Karla Mae Eidem, Global Head of Transformation and Project Delivery at Project Management Institute, joins Trina and Mathew to talk about the experiences that shaped the way she leads projects. Her career has taken her across countries, cultures, industries, and unfamiliar roles, where she learned to read between the lines, understand different perspectives, and find common ground with the people around her.
Her superpower, genuine connection, is at the heart of the conversation. Karla shares why project leaders need to understand not only the work, but also the business, the team dynamics, and the people responsible for making decisions. Those relationships take time to build, but they create the trust project leaders need to influence others, work through roadblocks, align teams with strategy, and earn a place at the decision table.
Show Notes
00:16 Meet Karla Eidem, Global Head of Transformation and Project Delivery at PMI
01:21 What is the Project Management Institute?
03:19 What is the difference between a PMO, TMO, and EPMO?
06:40 How Karla began her career in project management
08:33 How PMI chapters help project professionals build community
10:00 Growing leadership skills through PMI volunteer roles
13:26 How Karla moved from PMI volunteer to PMI employee
16:34 The people skills that shaped Karla’s project leadership career
18:08 Why genuine connection is a project leadership superpower
20:00 How courage, problem-solving, and curiosity help project leaders grow
22:00 How PMOs can create more value for the business
24:10 Why PMOs must navigate complexity, not just document it
24:27 How PMOs move from support function to decision partner
25:05 Why becoming a trusted decision partner takes courage
27:56 What is the PMI Talent Triangle?
28:20 Why business acumen matters for project managers
30:57 How project leaders translate between teams and business functions
32:00 Leading projects across cultures and languages
34:13 How to connect with stakeholders who have different personalities
34:35 Why stakeholder trust begins with genuine connection
36:43 How project leaders keep learning as their responsibilities grow
36:53 How to adapt to a new leadership role without losing authenticity
38:00 What is PMI’s MORE framework?
39:35 How the role of the project professional is changing
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