Getting Fired to Harvard Business Review: Project Management Revolution | Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez
Better At Work with Cathal QuinlanShow Notes
Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez got fired for trying to bring project management to a top consulting firm.
Today, he's the most published expert on project management in Harvard Business Review and a Thinkers 50 global authority.
His new book "Powered by Projects" makes a bold claim: Every organization is project-driven, but the leaders don't know it.
IN THIS EPISODE:
The Origin Story: - Almost went professional with Real Madrid (broke his knee) - Got fired for pitching project management ("too tactical") - The moment that sparked his mission
Getting HBR to Listen: - Chased Harvard Business Review for 5 years - The pitch: "Everyone's a project manager but nobody knows it" - Became their most published PM expert
COVID Changed Everything: - 3 days to do what used to take 3 months - Laser-sharp focus on priorities - Then we lost all that knowledge
The Project-Driven Organization: - Shift from operations to transformation - AI taking over operations; people work on projects - "Back to normal" doesn't exist
Three Dimensions Framework: 1. Organization (culture, structure, governance) 2. Leadership (prioritization, HR, performance) 3. Value Creation (operations, execution)
Key Examples: - Haier: Stop projects if no value in 3 months - Fixed to exponential mindset - Lean governance (match intensity to risk)
Best Advice: - Do the hardest thing first every day - Care about people (Marshall Goldsmith) - Speak up constructively to leaders
KEY QUOTES:
"Your projects are your future. If you do them wrong, you put your future at risk."
"During COVID we did in 3 days what took 3 months. Then we went back to thousands of projects going nowhere."
"There's no back to normal. Change will happen."
About Antonio: - Author: "Powered by Projects" & "HBR Project Management Handbook" - Thinkers 50 ranking (2023, 2025) - 25 years corporate (PwC, BNP Paribas, GSK) - Website: antonionietorodriguez.com
Better at Work - Making work better, one conversation at a time. New episodes every Thursday (+ special Sunday episodes!)
Hosted by Cathal Quinlan & Annette Sloan betteratwork.net Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Better At Work with Cathal Quinlan
How do you get into product management in a bank?
What makes an office worth coming back to?
A team member keeps missing commitments. There is always a reason, the rest of the team is frustrated, and their manager is running out of patience. What should happen next?
A good conversation changes what you say next.
Saying yes to one thing leaves less time for something else. So how do you decide what deserves your attention?