Top Voice Tuesday with Michael J. López
Top Voice Tuesday with Michael J. López
Podcast Description
Each week, I sit down with a fellow LinkedIn Top Voice to unpack the most pressing issues in business, leadership, and transformation. Together, we explore fresh insights, bold ideas, and real-world stories from the top 0.0001% of thought leaders on LinkedIn. As a Top Voice myself and an expert in change and transformation, I bring a unique lens to every conversation—connecting each episode to powerful, science-backed strategies that help individuals, teams, and organizations navigate change with confidence. Whether you're leading a company, driving culture shifts, or simply looking to level up in your career or life, these episodes are designed to challenge your thinking and expand your perspective.Want episode summaries straight to your inbox? Subscribe to my newsletter in my links. Subscribers get additional insights from my book, CHANGE, to implement these strategies in your own life.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers themes centered around personal and professional development, leadership strategies, and organizational change, with episodes exploring topics such as storytelling for personal branding, healthcare equity, and the future of work, offering actionable insights for audiences looking to navigate modern business challenges.
Each week, I sit down with leading voices in business, leadership, and transformation to unpack the issues that matter most. Together, we explore fresh insights, bold ideas, and real-world stories from the people shaping how we think about change, culture, and what’s possible.
As a LinkedIn Top Voice myself and an expert in change and transformation, I bring a unique lens to every conversation—connecting each episode to powerful, science-backed strategies that help individuals, teams, and organizations navigate change with confidence.
Whether you’re leading a company, driving culture shifts, or simply looking to level up in your career or life, these episodes are designed to challenge your thinking and expand your perspective.
Subscribe now to join the conversation and never miss an episode.
Michael welcomes project and strategy leader Fola Alabi to discuss stereotypes about project managers and PMOs and why many are seen as process-heavy status reporters rather than value creators. Fola shares her 20+ year career across government, finance, energy, and other sectors, emphasizing the persistent gap between strategy and execution and the need for project leaders to build business acumen, domain knowledge, and executive-level language to drive measurable value. They explore why PMOs are often built and cut, how PMOs can reposition as strategic partners in prioritization and value realization, and how AI can automate basic reporting while increasing the need for specialized, context-driven leadership. Fola closes with practical guidance: lead with business impact, align to strategy, offer options—not just problems—and execute for benefits realized.
Timestamps:
00:24 Welcome
01:29 Meet Fola Alabi
03:35 From Strategy to Execution
05:07 PM Stereotypes Explained
07:13 Evolving the PM Skillset
09:44 Domain Knowledge Matters
13:46 Specialize or Stay Broad
16:15 Value Language of Business
18:19 PMO Pendulum and Purpose
21:19 PMO Visibility Crisis
22:45 Strategic Project Intelligence
24:33 From Cost Center to Investment
25:37 When You Need a PMO
25:58 Numbers Tell the Story
28:00 Strategy Execution Value
30:13 AI and the PM Future
33:48 Level Up Your Impact
36:19 Ritualized Avoidance Systems
39:06 Where to Follow Fola
40:09 Final Wrap
Connect with Fola:
https://folaalabi.com
https://strategicprojectleader.com
https://www.thepmoleader.com/fola-alabi
https://www.instagram.com/folaFalabi/
https://x.com/folaFAlabi
https://www.youtube.com/c/FolaAlabi
https://www.facebook.com/FolaFAlabi/
https://www.clubhouse.com/@folafalabi
Michael's National Workforce Study on Change Management:
https://www.michaeljlopez.coach/research
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