038: The Project Economy: Why Projects Are the Future, Not Just the Present with Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez

Projects aren't just how work gets done. According to Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, they're how the future gets built. In this episode, Sandy sits down with the world's leading authority on project management, a Thinkers 50 honoree, six-time author, and the originator of the project economy concept, to talk about why most organizations are running too many projects, finishing too few, and paying a steep price for it. Antonio brings decades of on-the-ground experience at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Fortis Bank, and GSK, and his latest book, Powered by Projects, published by Harvard Business Review Press, gives leaders a concrete framework for turning strategy into results. The conversation covers prioritization, team structure, CEO failure rates, and what Antonio calls "are you crazy" projects. The ones worth betting on. In this episode, you will hear: How Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez went from shy, peripatetic student to the world's leading authority on project management Why projects build the future while operations only run the present The painful truth about prioritization and why a strategic session that doesn't feel uncomfortable probably wasn't strategic Why launching more projects than you finish or kill is a sign of poor leadership "Are you crazy?" projects and why most companies don't have enough of them How CEO success rates have dropped to 27% and what project discipline has to do with fixing that Building internal transformation muscle so every level of an organization can adapt, change, and keep moving Resources from this Episode Connect with Sandy Ogg: Website: https://www.sandyontalent.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandyogg/  X: https://twitter.com/SandyOnTalent  Instagram: @SandyOnTalent Follow and Review: We'd love for you to follow us if you haven't yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.