<p>Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez got fired for trying to bring project management to a top consulting firm.</p><p><br></p><p>Today, he&#39;s the most published expert on project management in Harvard Business Review and a Thinkers 50 global authority.</p><p><br></p><p>His new book &quot;Powered by Projects&quot; makes a bold claim: Every organization is project-driven, but the leaders don&#39;t know it.</p><p><br></p><p>IN THIS EPISODE:</p><p><br></p><p>The Origin Story:</p><p>- Almost went professional with Real Madrid (broke his knee)</p><p>- Got fired for pitching project management (&quot;too tactical&quot;)</p><p>- The moment that sparked his mission</p><p><br></p><p>Getting HBR to Listen:</p><p>- Chased Harvard Business Review for 5 years</p><p>- The pitch: &quot;Everyone&#39;s a project manager but nobody knows it&quot;</p><p>- Became their most published PM expert</p><p><br></p><p>COVID Changed Everything:</p><p>- 3 days to do what used to take 3 months</p><p>- Laser-sharp focus on priorities</p><p>- Then we lost all that knowledge</p><p><br></p><p>The Project-Driven Organization:</p><p>- Shift from operations to transformation</p><p>- AI taking over operations; people work on projects</p><p>- &quot;Back to normal&quot; doesn&#39;t exist</p><p><br></p><p>Three Dimensions Framework:</p><p>1. Organization (culture, structure, governance)</p><p>2. Leadership (prioritization, HR, performance)</p><p>3. Value Creation (operations, execution)</p><p><br></p><p>Key Examples:</p><p>- Haier: Stop projects if no value in 3 months</p><p>- Fixed to exponential mindset</p><p>- Lean governance (match intensity to risk)</p><p><br></p><p>Best Advice:</p><p>- Do the hardest thing first every day</p><p>- Care about people (Marshall Goldsmith)</p><p>- Speak up constructively to leaders</p><p><br></p><p>KEY QUOTES:</p><p><br></p><p>&quot;Your projects are your future. If you do them wrong, you put your future at risk.&quot;</p><p><br></p><p>&quot;During COVID we did in 3 days what took 3 months. Then we went back to thousands of projects going nowhere.&quot;</p><p><br></p><p>&quot;There&#39;s no back to normal. Change will happen.&quot;</p><p><br></p><p>About Antonio:</p><p>- Author: &quot;Powered by Projects&quot; &amp; &quot;HBR Project Management Handbook&quot;</p><p>- Thinkers 50 ranking (2023, 2025)</p><p>- 25 years corporate (PwC, BNP Paribas, GSK)</p><p>- Website: antonionietorodriguez.com</p><p><br></p><p>Better at Work - Making work better, one conversation at a time.</p><p>New episodes every Thursday (+ special Sunday episodes!)</p><p><br></p><p>Hosted by Cathal Quinlan &amp; Annette Sloan</p><p>betteratwork.net</p>