Career Development — Your Personal Project with guest Jacqueline Van Pelt, PMP

Jacqueline Van Pelt, a rising star at BAE systems, recounts her experiences in a number of project management roles and shares the deep insights she’s gained along the way. Jacqueline’s insights will benefit both up-and-coming and mid-career project professionals alike. Stephen W. Maye is your host for Projectified with PMI. Jacqueline is a young professional that has already amassed an impressive level of experience. She started as a consultant in the defence industry doing project management and business development consulting and is now employed with BAE Systems — a leading defence contractor where she has spent the last year immersed in a project management role and has gotten to see project management from a number of perspectives and angles. Jacqueline has a lot to bring to the community of project professionals, project managers, and those involved in PMOs and related work. For an easy way to stay up-to-date on Projectified with PMI, follow the podcast at: Itunes, Stitcher, Google Play or pmi.org/podcast . Key Takeaways: [:28] Introduction to Jacqueline and her current work [2:24] Jacqueline’s role in reinvigorating a PMO: The challenges and mission [5:19] The importance of mentorship [6:18] The biggest challenge of reinvigorating a PMO [7:42] Jacqueline’s transition from an engineer-focused mind to focusing on her interactions with people [9:07] The switch to relationship-focused PM [11:25] A window into how building these relationships began [13:19] Valuing your own perspective as a project manager [15:00] Jacqueline’s ‘backstage’ tips [17:01] Jacqueline’s basic principles when it comes to trust and building relationships [19:14] The key to building trust with those that you need to influence [20:43] Learning to ask the awkward questions [23:27] The experiences Jacqueline carried with her as a consultant into her current work [26:35] Jacqueline’s excellent mentors [29:13] Developing a leadership style