Mastering Time in a Turbulent World
From the Podcast: Summary of a recent Interview on
The Project Management Podcast
SERIES ARTICLE
By Cornelius Fichtner
Arizona, USA
“Wow! 13 minutes in and I’m getting goosebumps listening… Very applicable listening to that and the need to master time!”
That unsolicited comment arrived less than two hours after publication and captures exactly why this conversation strikes a chord: project managers see their struggle with overwhelming schedules and immediately sense that Robert Heath Sr.’s guidance can help them reclaim control.
This is because projects seldom fail for lack of effort; they fail because effort is scattered by nonstop meetings, shifting priorities, and constant interruptions. Heath (a former U.S. Marine officer, executive coach, and author of Thriving in Chaos) argues that disciplined time mastery is the antidote. Drawing on combat-tested leadership principles and decades of consulting, he explains how to move from firefighting to focused execution without adding bureaucracy.
Time Mastery as the Gateway to Thriving
Heath’s five-step Chaos-Proof Framework (clarify mission, align priorities, schedule priorities, handle interruptions, create success habits) channels team energy toward meaningful outcomes. At its core is the Time Mastery Model: habits that protect the calendar, impose clear meeting criteria, and carve out daily focus blocks. Reclaiming even one productive hour daily compounds delivery speed, quality, and morale gains.
From Surviving to Thriving Mindset
Beyond mechanics, the interview explores the mindset shift needed to lead confidently amid turbulence. Heath distinguishes “surviving”, which he describes as “doing just enough to stay afloat,” from “thriving,” where leaders anticipate change and turn adversity into advantage. He shares tactics for maintaining situational awareness, encouraging constructive dissent, and coaching team members out of reactive loops.
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Editor’s note: The author Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, CSM is an author, speaker, course creator, and since 2005 host of the world-famous Project Management Podcast. In this new series, Cornelius provides a summary of a recent podcast on a topic that we think will be of interest to our readers. This article is based on The PM Podcast Episode 526, an interview with Robert Heath Sr. For more, see his author profile at the end of this article.
How to cite this work: Fichtner, C. (2025). Chaos-Proof Project Leadership: Mastering Time in a Turbulent World, From the Podcast: Summary of a recent Interview on The Project Management Podcast, series article, PM World Journal, Volume XIV, Issue VI, June. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/pmwj153-Jun2025-Fichtner-chaos-proof-project-leadership-series-article.pdf
About the Author
Cornelius Fichtner
Arizona, USA
Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, CSM is an author, speaker, course creator, and host of the world-famous Project Management Podcast. He is also well known for creating one of the first and most renowned PMP Exam Simulators, offering PMP practice exams that have helped countless students effortlessly pass their PMP Exam.
He says that the main way he helps candidates pass their exams is by letting his enthusiasm for project management shine through during training. Students and podcast listeners often comment on how he can make an academic subject like PM theory come alive to motivate, excite, and inspire them with this ‘dry’ subject.
He is a past president of the PMIOC Chapter and a PMI-OC Fellow. He lives in Tucson, Arizona, USA, with his wife, cats, and their four computers. Cornelius can be contacted at cornelius.fichtner@osp-international.com
You can find The Project Management Podcast™ at https://www.project-management-podcast.com, and The Project Management PrepCast™ at https://www.project-management-prepcast.com. If you are preparing for your PMP exam, then take a look here: https://www.pm-exam-simulator.com.
To view other works by Cornelius Fichtner published in the PMWJ, visit his author showcase at https://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/cornelius-fichtner/
