People, Process, Progress with Kevin Pannell

What do you do when your perfect plan falls apart?

In this episode, When Your Plan Gets Punched in the Mouth, I share how the concepts of tension and compression from Jiu-Jitsu can help you lead through pressure, adapt in real time, and still move forward.

Whether you’re leading a project, managing a team, or showing up at home, you’ll learn how to adjust without losing momentum.

Hope ignites. Plans guide. Action transforms.

In this Anchor Points episode, I reflect on what it really means to recognize when it’s time to step back and let someone else lead. Whether you’re a parent, a partner, or a project leader, there’s a moment when guidance turns into trust and support becomes space.

Inspired by the full episode released earlier this week, “The Day My Son Surpassed Me”, this short-form reflection focuses on the value of noticing and honoring transitions, especially when they catch you by surprise.

In this 5-minute listen, you’ll hear:

There comes a moment when we realize our kids are no longer just following us, they’re leading in their way. In this episode, "The Day My Son Surpassed Me," I share the story of how my son surpassed me, not just in the gym, but also in emotional steadiness. I also share how that shifted my approach to parenting, leadership, and letting go.

Since 2019, I’ve led major IT programs, including Workday ERP and the technology for a new children’s hospital, while mainly working remotely. In this episode, "Remote, Hybrid, or In-Office: What's the Right Fit?", I break down the pros and cons of remote, hybrid, and in-office work, drawing on real-world experience and leadership lessons.

Links:

Full article on LinkedIn:

Related episode from 2020:

When leaders try to manage too many people directly, clarity disappears and momentum suffers. In this episode, I break down the importance of span of control across public safety, healthcare IT, and project teams. Whether you're building a department, spinning up an incident team, or planning a go-live, the rule of 3 to 7 direct reports still holds. Five is the sweet spot—but there are exceptions.

We’ll walk through how ICS uses structure to maintain speed under pressure, how project teams should plan their structure during resource alignment, and why we must review roles and...

On this Foundations Friday, How to Speak the Same Risk Language, we break down how project managers and emergency leaders can align around a shared risk language. Whether you're using a THIRA or a risk register, the goal is the same: identify what could go wrong, how bad it might be, and what to do about it. Real teamwork starts when everyone sees risk through the same lens.

Warren Buffett said it best: “Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing.”

On today’s episode, How to Combine Project Risk Tools with Emergency Planning, we’re focusing on how project managers and public safety leaders can speak the same language when it comes to risk. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, created the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment—also known as THIRA—to help communities anticipate and plan for the unknown. In the same way, project risk registers help uncover obstacles before they become blockers. Today, we’ll connect the dots betwe...

In this Foundations Friday, Structure Before Action, we explore the importance of applying project structure to any event or initiative. Whether you're planning a community gathering, a training workshop, or a major deployment, structure is your best friend. Learn two quick strategies to lead with clarity and avoid chaos.

What You'll Learn:

Paired Full Episode:

Planning a public event without structure is a risk you can’t afford. In this episode, How to Treat Your Event Like a Project (And Why You Should), Kevin Pannell shares how to apply project management principles and ICS tools, like RACI matrices, project phases, SMART goals, and SitReps, to plan safer, smoother public safety events. Whether you're leading a 5K, a drill, or a community gathering, treat the event like a project—and lead with purpose.

Topics Covered: event planning, project phases, stakeholder roles, ICS, SMART goals, emergency management, public safety leadership

This week, we apply an EMT’s trauma checklist to project leadership. Using the DCAP-BTLS framework, we explore how to scan your project for failure symptoms—before they spiral.

Key focus areas:

• Spotting early signs of project breakdown

• Clarifying roles and responsibilities

• Responding with intention, not reaction

Call to Action: Identify one “injury” in your project—like burnout, misalignment, or scope creep—and treat it today.

People first. Combined process. Progress together.

Welcome to the second full episode in our All-Hazards Project Management series, What EMTs can Teach Us about Failing Projects. In this episode, we apply a trauma checklist used in emergency medicine—DCAP-BTLS—to assess and stabilize failing projects.

Strategies shared include:

People first. Combined process. Progress together.

This week’s Foundations Friday, Start with One AI Use Case, is a bit of a reset and reminder. If you’re in public safety or project management, you don’t need to become a coder. But you do need to understand where AI can help you lead smarter and deliver faster.

In this episode, Can AI Revolutionize Public Safety and Project Management? We explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how we plan, respond, and lead in complex environments.

Key takeaways:

People first. Process aligned. Progress together.

Welcome to the 20-episode run of the All-Hazards Project Management series of the People, Process, Progress podcast.

Since I was seventeen, I’ve been involved in public safety, emergency medicine, and planning events or incident responses. Across all these roles, one truth has stood out: effective planning connects them all. In public safety, it’s about saving lives and protecting property—but that only works when teams share a process and operate efficiently. In emergency medicine, triage and crisis standards guide us to do the greatest good for the greatest number. And in project managem...

In this episode, Tackling Scope Creep: People, Process, & Courage, we're diving into how to protect our projects, keep our sanity, and build stronger teams in the process.

Episode outline

Godspeed y'all,

Kevin

This episode is an audiobook-like version of the 7 Pillars Field Guide. This 7 Pillars Field Guide distills the key, actionable tools and techniques from The Stability Equation into one-page summaries of each of the seven pillars: ownership, mindfulness, movement, boundaries, connection, sleep, and faith.

Godspeed y'all,

Kevin

Welcome back to the People, Process, Progress podcast, the podcast dedicated to fostering pragmatic optimism in your professional world. Today, we're tackling a universal challenge: the art of the good project handoff.

Whether you're a healthcare professional transitioning patient care, a software developer handing off a project, or simply passing the baton in any collaborative effort, a smooth handoff is crucial for success. So, let's dive in and explore some key elements for both providing and receiving a stellar handoff.

Godspeed y'all,

Kevin

In Lessons in Project Management from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, I share how the choices made in the virtual fantasy world of Skyrim parallel the strategic decisions Portfolio Managers and leaders must make when planning, resourcing, and executing projects within their organizations' portfolios.

Episode focus areas:

Godspeed y'all,

Kevin

Restarting the Fix It Friday series with the March 2024 episode from the Hope is NOT a Plan podcast. This episode delves into the crucial skill of asking objective questions to drive clarity and problem-solving. We explore how unbiased inquiries can empower teams and improve processes by drawing parallels to the host's diverse podcasting journey and the principles in his book The Stability Equation. Learn practical techniques to formulate effective objective questions and unlock better organizational outcomes.

How to ask:

Hey everyone!

I'm excited to officially announce the launch of my book, The Stability Equation: 7 Pillars for a More Balanced Life! This subreddit was created to discuss the principles and practices outlined in the book, and I'm so grateful to have you all here.

This book is deeply personal, born from my struggles with anxiety, trauma, and the journey to find lasting mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. It shares the roadmap I developed – the 7 Pillars – that helped me reclaim my balance.

This book can serve as a pract...

Today's episode, The Stability Equation: 7 Pillars for a More Balanced Life, is all about building a balanced life, a life that honors the miracle you are while acknowledging the human imperfections that come along with the ride. We're talking about the seven pillars that, when stacked carefully, create a life that's not just planned – it's thriving.

Welcome back to People, Process, Progress podcast. Today, on Five Benefits of Family Time Off, I'm diving into something I believe is essential for well-being and something that often gets pushed down the priority list amidst our busy schedules: family vacations.

The benefits:

Godspeed.

Episode Objectives:

Godspeed y'all.

In this episode, The People, Process, & Progress of Public Health, I talk about what public health is, why it matters, and why it's crucial to protect it from political whiplash, ensuring that the critical work of keeping communities healthy continues regardless of who's in office. 

Hello everyone and welcome back to The People, Process, & Progress Podcast, I’m your host Kevin Pannell. On today’s episode, How Technical Should Project Managers Really Be? | S4Ep17 I’m speaking to Project Managers, aspiring PMs, team leads, and anyone involved in software or technical projects. My goal is to talk through the optimal level of technical understanding for project managers, emphasizing the value of technical literacy without overstepping into solution design, and balancing tactical involvement with strategic oversight.

As a Project Manager I'm always seeking new knowledge, skills, and abilities to help me empower my team members and project partners. In Five Focus Areas for Project Managers in 2025, I'm sharing focus areas I will be diving deeper into and that I've gotten questions about from my teams and the internet.

On today’s episode, How we Should Reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency, I’ll examine the critical role of FEMA in disaster relief and explore strategies to improving its effectiveness

How we can improve FEMA:

Godspeed y'al

In this audio from my video, I share lessons learned from the book Extreme Ownership written by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin and from my completion of the Echelon Front course Extreme Ownership Framework and how Project Managers can apply them when leading teams.

Find a course and sign up at https://academy.echelonfront.com/

Over the past few years, I’ve pulled together seven focus areas for my life that I call the “7 Pillars”, of ownership, mindfulness, movement, boundaries, connection, sleep, and faith. Today on Seven Powerful Quotes to Help You Balance Your Life in 2025, I’m sharing quotes from seven of the most influential people I’ve heard speak, read books from, and worked with and how I apply these concepts in my life.

Quotes from:

Godspeed y'all.

The Challenger disaster serves as a stark reminder of the importance of rigorous risk assessment and the potential consequences of ignoring or downplaying warnings. In Risk Management Lessons from the Challenger Disaster, I'm paralleling takeaways from the Challenger disaster with how Project Managers can reduce project risk through effective risk management.

Godspeed to the Challenger Astronauts Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Michael J. Smith, Judith A. Resnik, Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, and Gregory B. Jarvis

The Challenger disaster serves as a stark reminder of the importance of rigorous risk assessment and the potential consequences of ignoring or downplaying warnings. In Risk Management Lessons from the Challenger Disaster, I'm paralleling takeaways from the Challenger disaster with how Project Managers can reduce project risk through effective risk management.

Godspeed to the Challenger Astronauts Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Michael J. Smith, Judith A. Resnik, Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, and Gregory B. Jarvis

In Moving Past Paralysis During Analysis I'm sharing five considerations for leaders who need to move their teams to a decision point and out of an analysis rut whether planning a disaster response or a technology project.

On today’s Framework Friday, Eight Steps to Effective Strategic Communication, I’m going to share the National Incident Management System (NIMS) 8-step process that many Public Information Officers (PIO) use to effectively communicate before, during, and after disasters.

Reference: page 20 of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Basic Guidance for Public Information Officers (PIOs)

In this episode, How NOT to Brief the Public After a Disaster, I’ll share insight from my time on an All-Hazards Incident Management Team (AHIMT) on what not to do when briefing the public and press after a critical incident and proposed solutions to improve crisis communication in the future.

Lessons learned:

Godspeed y'all,

Kevin

In Breathing, Framing, and Surviving in Jiu-Jitsu and in Life, I’m speaking about the importance of breathing, placing physical and metaphorical frames in your life, and surviving. I’m speaking to you folks facing challenging times, Jiu-Jitsu practitioners, fitness enthusiasts, anyone interested in self-improvement, …in other words. All humans. 

In this episode:

Godspeed y'all,

Kevin

In Lessons Learned from 2024 and Tools I'm Doubling Down On in 2025, I'm sharing a roundup of non-family and friend influential people, products, exercises, mindsets, and tools I found helpful in 2024 and that I'll build on going into 2025.

My Dad passed away in April of this year and this is my first Christmas without him. So I'm trying to find a way to honor my Father's memory, to acknowledge the pain, and perhaps, to find some peace. I wrote a poem, When You Miss Someone at Christmas, and I'd like to share it with you.

Merry Christmas and Godspeed y'all,

Kevin

Today, on Framework Friday episode one, How to Craft Impactful User Stories for Improved Outcomes, we're diving into a powerful tool for defining "what done looks like": user stories.

People:

Process:

Progress:

Godspeed y'all,

Kevin

In this episode I'm helping listeners not be too rigid with their processes through examples from Taiichi Ohno and my own lessons learned as an Emergency Medical Technician, Planning Section Chief, and Project Manager.

People:

Process:

Progress:

Getting out of shape doesn't happen overnight. Gaining weight isn't an instant occurrence. 

So, what's to be done? Hit play and let's improve together.