m making the recording available through September 20. If you’re being held responsible for delivery problems that started with priorities and decisions you never had the chance to shape, this workshop will help you name what is really happening in a way leaders can hear and act on. Register to watch the replay before it’s gone.

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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