The People, Process, & Progress Podcast - Why People, Process, Progress Matters Now

Episode Date: September 18, 2025

Season 7, Episode 5 of People, Process, Progress, Why People, Process, Progress Matters Now, looks at how this week’s tragedies, a young man’s murder, another school shooting, and police officers killed in the line of duty, mirror the same disconnect we see in our workplaces. I share how the 7 Project Pillars can guide us not just in projects, but in our lives and communities, helping us re-engage with each other and move progress forward together. These lessons are about more than management; they are about rebuilding trust where it matters most.

If you look around America this week, you see grief, anger, and division. A young man murdered, another school shooting that has parents terrified again, police officers killed while doing their jobs. And on top of the violence, you see the ripple effect, arguments online about who is to blame, name calling, people walking away from each other instead of walking towards one another. The same kind of drift shows up in our workplaces. Gallup reports only 32% of U.S. employees are engaged in their jobs. 32. PMI says one out of every $8 spent on projects is wasted. McKinsey found that large IT projects run 45% over budget on average.

So it's not that we lack information. It's often that we lack alignment. Just like our teams at work, as Americans, we need shared anchors. to hold on to when the world feels like it's coming apart. Welcome to People Process Progress. I'm Kevin Pennell, author of The Stability Equation and the People Process and Progress of Project Management. On this podcast and the People Process Progress YouTube channel, I share lessons from life, leadership, training, and exercise ideas to help you own your growth, align your work,

and anchor your teams through practical steps. Now let's get into it. When I look back on my life, whether as a Navy Corby in the Trauma Bay, running EMS calls in a city, responding to public health emergencies or leading IT projects, I see the same pattern. The hardest failures were never about resources or technical skill. They were about people being disconnected, processes breaking down, and progress stalling. And what we're living through right now as a country shows that the same pattern on a bigger stage, family shattered by gunfire, officers paying the ultimate price, communities split apart by anger, and late

similar reflections are what helped me shape the book the people process and progress of project management because the same lessons that keep projects moving can help us hold together as families as teams and even as a nation there's seven project pillars that go far beyond the office these are intent where in projects it means knowing why we're here and in life it means being clear about what matters most today the definition of done at work it prevents endless rework. At home, it helps us agree on what finished looks like in a conversation or a commitment. Objectives. For teams, it's smart. Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-based. For people, it's a clear step instead of 100 empty hacks. Organization. In projects, it clarifies roles, who's who in the org chart. In families and communities, it reminds us everyone has a place and a responsibility. Resources at work. It's budget. It's staffing. It's people and stuff. In life, it's time, energy, attention, being honest about what we can give and what we can't give.

Communication. And projects, it keeps trust alive. In society, it's choosing to listen before labeling. An effective handoffs. For teams, it's making sure deliverable stick that our team knows what we're doing. And in life, it's how we pass on values and lessons to the next generation. I didn't invent each of these pillars. I discovered them by watching.

You know, what held steady when everything else fell apart, what was missing. So this is why, to me, projects and people both drift the same way. Right, without intent, without structure, without anchors, we get lost. And the same things that fix projects can help us reconnect as Americans. Put people first, listen before you label, align process, agree on the how, not just the what. measure progress celebrate the small wins because they rebuild trust when the big wins

feel very far away Peter Drucker once said plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work W. Edwards Deming said without data you are just another person with an opinion and Abraham Lincoln reminded us

a house divided against itself cannot stand these lessons are not just for project managers there for anyone trying to lead a family in a community or in a nation that feels fractured. So let's pull this in today. We live in a culture that mistakes volume for truth and motion for progress, where we argue about who is right instead of asking what is needed,

where being busy is celebrated but being balanced is ignored. But busyness is not progress. Anger is not ownership. Labels are not leadership. This is where this overlap of the own-move anchor I've talked about before comes in. Just like the seven pillars give us ways to own reality, move forward, and anchor to something steady. The seven project pillars give us a framework to reconnect and realign. They're not separate worlds.

They're the same lessons applied in different spaces. At work, the pillars help us deliver results. At home, they help us stay connected. In our communities, they give us tools to rebuild trust. So here's a takeaway for today's episode. Frameworks fade, but alignment holds. For intent, we need to name our why, whether it's at work or at the dinner table, to know what the definition of done is we have to agree on what finish looks like

so we can move forward instead of fighting circles. For their smart objectives, write one clear step inside of the vague promises that happen. For a team organization, give everyone a role so no one feels useless. When you start asking for resources, be honest about your time, energy, and attention, both what you need and what you can provide. Communication, listen before you label, listen before you respond. And for that handoff, pass on the values, not just the tasks. So here's an action I'll take away in that I hope you take away this week, a bit late, putting this episode out. I will have a Friday episode tomorrow at work.

open your next meeting by naming the intent in one sentence. Get that elevator pitch out there. At home, agree on what done looks like for one simple task. Chores, cleaning the room, blowing the leaves, it's fall. You get the idea. In your community, commit to listening once before labeling once. Pick one pillar, intent, definition of done, objectives, organization, resources, communication, handoff and live it out loud.

This is how we stop drifting. This is how we put people first. This is how we align process and move progress forward together. Godspeed to all those that were lost this week in previous weeks, just yesterday, murder, suicide, whatever the cause, they were humans, right? They were one of those miracles that we all are. And now they're not on this physical plane. So I will say prayers for them and for each of you. I appreciate you listening.

You can listen to the show wherever you are listening to it now on any podcast platform, Apple Spotify, et cetera, et cetera. I'm on X and Instagram at PenelKG. You can go to the peopleprocessprogress.com website for some cool project management tools to listen to this show, to contact me. And there's also a People Process Progress YouTube channel where I share one minute or less, generally workout shorts, cold plunge things, recovery routines, Jiu-Jitsu After Action reports.

Thank you for listening and Godspeed, y'all.