There’s a distinct energy that fills a room when hundreds of project professionals gather with a shared purpose. You could feel it immediately at the Centro Caboto Centre for PMI Manitoba’s Elevate 2026 Spring Workshop. Over morning coffee, surrounded by a mix of familiar and new faces, the hall packed out ahead of schedule. People weren't just there to collect PDUs; they were there to connect.

As someone whose daily work relies heavily on cross-functional alignment, I walked in with my notebook open, ready to absorb. I wasn't disappointed. The day quickly moved past rigid, mechanical frameworks and dove straight into the heart of what actually makes or breaks a project: the people.

Setting the Provincial and Strategic Tone

Darwin Hudson, PMP® (VP of Operations and President-Elect), kicked off the morning by setting a sharp, forward-looking tone for the chapter. He then introduced the Honourable Renée Cable, Minister of Advanced Education and Training for the Government of Manitoba.

Minister Cable’s opening remarks truly grounded the room. Rather than speaking in high-level policy abstracts, she focused on how the project management profession directly fits into everyday work and aligns with the province’s broader direction on workforce development. It was a powerful reminder that our local projects contribute directly to regional growth.

Following the keynote, Abilash Janakiraman (Director, Professional Development) shared an exciting overview of the MindEdge program. It stood out as a tangible reminder that PMI Manitoba is actively investing back into member growth and continuous learning.

The 7 Steps to Thriving Through Change

When project environments get chaotic, work still needs to move forward. In her impactful session, Linda Drosdowech handed us a brilliant tactical framework titled "7 Steps Forward: Thrive Through Change". Instead of letting a turbulent environment paralyze execution, Linda challenged us to ask seven honest, grounding questions to maintain our focus and capacity:

• Decide: What is your top priority to move forward?
• Meaning: How is your work helping people?
• Action: What are you willing to feel to take the next step?
• Relationships: Where will you get curious to better understand someone?
• Communication: Where will you tell the truth sooner?
• Focus: What is working? What are you grateful for?
• Capacity: What do you enjoy doing that helps you reset—and when will you do it this week?

The Takeaway: Projects rarely fail because of a broken spreadsheet. They fail because of a breakdown in communication or a lack of clarity. Telling the truth sooner and actively protecting your personal capacity are essential tools for a sustainable, long-term career.

Navigating the Iceberg of Motivation and Self-Awareness

The afternoon sessions took a fascinating dive into team dynamics, specifically targeting how self-awareness drives authentic collaboration. In a session hosted by Tamara Kroeker and Donavan Robinson, we explored an incredibly powerful concept: The Iceberg of Motivation and Drive.

They flipped the script on traditional team building by introducing Enneagram-based self-awareness, "play styles," and instinct-based leadership.

As leaders, we often only manage what is visible above the surface (actions and communication styles). True trust, however, requires us to understand what lies below the waterline: our team's core emotions, values, and psychological needs. As the session highlighted:

"Self-awareness is the growing understanding that we have needs and the observation of what happens when we don’t have what we need."

Understanding how your teammates inherently react under pressure is the ultimate shortcut to reducing friction and building a cohesive unit.

Closing the Loop: Building Lasting Connections

Bringing the day to a perfect close, Margarita Serova, CM, MA focused on a skill every professional needs but rarely takes the time to refine: building professional relationships that actually last.

Combined with highly practical LinkedIn makeover tips and tricks, her session reminded us that our digital presence and the authenticity of our professional network are critical components of long-term career resilience.

The Big Takeaway

Elevate 2026 wasn't just a day of lectures; it was a deep dive into the psychological infrastructure of successful project delivery. Whether it was looking at the iceberg of team motivation or executing Linda Drosdowech's 7 steps to thrive through turbulence, the message of the day was clear:

To successfully deliver complex projects, we must first master the art of leading people.

 

Did you attend Elevate 2026 at the Centro Caboto Centre?

Looking at the Motivation Iceberg or the 7 Steps framework, which area do you think project professionals overlook the most?

 

Let’s keep the conversation by engaging with us via our social media platforms:

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For the full photo gallery, go to https://pmimanitoba.org/elevate-2026---photo-gallery

 

#PMIManitoba #ProjectManagement #Leadership #Elevate2026 #ProfessionalDevelopment

 

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     Article written by Shubha Junaid

    Managing Editor – News Desk, PMI Manitoba

    Photos by Seun Adeleye - PMI Manitoba

 

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Interested in contributing your insights, stories, or project management news from across Manitoba? We welcome voices from our professional community. Reach out to vpoperations@pmimanitoba.org OR newsdesk@pmimanitoba.org to be part of the conversation.