Justin Bateh, PhD, PMP

I write about project management, leadership, and AI | Follow to develop skills for faster, smarter, and more efficient project management and to build winning teams | Boost your career with my actionable insights

Hi, I’m Justin 👋 I’ve spent my career running projects where decisions mattered, and failure wasn’t an option. I didn’t study project management, operations, and strategy just to talk about it. I used it to make decisions, fix broken execution, and get results when the stakes were high. To prove it wasn’t luck, I built repeatable systems I teach through real projects and that are now used and proven by thousands of leaders. Here, I share my experience in project management, AI, leadership, and decision-making. Not as theory, but as leverage for modern leaders.I hate fluff. I hate busywork. Everything here is real, tested, and battle-proven...from someone who’s still doing the work today. I also teach the top-rated AI-Powered Project Management cohort on Maven, where I help task-buried professionals become confident, AI-powered project leaders who operate closer to decisions and far from busywork. *All views and opinions shared across my content are solely my own.

Founder

I teach Project & Operations professionals the skills to drive sustainable growth, change, and profitability using data-driven decision making, lean tools, six sigma methodologies, agile projects, and data analytics. I have worked with executives and managers from numerous organizations, including Walmart, Verizon, Amazon, Pearson, UPS, Wiley, Cengage, Medtronic, US Department of Health, CSX, USPS, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Crowley Maritime, US Air Force, US Navy, Novartis, FedEx, McKesson, and many others.

Justin Bateh, PhD

9 Simple Ways To Recognize Your Team

(The stuff that’s not in any handbook)

1/ Stop Micromanaging Them
→ Trust is the ultimate recognition.
→ Hire smart people—then let them work.
→ Oversight kills ownership.

2/ Promote the Competent, Not the Loud
→ Results speak louder than self-promotion.
→ Reward outcomes, not volume.
→ Quiet excellence deserves the spotlight.

3/ Give Them True Autonomy
→ Treat them like adults.
→ Let them decide how they work best.
→ Freedom fuels performance.

4/ Pay Them What They’re Worth
→ Money talks louder than pizza parties.
→ Certificates don’t pay bills.
→ Fair pay is real appreciation.

5/ Fire the Toxic Performers
→ One bad attitude drains ten good ones.
→ Protect the culture, not the culprit.
→ Removing them lifts everyone else.

6/ Don’t Be a Jerk
→ Decency is rare leadership currency.
→ Respect costs nothing.
→ Kindness compounds influence.

7/ Give Them Time Off (and Mean It)
→ Burnout isn’t a badge of honor.
→ Disconnect means no Slack, no guilt.
→ Rested teams outperform exhausted ones.

8/ Listen to Their Ideas
→ Ask, pause, and really hear them.
→ Implementation proves respect.
→ Listening drives innovation.

9/ Publicly Give Credit (and Take None)
→ Celebrate their wins loudly.
→ Success is theirs—failure is yours.
→ That’s real leadership.

Recognition isn’t a bonus. It’s a culture.
And culture decides who stays.

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Expert in AI-Driven Project Management, Strategy, & Operations | Ex-COO Turned Award-Winning Professor, LinkedIn Instructor & Corporate Trainer

8 Ways You're Signaling You're Not Ready for Promotion

(Most people miss these completely)

You're not getting passed over for lack of skills.

You're getting passed over for lack of signals.

Senior leaders watch how you operate when you think no one's looking.

Here's what they see:

1/ Waiting to Be Told What to Do
→ You ask "What should I work on next?"
→ Instead of "Here's what I think we should prioritize."
→ Initiative beats instruction.
→ Leaders create direction.

2/ Bringing Problems Without Solutions
→ You surface issues perfectly.
→ But offer no path forward.
→ Problem identification is junior level.
→ Solution ownership is promotion level.

3/ Only Speaking When Spoken To
→ Especially in leadership meetings.
→ Silence gets interpreted as disengagement.
→ Or lack of strategic thinking.
→ Presence requires participation.

4/ Managing Tasks, Not Outcomes
→ You report on what you did.
→ Not what changed because of it.
→ Activity feels productive.
→ Impact drives promotion.

5/ Asking Permission for Everything
→ "Can I email the client about this?"
→ "Should I schedule that meeting?"
→ Risk aversion signals junior mindset.
→ Ownership signals readiness.

6/ Avoiding Difficult Conversations
→ You hope problems resolve themselves.
→ Or wait for someone else to address them.
→ Conflict avoidance stalls advancement.
→ Leaders lean into discomfort.

7/ Not Managing Up Effectively
→ You assume your boss knows your impact.
→ They don't.
→ Visibility requires intentionality.
→ Good work without communication is invisible work.

8/ Thinking Only About Your Work
→ You optimize for your team's success.
→ Not the organization's goals.
→ Tunnel vision limits scope.
→ Strategic thinking expands it.

Most people think promotions are about performance.

They're actually about perception.

And perception is shaped by signals you send every day.

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Don't waste your energy on the wrong people in 2026.

Choose wisely using the Skill/Will Matrix:

1/ Top Performers (High Skill + High Will)
→ Don't micromanage them
→ Give them ownership
→ Recognize them publicly
→ Build your future around them
→ They're your A-players

2/ High Potentials (Low Skill + High Will)
→ Coach them actively
→ Set them up for wins
→ Develop, don't smother
→ Motivation drives results
→ They want to succeed

3/ Disengaged Experts (High Skill + Low Will)
→ Ask questions and listen
→ Could be burnt out or bored
→ Small shifts can reignite them
→ Sometimes it doesn't work
→ They deliver but disconnected

4/ Low Performers (Low Skill + Low Will)
→ This is where time dies
→ Give one clear chance
→ Exit quickly if no change
→ Keeping them drains A-players
→ They won't improve or try

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