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Ruth Pearce

President at ALLE LLC (Project Motivator)

DURHAM, United States

** VISION **
Awareness, Appreciation and Action – Access to opportunity for all.

** MISSION **
To help everyone to uncover their pathways to strength and connection.

** VALUES **
Other people matter, speak up and out, diverse perspectives enrich experiences, be experimental, create learning environments, keep learning, foster adaptability, two minds are better than one.

? A (virtual) room of people is a room full of possibility
? A (virtual) room of people is an opportunity to build connection
? A (virtual) room of people is a chance to create community and belonging.

** PROMISE **
To support you as you create and experience connection and belonging in your world.

Ruth’s top VIA Character Strengths are Gratitude, Fairness, Curiosity, Bravery, Appreciation, & Hope.

** ANNOUNCEMENT 9.8.20 **
The In It Together Coaches
With NCPMI this October - March
Hear more at the NCPMI Professional Development Day on October 23rd
Join one of our free sessions November 14th or December 15th to find out more
Sign up for the full series in Q1 2021
Offering a new series of Group Coaching sessions

Click the link to find out more:
https://ncpmi.org/events/events-calendar/professional-development/in-it-together-coaching

Feedback: "The IIT group coaching session experience was amazingly effective and grounding during a very difficult time." - Eve

****************************************************************************************************
Ruth spends non-work time deepening her knowledge of US History.
Ruth's goal on LinkedIn is to share curated quality content that helps others sift through the barrage of information that flows our way. So Ruth commits to continually learning and exploring.


** Your next step **
* Book a time to meet with Ruth: https://ProjectMotivator.as.me/Connect30 *
* Don't know YOUR character strengths? - take the free survey here and discover the your inner core! http://projectmotivator.pro.viasurvey.org

Available For: Advising, Authoring, Consulting, Influencing, Speaking
Travels From: Durham, North Carolina, USA
Speaking Topics: Connection * Character Strengths for Leaders * Team Wellbeing * Mindfulness & Character Strengths for workplace health

Speaking Fee $2,500

Ruth PearcePoints
Academic10
Author182
Influencer18
Speaker39
Entrepreneur20
Total269

Points based upon Thinkers360 patent-pending algorithm.

Thought Leader Profile

Portfolio Mix

Featured Videos

People & Projects Live Session with Andy Kaufman (5/2/2020)
July 30, 2020
Major Projects Knowledge Hub
July 30, 2020
ChangeNerd Community Podcast
July 30, 2020

Featured Topics

Character Strengths in the Workplace

How to integrate character strengths into teams and groups in the workplace even if you do not have the title of "leader" or "manager".
Starting with knowing your own strengths, and then practicing with spotting the strengths of others, you can influence the way people experience work.

Mindfulness and Character Strengths for Stress & Anxiety Management

How you can leverage mindfulness and character strengths to manage day-to-day stress and channel anxiety. There is no shame in struggle but we often go through it alone.

Group Coaching for Peak Performance and Wellbeing

Coaching is a powerful tool - there is a reason top athletes and teams have coaches. Each of us needs a coach too in order to reach our full potential in terms of happiness and sense of success.
1:1 coaching can be daunting and expensive. Group coaching is fun, informative and you get the benefit of the perspectives of more than your coach.

Company Information

Company Type: Company
Email: RuthPearce@projectmotivator.com
Phone: 8452163098
Theatre: North America
Last Media Training: 07/28/2020
Last Media Interview: 07/22/2020

Areas of Expertise

COVID19 30.74
Culture 41.78
Future of Work 56.48
Leadership 38.12
Management 31.21
Mental Health 100

Industry Experience

Federal & Public Sector
Financial Services & Banking
Healthcare
Higher Education & Research
Other
Professional Services

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Publications

1 Academic Whitepaper
Character Strengths and Project Managers - A Study
ALLE LLC
September 10, 2019
This paper is an exploration of which character strengths show up most often for project managers and how those strengths rankings compare with others in the wider population. We also look at strengths that are less commonly reported as high strengths for project managers. Finally, we look at the alignment of project managers’ top strengths to seven research-based team roles.

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

1 Advisory Board Membership
Institute for Neuro- and Behavioral Project Management
NBPMI
December 28, 2018
The profession of project management is entering a new level of maturity. Project management processes are well-known, highly developed, and widely used. Organizations are committed to a project-based approach to implementing change. It is time for project managers, PMOs, professional associations, project professionals of all specializations, and organizations worldwide to look forward to a new phase in project management, one that focuses on behavioral factors.

We at the Institute of Neuro and Behavioral Project Management believe that this is the way to take project management into the 21st Century and beyond, and create a practice that will result in better project outcomes, and more flexible approaches to change in all types of organization.

It is the mission of the Institute to increase understanding of the impacts of human factors on the project lifecycle and to offer solutions to the challenges of creating predictable results out of unpredictable behavior. This, the next phase in project management, integrates the learnings of the behavioral sciences and neuroscience with project management to create Behavioral Project Management.

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

55 Article/Blogs
Character Strengths in You - Pathways to Peak Performance Pt 3
Major Projects Knowledge Hub
July 16, 2020
Major Projects Knowledge Hub July Invitation series part 3

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Tags: Future of Work, Leadership, Mental Health

Character Strengths in You - Pathways to Peak Performance Pt 4
Major Projects Knowledge Hub
July 16, 2020
Major Projects Knowledge Hub July Invitation series part 4

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Tags: Future of Work, Leadership, Mental Health

Character Strengths in You - Pathways to Peak Performance Pt 5
Major Projects Knowledge Hub
July 16, 2020
Major Projects Knowledge Hub July Invitation series part 5

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Tags: Future of Work, Leadership, Mental Health

Character Strengths in You - Pathways to Peak Performance Pt 2
Major Projects Knowledge Hub
July 09, 2020
Major Projects Knowledge Hub July Invitation series

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Tags: Future of Work, Leadership, Mental Health

Character Strengths in You - Pathways to Peak Performance Pt 1
Major Projects Knowledge Hub
July 02, 2020
Major Projects Knowledge Hub Character Strengths Invitation Series July 2020

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Tags: Future of Work, Leadership, Mental Health

The present, the past and the future – being adaptable in the face of change.
Import from wordpress feed
June 25, 2020
Little did I know when I was selecting topics for a guest blog that I was invited to write at the beginning of the year that we were on the […]
The post The present, the past and the future – being adaptable in the face of change. appeared first on Project Motivator.

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Blogs by Ruth Pearce
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June 04, 2020
The post Blogs by Ruth Pearce appeared first on Project Motivator.

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Character Strengths as Pathways to Personal Peace
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May 25, 2020
Best laid plans – For several weeks I have been planning to set up the furniture in our screened in porch. We love to sit out there among the trees […]
The post Character Strengths as Pathways to Personal Peace appeared first on Project Motivator.

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See Your World in a Fresh New Way
VIA Institute on Character
April 14, 2020
Generally, we think of meaning as being our purpose, our reason for being, something that pushes us, even in the face of struggles. Meaning helps us stretch, step out of our comfort zones and grow. It gives us a sense of significance – that we matter.

We also know that meaning is tied to learning. When a class or training connects to a bigger purpose for us, we are more likely to retain the learning and more importantly apply it. Even the most interesting topics don’t stick with us unless they connect to a bigger purpose for us.
Photo by Tobias Adam on Unsplash

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Tags: Future of Work, Leadership, Mental Health

Choosing Your Role Model in a Crisis
VIA Institute on Character
March 19, 2020
Photo by Piron Guillaume on Unsplash

Role models are important sources of guidance and learning for us all.
Who do you look to as a model for strengths, someone to mimic?

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Tags: Sustainability, Leadership, Future of Work

Choosing your Role Model in Times of Crisis
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March 18, 2020
Choosing your role model in a crisis In these challenging times, some people are better positioned than others – financially, socially, emotionally and psychologically – to ride out the ups […]
The post Choosing your Role Model in Times of Crisis appeared first on Project Motivator.

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Perseverance – Possibilities & Pitfalls
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March 05, 2020
When Sarah heard that Justin was loose again, she pulled on her boots and jacket and headed outside. She was pretty sure she knew where the neighbor’s errant horse would […]
The post Perseverance – Possibilities & Pitfalls appeared first on Project Motivator.

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Boosting your character - the benefits of strengths towing!
linkedin
January 15, 2020
My top character strength every time I take the VIA Character Strengths survey is Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence. This strength – that research has failed to link with anything really – is a much-underrated strength (in my opinion) and often goes unrecognized. One client of mine on discovering the strength was one of her top five debated with me for 20 minutes as to whether it is a strength and whether it could possibly be true that not everyone ranks it highly! She could not believe that everyone does not marvel at a virtuoso performance, the view from the top of a mountain or being in nature. But I digress.

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Tags: Procurement, Management

Stressed by gatherings at Christmas? Do the dishes!
linkedin
December 24, 2019
While I in no way want to ignore those who feel the holidays keenly because of loneliness, I have been very focused recently on the strains of gatherings. This year is going to be quiet. And honestly, I am longing for that. (If you are facing time alone and are not looking forward to it, please message me!)

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Tags: Management, Leadership, Culture

Taking networking and project leadership to the next level!
linkedin
September 25, 2019
Last week, I had the privilege of facilitating two mastermind groups for senior project managers and agilists. They came from a variety of industries, each coming with a BIG question, challenge, or change that they are leading. Some topics were about motivation and influence, others were about the practical steps to implement change, some were about managing up or sideways, some were about getting others to embrace change and uncertainty.

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Tags: Management, Leadership

The Character Strengths of a Leader
ProjectManagement.com
September 23, 2019
One of the wonderful things about character strengths is that although we all have all 24, and they are a common language that lets us express our understanding and appreciation of each other’s qualities in a straightforward way, we do nevertheless express each strength uniquely.

This combination of similarity and difference is what makes character strengths so powerful. They both connect us and differentiate us at the same time.

Nowhere is this more apparent than when you speak to people who are leaders and to the people whom they lead. It is not uncommon to encounter expectations about what a leader will look like, what strengths they will have at their fingertips. We may even expect them to have superhuman capacities that translate into many signature strengths – more than your average person. One person even asked me once whether to be a good leader you needed to get all 24 strengths to the top level.

And of course, the most common preconception of all is that in order to be a leader, we must have the strength of Leadership as a top strength.

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Building A Culture of Appreciation - Part 2
ProjectManagement.com
August 26, 2019
In my last post, I advocated looking for things to appreciate in yourself, to practice recognizing and acknowledging those traits that you share with others but express in ways that are uniquely you. In this post, I will dig deeper into the strength of appreciation and then suggest ways to use appreciation to the benefit of your team. Building a culture of appreciation builds rapport, a sense of inclusion and well-being for you and for those around you and you don’t need to be in charge to help make it happen.
As a reminder, Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence (a.k.a. appreciation) is seeing the best in people and things around us!

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Appreciation the Strengths Booster
ALLE LLC
August 02, 2019
How the character strength of appreciation of beauty and excellence is undervalued and yet makes every other strength more powerful.
'He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.' — Albert Einstein

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Appreciation – the Strengths Booster.
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August 01, 2019
He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. — Albert Einstein Appreciating Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence […]
The post Appreciation – the Strengths Booster. appeared first on Project Motivator.

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Building A Culture of Appreciation - Part 1
ProjectManagement.com
July 21, 2019
Research shows that appreciation – as measured by the VIA character strength[1] of appreciation of beauty and excellence – is not used a great deal at work.[2] It is often associated with appreciating nature, art, or skillful performances. And it is that last definition that is useful in teams in the workplace.

Subtly different than gratitude[3] which is about being thankful, appreciation is the strength that allows us to see and name the skills, values, and contributions of people around us. It is a strength that makes calling out the contribution of a colleague more comfortable. And yet we don’t use it much at work.

The strange thing is that it is not an uncommon top strength – some research suggests that 4 out of 10 of us rank it as a top strength! Maybe we just don’t think to use it in the workplace. The same is often true of love – but that is another story!

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Review of Mark Struczewski Basics of Productivity Course
linkedin
July 08, 2019
As a project manager, I have a good grasp of task and time management, task prioritization and generally getting things done. Most people I work with report that they think I a productive, I get a lot done in a short time and I meet commitments. So when Mark Struczewski introduced me to his new course on productivity, initially I hesitated. But, never one to rest on my laurels, I decided that I would try it. After all, it was just two hours of classes with some hopefully helpful homework. (The course also includes a call with Mark which I have yet to schedule!)

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Tags: Management, Leadership, Business Strategy

Finding Strengths in Others
ProjectManagement.com
June 24, 2019
Over the last couple of months, I have had the pleasure of offering two webinars exploring the use of character strengths as project managers. In the second webinar we moved onto the topic of seeing strengths in others - the second three phases in the SBPM model – See, Acknowledge, Leverage.

We used a sample profile created from attendees’ responses to the VIA Assessment. This is the kind of thing I do with project managers and teams when I work with them. The strengths profile of a team is an indication of team culture.

Some questions to consider are:

What does a team with this profile feel like to work in?
What strengths are most prevalent and how do they affect communications?
Can there be too much of a character strength or strengths in a team?
If yes, what do you do about it? Some options are
Explore the profile with the team – awareness is a great first step.
Explore how people feel about the top strengths and what strengths might be encouraged to create balance.
Spot strengths with team members to get them used to seeing their own strengths and the strengths of others.

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Tags: Culture, Future of Work, Leadership

An Author Reveals – Pt 9
Import from wordpress feed
June 12, 2019
In the book Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management, there are lots of opportunities to explore the topics covered with the “Making it Stick” questions […]
The post An Author Reveals – Pt 9 appeared first on Project Motivator.

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An Author Reveals – Pt 8
Import from wordpress feed
May 29, 2019
Chapter 7 – When Other Things Go Wrong What planning styles are most prevalent on your team? In my teams, I have seen all sorts of planning styles. Some teams have tended to be more detail oriented and this has sometimes made it more difficult to provide high level updates or to measure progre

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Appreciation - the Strengths Booster. How to Engage Your Character Strengths Every Day...
linkedin
May 28, 2019
He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. — Albert Einstein

Appreciating Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence – the strength booster!

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Tags: Management, Leadership

#PMIEMEA19 – on tour with Character Strengths
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May 26, 2019
When I die Dublin will be written in my heart.~ James Joyce, writer.

For a few days, a group of project managers gathered together in Dublin to talk…. Project management. For some people that sounds a little like watching paint dry. For others, it does not convey much at all! What does it mean when...

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Finding Strengths in You
ProjectManagement.com
May 20, 2019
There is lots of great research on the benefits of starting from what is strong rather than what is wrong. For example, we know that positive emotions make us more open to ideas – including ideas about how we might learn and grow. Adopting a learning mentality – also known as “growth mindset” has been shown to lead to great feats. Of course, talents – innate abilities – help, but they don’t go anywhere if we don’t hone them and learn to apply them effectively.

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Tags: Culture, Future of Work, Leadership

#PMIEMEA19 - On tour with character strengths!
linkedin
May 19, 2019
When I die Dublin will be written in my heart.~ James Joyce, writer
For a few days, a group of project managers gathered together in Dublin to talk…. Project management. For some people that sounds a little like watching paint dry. For others, it does not convey much at all!

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Tags: Management, Leadership

An Author Reveals – Pt 7
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May 15, 2019
In the book Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management, there are lots of opportunities to explore the topics covered with the “Making it Stick” questions and the “Strategies for Success” in each chapter. In this blog series, I share my own answers. Chap

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

An Author Reveals – Pt 6
Import from wordpress feed
May 01, 2019
In the book Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management, there are lots of opportunities to explore the topics covered with the “Making it Stick” questions and the “Strategies for Success” in each chapter. In this blog series, I share my own answers Chapt

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Social Intelligence, Communication And Project Managers – Sweet Spot Or An Opportunity?
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April 23, 2019
“This article was originally posted on Forbes.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2019/04/22/social-intelligence-communication-and-project-managers-sweet-spot-or-an-opportunity/#39688de51354 As a long-time project manager I study what makes project managers tick. Since 2016, I have b

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Social Intelligence, Communication And Project Managers - Sweet Spot Or An Opportunity?
Forbes Magazine
April 22, 2019
Analysis of project managers and their tendency to rank the strengths of social intelligence and perspective lower than other people on average. Based on questions from recent audience members, the article explores whether gender or age changes this result.

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Tags: Culture, Future of Work, Leadership

An Author Reveals… Pt 5
Import from wordpress feed
April 17, 2019
In the book Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management, there are lots of opportunities to explore the topics covered with the “Making it Stick” questions and the “Strategies for Success” in each chapter. In this blog series, I share my own answers.

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Three more things PMs want to know about Character Strengths
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April 15, 2019
Over the last few months, since the publication of my book Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management I have been speaking to project managers from all around the world about how the science of Character Strengths can help us build engagement, increase

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

An Author Reveals – Pt 4
Import from wordpress feed
April 02, 2019
In the book Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management, there are lots of opportunities to explore the topics covered with the “Making it Stick” questions and the “Strategies for Success” in each chapter. In this blog series, I share my own answers. Chap

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Answering your top 3 Character Strengths questions
Import from wordpress feed
March 27, 2019
Over the last few months, since the publication of my book Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management, I have been speaking to project managers from all around the world about how the science of Character Strengths can help us build engagement, increas

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Creating a happier workplace culture one strength at a time
PMWorld 360 Ezine
March 25, 2019
The Project Management Institute defines a stakeholder as “those who have a stake or an interest in a project or strategy undertaken by a company or an organization, they will be affected in some way by the project and so have an interest in influencing it.” Stakeholders can be either internal or external to the client’s organization. Internal stakeholders work within the client’s organization, and external stakeholders do not work for the organization, but they still have an interest in the project. Stakeholder management involves the client reconciling “the differing stakeholder requirements and passing on the clear direction to the project manager” in order to gain a collective agreement and successfully complete the project (PMI, 2003).

This article explores a 4-step process for successful stakeholder management

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Answering three more frequent PM questions on Character Strengths.
linkedin
March 22, 2019
Over the last few months, since the publication of my book Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management, I have been speaking to project managers from all around the world about how the science of Character Strengths can help us build engagement, increase productivity and creativity and help us to get stuff done.

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Tags: Management, Leadership, Future of Work

An Author Reveals… Pt 3
Import from wordpress feed
March 21, 2019
In the book Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management, there are lots of opportunities to explore the topics covered with the “Making it Stick” questions and the “Strategies for Success” in each chapter. In this blog series, I share my own answers. Chap

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Sneak Peek! Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management
linkedin
March 19, 2019
In this post I share the Introduction from my book Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management. Recent Amazon reviews say, "If you pick one book to read on project management this year, start here." and, "I’ve been around the project management industry for a long time and around project managers even longer. This book is what the industry needs."

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

An Author Reveals... Pt 1
linkedin
March 18, 2019
In the book Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management, there are lots of opportunities to explore the topics covered with the “Making it Stick” questions and the “Strategies for Success” in each chapter. In this blog series, I share my own answers.

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

An Author Reveals… Pt 2
Import from wordpress feed
March 14, 2019
In the book Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management, there are lots of opportunities to explore the topics covered with the “Making it Stick” questions and the “Strategies for Success” in each chapter. In this blog series, I share my own answers. Chap

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

What is Stakeholder Management
PMWorld 360 Ezine
February 21, 2019
The Project Management Institute defines a stakeholder as “those who have a stake or an interest in a project or strategy undertaken by a company or an organization, they will be affected in some way by the project and so have an interest in influencing it.” Stakeholders can be either internal or external to the client’s organization. Internal stakeholders work within the client’s organization, and external stakeholders do not work for the organization, but they still have an interest in the project. Stakeholder management involves the client reconciling “the differing stakeholder requirements and passing on the clear direction to the project manager” in order to gain a collective agreement and successfully complete the project (PMI, 2003).

This article explores a 4-step process for successful stakeholder management

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Shifting from stakeholder management to stakeholder engagement
PMWorld 360 Ezine
February 12, 2019
In the latest edition of the PMBOK, there was a small but significant change in the language around stakeholders. Instead of Stakeholder management, the focus of a project manager is stakeholder engagement. What does this change mean?

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

5 habits for 2019 - 3 steps to keep them (7 min read)
linkedin
December 31, 2018
This is a very quick post about New Year's Resolutions.

Resolutions are a little like performance reviews. There is a big build up, we spend time coming up with meaningful goals, and three weeks later we have forgotten all about them. It is hard to understand why we want to set a point in time to reflect on who and where we are and who and where we want to be.

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Tags: Digital Disruption, Leadership, Culture

5 Steps to Making a Dream Come True
linkedin
November 27, 2018
Today is the culmination of many years work. This journey started in 1992 when I accidentally became a project manager. Since that time I have been learning and practicing project management. I have spent countless hours in the pursuit of a greater understanding of how to engage teams to get better results, and although that learning will not stop, two years ago it reached a point where I felt compelled to share what I have learned with my fellow project managers. I not only wanted to be a Project Motivator, I wanted to help others to become Project Motivators too.

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Roles, Engagement and Social Intelligence - a Project Manager View
linkedin
November 15, 2018
Over the last two years I have been gathering information on project managers. Sometimes I have been asking people who work alongside PMs for their viewpoint, other times I have been asking PMs directly.

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

5 Way to be a Strong - and Socially Intelligent - Project Manager
linkedin
October 24, 2018
At the PMI Global Conference in LA in October 2018, about 100 project managers gathered early in the morning on the last day of the conference to explore character strengths and the art (and science) of team engagement - for us and for our teams. We explored social intelligence and hope, prudence and appreciation.

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Pop Quiz - Post PMI GC, what did you do differently?
linkedin
October 13, 2018
You went to LA, you participated in workshops and presentations, you networked, you partied and you went home. You probably took notes of things you want to remember, things you want to do, things you want to learn more about.

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Day 3 of the PMI GC - a Great Finish!
linkedin
October 10, 2018
This was my first foray into the PMI Global Conference and what a wonderful first experience. With such a terrific array of speakers and topics, it was hard to choose between sessions. But once we engaged our perspective and judgment strengths, we realized that it really was a no-lose situation. Practically any session would be of interest and practically any session would be educational. And as my preliminary research shows, love of learning is a big motivator for project managers!

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

PMI GC Day 2 - It just keeps getting better
linkedin
October 07, 2018
It is the end of day 2 at the conference, After a great shout out for Dana Brownlee and her upcoming book The Unwritten Rules of Managing Up: Project Management Techniques from the Trenches from emcee Stephen Maye, we started the day off with a great keynote from Cam Marston. He took us through the causes of intergenerational friction starting with Socrates! Very interesting and informative. Definitely information that we can all benefit from and use. Our behavioral preferences are learned and change from generation to generation. As much as boomers complain about millenials, we made them who they are today!

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Tags: Management, Leadership, Future of Work

PMI GC Day 1 From Great to Greater!
linkedin
October 07, 2018
Here I am at the PMI Global Conference in LA. This is my first GC, and I was not sure what to expect. Well the first day was certainly more than I ever hoped! And as a project managers, HOPE is a go to strength.

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Tags: Management, Leadership, Future of Work

SBPM Tips: The A-Z of character strengths – engaging conversations for our disruptive times.
linkedin
September 26, 2018
People who know me already, know that I am always exploring ways to connect with and engage the teams I work with. Engaged and connected teams are more motivated, more productive, more innovative and more committed to each other and the goals of the project. I use all sorts of techniques, but one of my favorites is Character Strengths.

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Tags: Leadership, Culture

Great Opportunities from Character Strengths
linkedin
September 25, 2018
Today is Character Day. What a great time to use the strength of bravery to share that 2018 is turning into a year of opportunity. In October I present two sessions about Strengths-Based Project Management (SBPM) at the PMI Global Conference in LA.

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Excited to be a 2018 PMI Global Conference Presenter!
linkedin
June 07, 2018
I am so honored to have been chosen as a PMI Global Conference Speaker in Los Angeles, October 6th - 8th.

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

2 Books
Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management
Berrett-Koehler
November 27, 2018
Many project managers do not have the authority to direct the activities of people on their teams--they can only influence them. The most influential people succeed by focusing less on themselves and their message and more on others. They pay attention, they are brave, they are vulnerable, they are curious, and they look for and acknowledge the things that are important about and to the other person. And they model the behavior that they want to see. This book tells you how.

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Tags: Leadership, Future of Work, Mental Health

Coaching Perspectives VIII
Center for Coaching Certification
November 27, 2018
Coaching tools, techniques, and processes for project managers, executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs. Insights for cultural competence, coaching a team, trauma coaching, authenticity, and more.

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Tags: Culture, Future of Work, Leadership

1 Conference Publication
Project Manager Effectiveness Survey Results
ALLE LLC
April 16, 2019
As a project manager for many years, I have, over that time, enjoyed many conversations with
other project managers and also non-project managers about what the role entails. Some people
have described to me a role that has not sounded at all like the work I have been doing. Using
expressions such as “glorified note-takers” and “task managers only interested in what we have
done today”, people who I thought of as friends and colleagues described the role in mechanical
and often not very positive tones. One friend said, “don’t get me wrong, they are needed, but it
isn’t rocket science is it?”
Others, often project managers themselves, described the role in more positive terms, highlighting
the complexity of the role as a conductor of many different parts of a project or program. For
these people, the role is much more elaborate and entails many more activities. Chief among them
seemed to be the person who acts as the clearinghouse for information for any person who may
have an interest in the project. When describing the responsibilities of a project manager, this
second group pointed to the challenge of being able to communicate with all different stakeholders
in the way that is most meaningful to them. The processes that we follow to set up a successful project, through managing the execution to wrapping things up and delivering the finished product
– which is often a far cry from the product that was conceived in the first place – are often
complex and require great attention to detail. Regardless of the debate about project methodology,
our role was described as everything from onerous to essential.
To get a clearer picture of the role of the project manager, I set out to survey both project
managers and their non-project manager colleagues.
The survey ran from November 2016 to November 2017, with most responses being collected in
the first six months.

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

2 Keynotes
Social Intelligence: Why we need it and how we can get it!
ALLE LLC & IPMA YC
November 30, 2019
Social Intelligence: Why we need it and how we can get it!

Project managers and their teams agree that communication and connecting stakeholders to the goals of a project are core to the role of project managers. Connection is a fundamental part of both aspects of our role. Connection is built on social intelligence – the way that we build and maintain relationships with others and elicit co-operation. This session explores social intelligence in project managers and provides tools for building social intelligence from the moment the session starts.
Social intelligence is how we connect with others. Connection directly impacts communication, and as that is such a big part of our role as project managers, social intelligence would seem like a key ingredient for success. Yet when I ask project managers about social intelligence, they shake their heads and laugh. They say social intelligence is not a go-to for us!

To investigate further, I asked a group to take the VIA Character Strengths survey. Results showed that far from having more social intelligence that our team members as we might hope, on average, we have less. Earliest results show that project managers rank it at just 19/24 on average compared with 10/24 on average for the US at large!

From project initiation to closeout, a project manager’s understanding of how people process information and make decisions, informs the way in which we tailor communications to our stakeholders – or does it?

How effective are we at tailoring our message to the needs of others?

If the survey results are correct, we have work to do. If we are good already, we can be better.

This session will introduce you to character strengths and the ways you can use them to increase your social intelligence to build more effective teams.

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

The Strategy of Character: Measuring and Aligning Character for Success!
ALLE LLC/PMI Chicagoland
November 18, 2019
You are a person of character…
How does your character affect the way you engage at work? You probably know the statistics about engagement – 2/3 of us are not engaged (Gallup) and managers are the biggest single cause of engagement and disengagement (Gallup). How engaged are you as a PM? What strengths do you bring to the table and how do those strengths align strategically with planning and executing projects?
In this session, you will discover what you can do to:
1. Understand your own character and the character of your stakeholders.
2. Be more engaged yourself – it is hard to engage others if you are not feeling engaged.
3. Play to the strengths of others and see them for who they really are
4. Align your strengths strategically and make yourself a more effective PM

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Tags: Leadership, Future of Work, Mental Health

6 Media Interviews
Character Strengths Pathways to Wellbeing
Major Projects Knowledge Hub
July 22, 2020
Interview on using VIA Character Strengths to promote wellbeing with Jonathan Norman of the Major Projects Knowledge Hub

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Tags: Leadership, Future of Work, Mental Health

Motivation
TEAMGANTT
October 03, 2019
If you lead projects, you’ve likely had battles with motivation in project management—whether it’s to find motivation to complete your own work, or to mobilize an entire team to meet a goal successfully. You may have won a battle here and there, but sometimes it can feel like the topic of motivation can become an all-out war. But by instilling some basic values and using some helpful tools to help you figure out what motivates people, you can win that war before it even starts. On this episode, Brett interviews Ruth Pearce, who is an accomplished project manager and coach, and the author of Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management. In conversation, they cover:

Strengths-based project management
The strengths that PMs possess
Techniques used to motivate team members (and yourself)
How to you keep your team motivated in the face of tight deadlines or other challenges
How to build influence
Quick tips and tactics to keep people motivated

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Tags: Leadership, Future of Work, Mental Health

Interview with Dr. Ryan Niemiec, Director of Education, VIA Institute on Character
ALLE LLC
April 22, 2019
Dr Ryan Niemiec interviews Ruth Pearce about her groundbreaking book Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management. The book explores the role of character strengths for project managers and teams.

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Tags: Culture, Future of Work, Leadership

Mark Struczewski Podcast
Mark Struczewski
April 15, 2019
Ruth Pearce is a project motivator, author, speaker, and coach. She also conducts research into the role of the project manager and their strengths. Her passion is studying and experimenting to understand what makes teams tick. She created her book Be a Project Motivator: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-based Project Management to give project managers the kickstart they need to transform their teams and projects. Ken Blanchard said of her book, “Read Be a Project Motivator and watch your project teams thrive.”

On this episode with Ruth Pearce:

Challenges of projector managers
How to REALLY hold effective meetings
The different kinds of meetings
The power of having a single purpose

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Elise Stevens Fix My Project Chaos
Elise Stevens
April 10, 2019
Have you thought about your strengths lately? Not your skills and talents, but the key character strengths within your personality.

If you’re a project manager there’s a good chance you’re prudent and persevering, which means you like to have a plan and you don’t like to give up.

Ruth Pearce believes the key to building strong teams full of motivated people is for leaders to study their own character strengths and then highlight and acknowledge the character strengths of others.

In this podcast, Ruth describes working with teams that were under stress and how her desire to get people more engaged without breaking the budget eventually led her to the science of character strengths.

Instead of relying on your intuition about people, she recommends getting to know your own strengths and learning how to spot them in others.

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Tags: Culture, Future of Work, Leadership

Joe Pusz - Project Management Office Hours
Project Management Office Hours
March 21, 2019
In this episode of Project Management Office Hours Joe Pusz, PMO Joe, and his guests Ruth Pearce and Michael Donnelly discuss using Strengths Based Project Management, progressing from good to great project management, building successful PMOs, and Ruth's book, "Being a Project Motivator, Unlock the Secrets of Strengths-Based Project Management." Ruth and Michael have great chemistry and the discussion flows easily between them as we get insights, tips, techniques, and tools. This is a can't miss episode to learn Why you need to be more than a technically competent project manager.

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Tags: Culture, Future of Work, Leadership

1 Podcast
People & Projects with Andy Kaufman
People & Projects
April 15, 2020
The power of Character strengths for leading times and projects

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Tags: Leadership, Future of Work, Mental Health

9 Speaking Engagements
Getting the Communication Right: How to Build Social Intelligence into the Message
ALLE LLC & PMI Chicagoland
November 18, 2019
Our biases sometimes get in the way of communication. We listen for cues and filter information based on prior experience and personal perspective. This is not only natural, but to some degree is necessary if we are not to be overwhelmed with information.
So how do we make sure our message is being received loud and clear? And how do we know we are hearing clearly what other people are telling us?
In this session, we explore how social intelligence helps build effective messages and we use real life examples to experience how biases affect conversation outcomes.
As we explore these interactions, we delve into character strengths theory and see how it relates to seven key team roles that play into our interactions every day. We will look at how the strengths of social intelligence and perspective show up for project managers and explore strategies to build our social dexterity.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

In the Here and Now: Using mindfulness practices to enhance personal and team performance
ALLE LLC & PMI Chicagoland
November 18, 2019
The research says it all. Mindfulness leads to better health, reduced stress and greater focus. Yet, despite the evidence, many of us don’t incorporate mindfulness from day to day. More powerful than mindfulness alone is the combination of mindfulness and character strengths. Research tells us that the use of character-strength leads to higher engagement and productivity. Come learn about your level of mindfulness, discover your top strengths and leave with practical resources to combine the two every day.

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Tags: Leadership, Future of Work, Mental Health

Strengths-Based Project Management: Social Intelligence for Project Managers
ALLE LLC & PMI Minnesota
September 24, 2019
Project managers and their teams agree that communication and connecting stakeholders to the goals of a project are core to the role of project managers. Connection is a fundamental part of both aspects of our role. Connection is built on social intelligence – the way that we build and maintain relationships with others and elicit co-operation. This session explores social intelligence in project managers and provides tools for building social intelligence from the moment the session starts.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Social Intelligence for Project Managers
Project Management Success Summit
August 21, 2019
Exploring Social Intelligence, character strengths, team culture and stakeholder relationships with Michael Charles of Project Management Success Summit 2019

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Introduction to Strengths-Based Project Management - Social Intelligence for Project Managers
GreatITProfessional
June 25, 2019
In this webinar, you will discover what you can do to:
1. Be more engaged;
2. Play to the strengths of others;
3. Build engagement in those around you.

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Change Management

Social Intelligence for Project Managers: What is it and how do we get it?
PMI EMEA
May 11, 2019
Social Intelligence ranks low for Project Managers as a strength - at least when taken on average - but it is an important component of our role as communicators. We can build social intelligence with simple steps.

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Tags: Change Management, Future of Work, Leadership

Introduction to Strengths-Based Project Management - Seeing the Strengths of Others (Part 2)
projectmanagement. com
April 03, 2019
Following on from the March 6th webinar, we will look further into how being a strengths-based project manager means playing to the strengths of those around us to build cohesive high-performing teams.

Having started with our own strengths, we will turn our attention to the strengths of those around us. How can we see their strengths, how do we call them out in a sensitive way? Attendees will use real-life examples to practice spotting strengths and will walk away with practical tools to use when working with stakeholders, team-members, sponsors and people outside their workplace too!

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Tags: Culture, Future of Work, Leadership

Introduction to Strengths-Based Project Management - Finding Your Strengths (Part 1)
projectmanagement. com
March 06, 2019
Being a strengths-based project manager means playing to the strengths of those around us to build cohesive high-performing teams. As modeling is such a powerful way to influence others, the first step is to become aware of our own strengths, to explore how they show up for us and to learn how to target our strengths.

In this session - which substitutes for the session planned for December 2018 - attendees will learn about the “aware-explore-apply” model of character strengths and how just knowing their own strengths will positively impact their teams and projects. The session is packed with information about why strengths matter, how your strengths can help you and the people around you and ways to start engaging strengths right away. When you leave, you will have tools you can use immediately to start making a difference.

This is part one of a two-part webinar series.

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Tags: Culture, Future of Work, Leadership

Be a Project Manager: Unlock the Secrets of Strengths Based Project Management
PMI
October 08, 2018
Using character strengths awareness and practices to build teams

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Tags: Leadership, Culture, Future of Work

Blog

4 Article/Blogs
Making sense of how YOUR character strengths can help
Thinkers360
August 10, 2020
Jo works in education in the U.K. Her signature character strengths are Fairness, Humor, Judgment, Social Intelligence and Prudence. Her lesser strengths – on a typical day – are Gratitude, Hope, Spirituality, Appreciation and Self-Regulation.
As schools close their doors during this crisis, and families face the challenge of being at home, reduced income and still giving their children an education, she and her colleagues are working tirelessly to create a consistent learning environment.
When asked how things are going, she said, “I have never worked as hard in my life!” Between work commitments, juggling a family of six people stuck in the house, managing updates, checking in on family and friends, it is a whirlwind of calls, texts, emails … So, I asked her how strengths help:
1. TEAMWORK & GRATITUDE: “The family has realized that we are in this together. It is not perfect, and we have our moments of frustration, but for the most part everyone is focused on doing their part to make all of this work. I am so grateful that we are being mutually supportive – at home and at work – and that everyone has a “can do” attitude.”
2. SELF-REGULATION: “We are keeping to a regular schedule, getting up at the normal time, dressing for school and work as usual – YES that means wearing school uniform. There is so much chaos and confusion and it is easy to be swept along in “what ifs” and catastrophic thinking. I keep asking the question, “What is one thing we can do now?” This helps me and my family stay focused on what is possible, and what is happening in this moment and not to dwell too much on what might – or might not - be coming next.”
3. LEADERSHIP and PERSPECTIVE: “the decisions I am making at home and at work have an impact on many people. My concern is not just for family and friends. I am concerned about the students from my schools, their families and their friends. I am privileged to be able to do more than most to make this process less bewildering and more manageable than it would otherwise be.”
4. PRUDENCE & CURIOSITY: “We have a plan that guides us day-to-day and we make any adjustments as needed. Noone has all the answers in this situation, so we learn as we go and look to each other for ideas and suggestions. There are lots of questions such as “how else might we do this?” and “What do we need in this moment?” and “What is one step we can take that will make things a little better right now?” So far, we have set up an obstacle course in the living ro

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Tags: Future of Work, Leadership, Mental Health

Thank you to my father - Rick Kelly, 1930 - 2000
Thinkers360
June 22, 2020
I shared a post about my dad on LinkedIn for Father's Day - he would be astonished at the response!
Perspective - He died 20 years ago. I miss him. He was a complicated man - like the Curate's egg, good in parts. He and my mother had a challenging history. There are many ridiculous stories about his odd behavior, and then there are as many stories about his compassion. He never wanted to be a father, and was dismayed to find that once one, always one. It is not a role you can shed like a job. Being a father was something he worked hard at, failed at, succeeded at, and was probably a burden to his mental health.

Recently I wondered aloud why I know a little about South African history.

Love of learning - Then I remembered - at 13 years old, when my school project was to write about another country, my father pushed me to look further than France or Italy. He wanted me to explore a country that the students didn't know about. I decided on South Africa because my sister's friend and her family were planning to move there. And I could interview them - something I was confident other members of my class would not be doing. After I showed my father lovely pictures of South Africa cut from magazines, he told me to look deeper. That was in 1976, almost 20 years before the official end of Apartheid. What I read shocked and dismayed me. And it opened my eyes to the idea that things are not always what they seem... there is generally another side to the story.

Social Intelligence - When I was 15, he gave away a suit, shirt & shoes to a homeless man trying to get a job. He befriended the man on his way to work, he bought him breakfast some days. I asked why & he said "because if I had made different turns, that would have been me".

Curiosity - At 17 I asked, "Dad, what type of people do you admire" he replied, "interesting people". I asked him, "what type of people are they?" He answered, "anyone who can share a story I don't know...so practically anyone".

Bravery - When I was 19 he told me to "Get comfortable with being uncomfortable - it beats staying in your comfort zone, and it is the only way to grow."

Love - My father helped shape my world. He shared anxiety, and perfectionism, his love of learning, his curiosity about all things, his gratitude, and his abiding sense of fairness. And he modeled bravery.

Thanks Dad️

Fathers & leaders - how you think and behave sets the tone for your children, your teams and all around them!

Your answers matter!

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Tags: Leadership, Future of Work, Mental Health

Choosing Your Role Model
Thinkers360
June 16, 2020
At any time, some people are better positioned than others – financially, socially, emotionally and psychologically – to ride out ups and downs. As a character strengths practitioner, it can feel insensitive to people’s practical needs to recommend focusing on character strengths. Yet I have been having an ongoing conversation with a loved one and in every conversation, she has shown me that character strengths matter.
FINDING A ROLE MODEL IN AN UNEXPECTED PLACE
My loved one is a nurse. On the upside this means that she probably has a tough immune system and that she has well-established hygiene habits that she uses even when on autopilot. On the downside, she is exposed every day.
She told me how she has been leaning heavily on her character strengths:
1. Hope: she is trained to deal with situations that are just plain terrifying for the rest of us. She does not focus on the news cycles; she searches medical articles and up to the minute studies for real data. That real data, while worrying, is reinforcing her sense of hope.
2. Prudence and Perspective: she has been reminding me that we have no serious underlying medical conditions, we live in a safe place with access to the food we need so we are not at high risk. She recommends keeping a safe physical distance from others and at the same time making sure we don’t leave others cut off during this difficult time.
3. Judgment: she has been recommending that we take stock of concerns and prioritize them; then focus on your top two priorities. You cannot take care of everything at once. Then, for those two priorities think about:
• What you have done in the past that has worked.
• Who can help you – even if it is offering moral support?
• Who you can help in some small way?
5. Kindness: she is finding that focusing on others is helping her to divert attention from her own worries. She focuses on small acts of kindness such as an extra call to an isolated patient or leaving a couple of cans of food on a neighbor’s step. Helping others is empowering even when we are struggling ourselves.
6. Kindness 2 (Self-kindness): she keeps reminding me that we cannot stress 24/7 and that we need mental health breaks.
FIVE QUESTIONS TO GROUND YOURSELF:
1. Who is your role model?
2. What is your #1 priority?
3. Who is someone that can help you even in a small way?
4. Who can you help?
5. What character strengths does your role model display?

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Tags: COVID19, Leadership, Mental Health

The Power of a Timeout
Thinkers360
June 04, 2020
Amy, Sally’s client, called to say she could not make the appointment. As a hospital administrator at a time of pandemic, there was no time for a call. Sally offered to spend a few minutes for a check-in. Amy reluctantly agreed.
Amy asked immediately, “please share with me the ways you or your other clients build resilience.”
Instead of answering, Sally asked, “what has worked for you in the past?”
Amy paused, took two deep breaths and a list flowed forth:
1. Walking in nature
2. Music
3. Meditation – she remembered she has an app she likes that she has not used in a while
4. Poetry reading – she remembered that she has a big book of poetry that was given to her as a birthday present.
Sally asked, “And what are some options?”
“Well,” she said, " it occurs to me that I can play music on my commute. I can plan to walk at lunchtime. If I cannot get out, I will use my meditation app to do a five-minute meditation. And I can read a page of poetry before bed.” She sighed. “Wow, it is really quite easy now I come to think about it. With a plan I will make sure I take a few breaks”
As the conversation drew to a close, Sally asked, “how do you feel now?”
Amy replied, “I feel SO much better! My head is clearer, my mind is more focused, my mood has lifted, I have a plan for ways to help myself in the coming days. I feel great! AND, “I learned that taking this timeout for myself was not a luxury I could not afford, it is a necessity that will help me be more effective.”
Personal timeouts during times of stress are not luxuries they are necessities. They help us focus, identify priorities, make better decisions and feel better. And when we feel better, we act better!
1. What is one personal practice you will maintain?
2. How do you feel when you maintain that practice?
3. Who is someone you can explore options with?
4. How can you help someone else explore their options for self-care?

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Tags: Leadership, Future of Work, Mental Health

Opportunities

1 Business
Group Strengths Coaching for Project Managers and Teams

Location: Virtual    Date Available: November 01st, 2019    Fees: Available on application

Submission Date: May 26th, 2019    Service Type: Service Offered

Coaching in groups of up to 8 people run virtually and with e-coaching between group sessions. Includes two 1:1 coaching sessions at the start and end of the coaching engagement

Option to add an online 4 module course in character strengths, team building, learning and planning styles, and communication prior to the coaching. Course attendees will be eiligible to apply for PDUs from PMI (Project Management Institute)

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Ruth Pearce