Chapter Calendar

🎯 Event Overview.

Decode the people puzzle. Lead with more clarity, less conflict.

Imagine a gender-equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that is diverse, equitable and inclusive. A world where difference is not only accepted but valued and celebrated.

That future starts with learning how to better understand one another and decoding the people puzzle.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, PMI Sydney Chapter has joined forces with Women in Projects Australia to do more than celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion. Together, we are creating a space to deepen our understanding through a highly interactive workshop designed to build practical skills you can apply immediately.

In this session, we will explore the DiSC behavioural model, a hands-on tool that helps you understand your own working and communication style and recognise what makes others tick. By learning how to adapt our approach, we can reduce tension, strengthen relationships and build trust across teams and stakeholders. While AI can automate tasks and analyse data, it cannot replace the human dynamics of trust, emotion and behaviour, which makes understanding the DiSC model even more critical in an AI-enabled workplace.

Lisa Harrison will guide us through the DiSC behavioural styles, followed by a panel conversation on “Give to Gain”. Jen Dolden, My Tran Le and Lisa Harrison will share their perspectives on understanding others, building meaningful connections and leading with intent. The discussion will be facilitated by Maria Mainhardt.

Join us as we celebrate, learn and take practical steps towards a more inclusive and understanding world.

PRESENTER's BIOs

Lisa Harrison, Trainer, Speaker and Founder of The Learning Pyramid, is affectionately known as 'The Queen of Experiential Learning' for her transformative approach to leadership development.

Lisa combines infectious energy and humour with research-backed methodologies to create experiential learning that drives lasting behaviour change. Her unique approach transforms traditional training into engaging experiences that stick.

Over the last 20+ years, Lisa has energised over 15,000 participants across 1,000+ workshops through The Learning Pyramid - and is trusted by leading organisations to develop their technical talent. Her programs specifically target project managers, engineers, IT specialists, and other technical professionals who need to transition from ‘doing’ to ‘enabling’.

Ready to transform your team from ‘phoning it in’ to engaged and motivated? Lisa shows you how to lead with confidence and create high-performing teams.

Jen Dolden, a Principal Consultant at Escient with a strong track record delivering complex projects and leading cross-functional teams through change. She is known for creating collaborative environments where people feel heard, valued and empowered to contribute their best work.

Jen is a passionate advocate for gender diversity and inclusive workplaces. She believes better project outcomes come from diverse perspectives and is committed to supporting women in project delivery and leadership. Through her work and community involvement, she champions practical ways to build equity, trust and opportunity across our profession.

My Tran Le, a passionate and customer-focused program leader with more than 20 years of experience delivering business and technology initiatives across retail, supply chain and digital transformation. She is known for leading complex programs, improving processes and bringing teams together to achieve meaningful outcomes.

My Tran is a strong advocate for diversity, inclusion and community impact. A long-time volunteer with PMI Sydney Chapter, she now serves as President, supporting volunteers and initiatives that strengthen the project management profession. She is also a sponsor for the University of Sydney’s Master of Project Management capstone program and an active contributor to the broader project community.

She was recognised with the PMI Chapter Leadership Impact Award at the 2024 PMI Global Summit and the PMI Australia Project Manager of the Year award. My Tran is passionate about driving change, empowering people and creating opportunities for women and diverse voices in project leadership.

Facilitator: Maria Mainhardt

Maria Mainhardt, a governance and risk professional with more than 20 years of experience supporting portfolio oversight, executive decision making and transformation across public sector and highly regulated environments. She has worked with organisations including ASIC and the NSW Parliament, and brings a strong focus on strategy, governance and benefits realisation.

With a background spanning business, engineering and law, Maria is skilled at translating complex issues into clear, practical insights that help leaders make better decisions. She is passionate about integrity, public value and inclusive leadership, and brings a multicultural perspective that supports collaboration across diverse teams and communities.

💡 Workshop Objectives

• Understand the DiSC behavioural styles and how they show up in your team and stakeholders
• Build awareness of your own personal communication style
• Learn how to flex your approach to improve communication and reduce conflict
• Use DiSC to strengthen trust, improve engagement and boost project outcomes

👥 Who Should Attend

Project managers, team leads, and anyone who works cross-functionally to deliver outcomes.
If your role involves leading people or managing stakeholders — this session is for you.

🔍 What we’ll explore:
✅  How bringing your project home successfully relies on effective relationships across personality styles

✅ Understand the behaviour styles of yourself and others – ‘oh so THAT’s why I do that / why they do that!’

✅  Small, practical, powerful ways to flex our behaviours to get better results