331: Leadership in an Era of Disruption with Ken Banta

October 26, 2025·42 min·3 clips

Ken Banta reveals how a janitor told JFK he was sending someone to the moon, showing leadership's power to connect work to purpose.

This episode of the PMO Strategies Podcast features host Laura Bernard and guest Ken Banta, founder of the Vanguard Network and author of "Seeing Around Corners." They explore the evolving role of PMO and transformation leaders as critical partners to the C-suite. Ken defines leadership as the act of getting things done while helping people feel a unified sense of purpose, illustrated by the story of JFK and a janitor at NASA. He emphasizes that leadership can be effective for good or bad outcomes, requiring professionals to assess the leadership they work with. Key traits for future leaders include deep self-awareness, understanding personal strengths and weaknesses, and the ability to ask for genuine feedback. Leaders must also develop the capacity to assess current conditions and anticipate where things are heading to adapt quickly. For PMO leaders, a crucial function is to influence upwards by identifying problems and presenting alternative solutions, acting as problem-solvers rather than just process managers. When facing ineffective leadership, professionals can use influence to insulate their teams and moderate negative impacts. Confronting morally problematic leadership may require difficult conversations or decisions about staying in a role. The concept of "seeing around corners" involves synthesizing frontline data, like customer trends, into meaningful insights for executives. Ken shares an insight from psychoanalyst Dylan Hayes, who advises immersing in immediate challenges step-by-step rather than over-ruminating on long-term plans. PMO leaders gain indispensability by interpreting micro-trends and transmitting synthesized knowledge to help executives anticipate shifts. Earning a seat at the table requires a deliberate strategy to build credibility and trust with senior management. The critical skills for the future are adaptability—proactively changing perspectives and plans—and agility in moving quickly between ideas. The episode has a conversational and educational tone, blending personal anecdotes with practical frameworks. This episode is ideal for PMO directors, transformation leads, and project managers seeking to elevate their strategic influence. Listeners primarily interested in tactical project management tools may find the high-level leadership focus less immediately applicable.

As heard by us

A practical push for PMO and transformation leaders to sharpen self-awareness and become trusted early-warning systems.

This piece treats leadership as a practiced habit, not a badge. Laura Bernard steers the conversation toward self-awareness, quicker judgment, and the kind of alertness C-suite teams lean on when disruption shows up.

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Why you'd press play

When disruption is already here, and you need a sharper radar for leading through it.

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