Episode Transcript
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Intro/Outro (00:12):
Welcome to the PM
Mastery Podcast.
This podcast is all abouthelping you master your project
management skills by sharingtips, tricks, tools and training
to get you to the next level,while sharing the stories of
other project managers on theirjourney in project management.
And now here's your host, waltSparling.
Walt Sparling (00:32):
All right,
welcome everybody to the current
(00:55):
edition of PM Mastery.
And today I have with me DavidOdelia.
Yes sir, yes sir, that's right.
Okay, good, I hope it was Allright.
So we're going to start offwith you telling us a little bit
about yourself.
David Odeleye (01:15):
Absolutely.
My name is David.
I've been a project manager forfour years.
I'm married Beautiful wifeDebbie.
I have a 14 month old.
Her name's Sophia.
We love, we love the outdoors.
I love everything projectmanagement so you'll probably
hear me talk about a lot ofthings that I'm doing involving
(01:36):
project management.
Huge fan of AI, so I'm dabblinginto that project management
and AI space, and so that's me,ai is the thing these days,
right.
Walt Sparling (01:51):
So tell us a
little bit about, like, with
your job.
What's your position title,what do you do, what kind of
company do you work for, etcetera.
David Odeleye (02:00):
Sure, so job
title is project manager.
I work for a company calledBell Bank out of we're
headquartered out of Fargo,north Dakota.
It gets super cold here in thewinters.
You know, it's really niceright now, about 85 degrees
outside, so great weather, yeah.
(02:20):
But yeah, like I said, a bank.
So dealing I actually what I dois a lot of IT projects.
So if we're building locationsand starting up locations all
over the country, I'm in chargeof the IT aspect of you know how
many computers do we need?
Do we need telephones and allthat other stuff?
(02:44):
You know, in terms ofIT-focused tasks, I also do a
lot or a few IT projects andsecurity stuff for the bank as
well.
So I manage those projects onthat end as well.
Walt Sparling (02:59):
So do you have to
travel for these openings?
David Odeleye (03:03):
Unfortunately,
not, I would say unfortunately
for me.
My wife probably likes that, um, but no, I don't travel so a
lot of because of the um, what'sthe word?
I'm looking for the advancementof remote work now, um, I can
do a lot of stuff, you know.
Okay, how many computers do weneed?
We need 50.
(03:23):
Okay, jake, you're in arizona,do we have those computers on
ground?
Jake says, yes, that's okay.
I talked to ben in phoenix orflorida, wherever it is,
wherever he's at at that time.
You know, um, we talked to talkto them over a project call.
We meet, uh, weekly, you knowwe, we have standups and agile
(03:45):
stuff, you know.
But, yeah, that's pretty muchhow it goes.
Why, why do you do projectmanagement?
That's a great question.
Well, so, um, I got into projectmanagement my second semester
of my master's degree program.
(04:05):
My professor was an adjunctprofessor and she was a project
manager with IBM, and just thestory she told about being
around developers and beingaround people and just managing
projects, I'm like, well, thisfirst off, this sounds amazing
and I would like to do that.
And so I did some research intothis little course called
(04:30):
project management and gotopened to the entire world of
project management and I thinkthat's really what kickstarted
my thirst desire, hunger forproject management.
My undergrad was in computerscience, computer information
science.
Was going to school for mymaster's in computer science and
(04:51):
discovered project managementand, um yeah, I didn't get a
project management gig, I thinktill my second year of my career
.
Walt Sparling (05:01):
So yeah, but it's
the fact that you're doing it
pm-ing and you have a computerdegree and got into while you
were in college, so that'sperfect, perfect alignment,
thank you.
What do you do now?
Obviously, you have schoollearning, but in order to keep
(05:24):
up, like you say, you're a fanof AI and you're in technology I
mean, I used to be years agoand the struggle was always
keeping up, and nowadays you'vegot AI and you're interested in
that.
How do you keep up with thePMing, the AI, et cetera?
David Odeleye (05:40):
Sure.
So, first off, I'm in thebanking industry.
We're pretty locked down, a lotmore locked down than the rest
of the world.
I've talked to other PMs in theindustry and it's like, well,
we can do this and we can dothat.
We have this shiny toy, Funfact chat GPT is blocked in our
systems just because of thatpotential risk, our systems, you
(06:01):
know, just because of thatpotential risk.
So what I try to do is, youknow, very up to date on project
management trends.
You know project managementsoftware.
I try to go toprojectmanagementcom.
I stay abreast of what'shappening on PMI right now
studying for my PMP and takingan AI course, a generative AI
(06:23):
course, on PMIorg.
But yeah, I try as much aspossible.
While keeping my hands oneverything, I try to stay
focused but still just diversifyas much as I can.
Walt Sparling (06:36):
Okay, and you
have your PMP.
David Odeleye (06:40):
Yes, no, I am
actually studying for it, so I
am going to take it in October.
Okay, you ever see APM, I do.
I have a PM IACP as well.
Walt Sparling (06:54):
All right, I was
wondering because I know we were
talking earlier about a commonfriend or acquaintance, joseph.
Yes, trainings, yep, yep,trainings, yep, yep.
Okay, so AI you do outside,which, because security and PMI
(07:19):
and you're taking their AIcourse, I got a good course.
I'll recommend to you too.
That's really good.
What about you?
You know you've got a 14 monthold I believe that's correct.
You've got a full-time job.
Uh-huh, how is there anythingthat like that's giving you
(07:39):
challenges, you know, or iseverything just move?
His eyes?
David Odeleye (07:45):
so, um, I love to
write, um and on linkedin, you
know, I write in journals.
Uh, one of the things that Iwrote very recently was, uh,
work-life balance is a myth, youknow, it's all about work-life
rhythm.
I'm going somewhere with this.
Um, the rhythm, I think, goingsomewhere with this, the rhythm,
(08:11):
I think for me has been goingto bed at midnight.
I'll put my daughter to bedabout seven o'clock and then
mess around till about midnightand then wake up at about six
o'clock, and that's just beenterrible for me.
You know that's a challengeright there.
You know, going to bed late, butone of the things that I had
done very recently was late, butone of the things that I had
done very recently was, you know, she goes to bed at seven.
We try to go to bed, my wifeand I, at about 9.30, 10.
(08:31):
We don't always meet it, buthey, you know that's one of the
challenges really is findingthat time to sleep with a
14-month-old.
She sleeps through the night,thankfully, but now I just need
to be more disciplined about old.
You know she sleeps through thenight, thankfully, but now I
just need to be more disciplinedabout, okay, I need to be to
bed at this time and not messaround.
And you know scroll or watchnetflix or watch.
Walt Sparling (08:54):
You know the news
I think that's a common
struggle, right, right, I try toget seven and a half hours.
That that's my target, andsometimes I'll adjust my alarm
clock after I'm in bed.
I do the scrolling and then I'mlike oh All, right, doom,
(09:15):
scrolling yeah.
David Odeleye (09:18):
That's the name
for it, right there.
Walt Sparling (09:19):
Yeah, I stole
that term.
I've heard it on or seen it onpost, where people see your life
away by doing doom scrolling.
It's like I don't know the onlything I do.
Right, right, that's my absentminded entertainment.
Ok, what about tools?
What kind of?
Do you have any favorite toolsyou use in your job?
David Odeleye (09:42):
Um, yes, I have
to.
I think we talked about thisjust before.
So OneNote is huge for me.
Yes, I have two.
I think we talked about thisjust before.
So OneNote is huge for me Dayto day.
You know, once I pull up mywork computer, work space and
whatever, first thing I pull upis OneNote, next thing is
Smartsheet.
Those two go hand in hand forme.
(10:03):
Another thing that I use I don'tknow how many people use this
anymore really Sharewall.
Basically Sharewall, we've beenable to integrate with
Smartsheet, you know, and that'sbeen really helpful for me.
So our IT folks have tasks outof Sharewall that they sync into
Smartsheet that I manage.
(10:23):
Okay, this guy's closed thistask yesterday.
This guy's closed that task,you know, still needs to work on
this task and I can ping thisperson when you know when a task
isn't done.
So those three, I would say,are really huge for me right now
.
Can you do spelling in terms ofwork?
So it's C H E R W E L L.
(10:45):
Okay, that's a new one.
I haven't heard that one, soit's going out of life here
pretty soon.
Walt Sparling (10:57):
So, or we're not
going to be using it for very
much.
It's going end of life.
Gotcha, okay, I won't look itup, but now it's going end of
life too, so I don't know whatthe replacement's going to be.
Oh, wow, but I think it's goingto be gone.
They're trying to do things to.
You know.
They're always introducing newapps, like the Microsoft Planner
(11:18):
and the Microsoft To Do, and Idon't know OneNote's.
I remember when it first cameout, I was not a fan.
I got to learn something newand got into a groove.
I'm like, okay, I have so manyOneNote notebooks.
It's crazy.
David Odeleye (11:35):
Yeah right,
Couldn't live without it,
honestly, at this point.
Walt Sparling (11:42):
Now, one of the
reasons that I connected with
you is you don't just do yourjob, you do stuff on the side.
You do stuff on LinkedIn and Ibelieve you're building a
website right now.
Can you tell us a little bitabout what we call your side
hustle, what you're working on?
David Odeleye (11:58):
Absolutely,
absolutely.
So I actually came in.
Well, the reason I startedposting very, very consistently
on LinkedIn was because, well,four years ago, who I was four
years ago, basically, wasstruggling to get into project
management.
I knew what I wanted to do, butI couldn't get where I wanted
(12:19):
to get to Right, and so what Icame up with is this concept, if
you will, it's called myproject brand I help
professionals transition intoproject management jobs, so I so
it took me about three years todo it.
What I do is help people do itin six weeks or less and
(12:41):
basically, like I said, this iswhere I was four years ago, and
I'm trying to help as manypeople as possible get there in
a shorter time than I am, whileteaching you project management
skills the things that industryjargon, really.
Basically, if that makes sense.
Walt Sparling (13:00):
Okay, and you're
going to be.
I think in our earlierconversation you said you're
going to be launching your site,your official site, at some
point here soon.
David Odeleye (13:08):
Yes, that's
correct, cool, Stay tuned.
Walt Sparling (13:13):
This probably
won't go out for a couple of
weeks, but if you, as soon asyou do get a posted, let me know
and I can help you in promotingthat, and if it's before this
goes live, we'll throw a link inthe in the notes.
Absolutely, Thank you.
Appreciate that.
All right, so do you haveanything that you like to chat
(13:33):
about yourself?
David Odeleye (13:36):
Not that I know
of, let me see.
Oh, I should have come withtopics of my own.
I don't believe I.
Walt Sparling (13:43):
That's okay.
I don't always let people talkabout themselves.
No, okay, I know we talked alot before we got started
recording, so I think we'vetalked through a lot of that
stuff.
But one of my favorite thingsis the did you know, and
(14:05):
everyone has to do a did youknow?
Do you have one that you canshare?
David Odeleye (14:10):
I do.
Did you know, Walt, that snakescan predict earthquakes?
Walt Sparling (14:16):
No, I did not.
That's a new one, that's.
I guess they're pretty wellconnected to the ground, right,
right.
David Odeleye (14:26):
Oh, I see what
you did there.
I like it All right.
Walt Sparling (14:32):
That's another.
That's a good one.
We've had some doozies on hereand, speaking of which I'm and I
mentioned this to you earlierI'm going to let everyone else
know that one of the things I'mdoing this as we move forward on
interviews this year is doing aswitch up and offering
interviewees the chance to do adid you know?
(14:53):
Or I want to say a day in thelife, but really more of a week
in the life, because day-to-daychanges, but typically a PM's
week kind of has a rhythm to it.
Yeah, so for future, for thoseout there that are just dying to
get on the show and beinterviewed, keep that, because
that's coming All right.
(15:14):
Well, I don't have any otherquestions for you.
It's been a pleasure meetingyou and getting to know you, and
I have a feeling we're going tobe working together on other
stuff in the future.
Absolutely, I appreciate youcoming on and, for everyone else
, we will see you on the nextepisode of PM Mastery.
David Odeleye (15:35):
All right, great
to be here.
Well, appreciate you having meon here.
Intro/Outro (15:41):
Thanks for
listening to the PM Mastery
podcast at wwwpm-masterycom.
Be sure to subscribe in yourpodcast player.
Until next time, keep workingon your craft.