Episode 382

full
Published on:

18th Oct 2026

382: You Must Be in the Right Rooms

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

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills

You can be surrounded by people all day and still feel like you are leading alone.

Your team needs confidence from you. Your executives expect a recommendation. Your peers may be part of the tension you are trying to work through. So you keep turning the problem over in your own head, reading more, working harder, and trying to find the answer before anyone realizes you are not sure what to do next.

That independence probably helped you become the leader who could walk into a mess and figure it out. But as your role grows, trying to solve everything alone can limit you to the questions, experiences, and patterns you already have.

In this episode, I’m showing you what the right room can do for your leadership and how to tell whether the rooms you are in are actually making you stronger.

🔹 Why validation without challenge can leave you just as stuck as when you walked in

🔹 How a better question can move you from process thinking to the real business problem

🔹 What to look for in peers, coaches, communities, and leadership rooms

🔹 Why getting into the room is only the beginning

Press play to find the rooms that expand your thinking and help you lead the work differently when you go back inside your organization.

P.S. If you know what needs to change but need executive funding, authority, resources, or support to build or strengthen your PMO, join the FREE virtual training, How to Build a Business Case for a Strategy-Driven PMO. I’ll show you how to connect your PMO to the business problems executives already care about and make your case in language they can understand.

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

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