After 2 years of hosting virtual events during the pandemic, the PMI San Francisco Bay Area Chapter decided to try something new in 2022. The chapter leadership chose to combine its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and International Project Management (IPM) Day into one single hybrid event. For the chapter’s first major hybrid event, there was quite a turnout.

Over 240 people registered to attend the hybrid event and the conference rooms at Hult International Business School in San Francisco were full. With breakfast and lunch provided, attendees were also well-fed!

The wonderful hum and buzz of in-person networking filled the room as the AGM kicked off. San Francisco chapter members heard updates on our chapter, including the latest on key strategic initiatives from the Board of Directors President Lorena De Benedittis, major program accomplishments from Chapter CEO Prabhu Gopalan, and a financial update from Chief Governance Officer, Raymond Chang. These presentations were followed by a real-time online poll for feedback from members in attendance that will be analyzed for key takeaways and action items going forward.

 

The IPM portion of the meeting kicked off with a series of informative expert speakers with enthusiastic responses from the audience. The speaker lineup was structured to share with attendees aspects of “the new normal” (i.e. remote/hybrid meetings and team collaboration) through the lenses of Organization, People, Communications, and Technology. Here are some highlights of the presentations:

• ● Peter Ivanov (Keynote Speaker) – author of “Power Teams Beyond Borders”; and “Strategic Decision-Making for Complex Projects and Distributed Teams”
  • o 10 Success Factors for Virtual Cultures were presented with a key aspect being “Psychological Safety” for virtual teams to work well with dependability, structure, clarity, meaning and impact
  • o Some tips for hybrid meetings were suggested including setting the scene and leading the way with positive examples
• ● Jenna Dillon (Executive Coach & Leadership Consultant) – Leadership and the Psychology of Trust
  
  • o People are most influenced by Information and Social Norms
  • o There can be barriers to collaboration such as confusion and contradictions - removing those barriers will make teams more effective
  • o Characteristics of “Epic” performers include that they reinvent themselves and are constantly curious to understand more
• ● Lisa Di Tullio (Project Management Consultant and Speaker) – Coaching for Successful Projects
  
  • o Distinguished between a Mentor and a Coach with a Mentor relationship being more long-term and a Coach more focused on problem-solving
  • o The difference between high and low performers isn’t about intelligence – it’s about attitude

● Panel Discussion – Success Stories from Project Professionals.

• o Various topics were posed by Prabhu as the moderator. The panel included:

▪ Vijay Ratthinam (TPM Leader @ Meta)

▪ Stacey Louie (CEO, Enterprise Transformation Executive)

▪ Scott Sarnikowski (VP Strategy and Execution for PMI)

▪ Carin Kaltschmidt (Executive Management Consultant and Coach – Ernst & Young)

• ● Jane Roqueplot (Behavioral Consultant) – Understanding and Leveraging Team Strengths
  
  • o The DISC model was presented with some fun exercises and ideas
  • o Four quadrants of behaviors are classified as Dominance (direct, assertive), Influence (outgoing, talkative), Steadiness (easy-going, amiable), and Compliance (precise, analytical)

• ● Bryan Stallings (Agile/Scrum Coach, Trainer, Facilitator and Mentor) – Competencies for Innovative Teams
  • o Discussed “bad” habits that get in the way of a team, collaborating and some ideas for counteracting those habits such as not just optimizing meetings for in-person attendees

The meeting was wrapped up with some contented faces – and also some tired ones after a day chock-a-block full of timely and relevant information to help project/program managers to lead more effectively in distributed/hybrid team environments.
A feedback survey was requested at the end of the session and results are being evaluated for future meetings.

The enthusiastic participation in networking during lunch and breaks created many new connections for attendees. We look forward to another in-person chapter meeting next year and hopefully before!

Cheers and thank you for your roles in our San Francisco Bay Area Chapter.