Baseline
Newsletter

A Season of Change & Momentum

Thank you,

LeighAnne Martin

President, PMI Great Lakes Chapter

president@pmiglc.net

Professional Development Day 2026

Last month, PMIGL chapter members gathered at the MSU Management Education Center in Troy for the annual Professional Development Day (PDD), featuring a day of learning, networking, and exploring AI's impact on project management.

Two engaging keynote presentations explored how AI is transforming organizational operations and how project leaders can apply AI while keeping human judgment, trust, and accountability at the forefront. Members also chose two of four breakout sessions covering PMI's Infinity AI tool, AI project risk management, practical frameworks for scaling AI from pilot to production, and the critical role of trust in successful AI adoption.

The day was filled with valuable insights, collaboration, and fun. Thank you to our attendees, outstanding speakers, sponsors, volunteers, and the MSU Management Education Center for making PDD 2026 a success. We look forward to seeing you next year for another opportunity to learn, connect, and earn PDUs.

PM Skills for Life with IEEE

The PM Skills for Life program is a four-to-five-hour session organized by the PMI Outreach team to introduce basic project management fundamentals to students and working professionals.

Core topics cover basic project management terms, the five phases of project management (Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing), the eight ongoing project process groups, and lessons learned. The session builds real-world leadership skills, offers a career advantage, teaches how to turn ideas into action, and introduces PMI certifications and pathways. Interactive elements include writing project charters, developing work breakdown structures (WBS), and status reporting.

IEEE Southeastern Michigan hosted a session for the program on September 19, 2026. The presentation deck and Miro toolkit template were shared with participants following the event. Thank you to IEEE Southeastern Michigan for helping make this session a success.

The Project Leader as Coach

The world needs strong, competent project leaders now more than ever. Government and industry both require effective project leaders, as do volunteers leading effectively in communities and civic organizations. Within PMI, the difference between a successful chapter and an unsuccessful one is the quality of its volunteer leadership. One is not a born leader. Leadership is a learned skill, honed through experience by facing challenges and learning from both failures and successes.

The school of hard knocks may be a great teacher, but a project team will achieve outstanding performance with the proper coach. In the words of Bo Schembechler, the great U of M football coach, “It’s the Team, the Team, the Team.” The project leader as coach is critical to take their team from good to great.

The Ecumenical Norms of Leadership

The evaluation of a project leader is a function of their team’s results, not their individual efforts. To achieve the project goals, the leader must do what is necessary to help their team succeed. Key norms: provide clear direction by articulating the mission, vision, values, goals, and plans; foster collaboration through team building, delegation, coaching, and a service-leadership mindset; and motivate members through feedback, support, recognition, and ethical conflict resolution.

The Rudiments of Coaching

Coaching is the process of guiding and encouraging team members to achieve superior results. The coach collaborates with members to help them improve, rather than working against them. To perform effectively, team members need to know what they are supposed to do (the plan), why (the goals), how (execution), how well they are expected to do it (outcomes), and how well they are doing (control). Assuring the team meets these expectations is the responsibility of the project leader as coach.

Responsibilities as a Coach

Acting as coach, the project leader sets high but achievable expectations, guides team members, offers support and advice, provides feedback, and encourages the team. The prime leadership responsibility as coach is to coach; the critical coaching responsibility as leader is to lead. The project leader directs their team to exceptional performance through their coaching acumen.

The Phases of Project Coaching

Phase 1 — Monitor Execution. The leader compares the team’s performance with expected outcomes for the review period, identifies where output is not meeting benchmarks, and considers the reasons.

Phase 2 — Analyze Results. The leader involves the team in determining the causes of sub-par performance. Direct, non-confrontational meetings work best. At times the problem may be the leader themselves; the coach must actively listen.

Phase 3 — Set Corrective Action. When leader and team agree on the problem and its causes, they develop a workable solution together, identifying the actions each will take.

Phase 4 — Implement the Solution. The leader follows through, ensuring the corrective solution resolves the problem and the team is back on track toward excellence.

Coaching and Coaxing the Team

Throughout, the leader must exhibit empathy and understanding and avoid making members defensive. Talk with, not down to, the team. Admit your own mistakes openly. Keep it simple, direct, and specific. Listen without interruption. Be sincere and genuine. Be timely; do not procrastinate.

The Benefits

Effective coaching improves team productivity, delivers the project to plan, and frees the leader for other responsibilities. It also builds high team morale, empowers members to accept more responsibility, and develops people who grow more creative and contribute more. Few things motivate people more than praise or help from a leader. As a coach, the project leader shows the team how to help themselves and how to help the organization improve its overall performance.

If you wish to discuss this topic in more detail, reach Dr. Moylan at Wmoylan@emich.edu.

Best regards,
Dr. Bill
William A. Moylan, PhD, PMP, FESD, DTM

Discover PMI's Certification Pathways

Have you had a chance lately to revisit the full suite of certifications offered by the Project Management Institute? PMI currently offers 12 globally recognized credentials designed to support professionals across every stage of their careers: CAPM®, PMP®, PMI-ACP®, PMI-RMP®, PMI-SP®, PMI-PBA®, PgMP®, PfMP®, PMI-PMOCP™, PMI-CP™, PMI-CP™-I, and PMI-CP™-M. Whether you're just getting started or managing complex programs and portfolios, there's a certification designed to match your experience and aspirations.

A PMI certification represents more than a professional milestone. It demonstrates your commitment to continuous learning, validates your expertise, and enhances your credibility. As your PMI Great Lakes Chapter Director of Certifications, I encourage you to explore these opportunities and consider which path aligns best with your goals. Reach out to me at director.certifications@pmiglc.org.

Let's take that next step together.

Upcoming Chapter Events

PMI Global Summit 2026

The PMI® Global Summit comes to Huntington Place in downtown Detroit October 21–24, 2026. Four days of keynotes, innovation talks, and sessions covering AI, PMOs, enterprise agility, sustainability, and more, plus 20+ PDUs, networking, and the PMI Awards celebration.

Global Summit Detroit Student Day

As part of the PMI Global Summit at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit on October 23, 2026, PMI has a special opportunity for students to attend and learn more about project management.

New Members

• Abby Bighouse
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