Episode 383

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Published on:

25th Oct 2026

383: Turning Employees Into Advocates with Ian Watts

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

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills

You can have a strong strategy, a solid plan, and all the right tracking in place and still watch delivery slow down because the people doing the work are not truly engaged.

That is where this conversation with Ian Watts gets interesting for PMO and transformation leaders. We talk about what happens when the stakeholder problem you keep trying to solve is actually a broader people problem inside the organization.

Ian is the founder of SB Dream Coach and Employee Success Group, and his work focuses on helping organizations connect people, purpose, and performance. In this episode, we explore what real commitment looks like beyond surveys, perks, and surface-level engagement.

🔹 Why disengagement can show up as a strategy-delivery problem

🔹 How to tell the difference between a PMO engagement issue and a wider organizational issue

🔹 Why knowing what matters to people changes the way they show up

🔹 How to approach team members and stakeholders differently while keeping the same human-centered intent

Press play to rethink the people side of strategy delivery and what it takes to create commitment that lasts.

Connect with Ian Watts

LinkedIn

Website

P.S. People are more likely to engage when they understand why the work matters. Your executives are no different. In my FREE training, Build a Business Case for a Strategy-Driven PMO, I’ll show you how to connect the PMO to the business problems, outcomes, and 90-day progress leaders care about so you can make a stronger case for the support you need. Register for the free live workshop.

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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