Aakash Sharma🇮🇳

About Aakash Sharma

Project Management Mentor & Writer at The Lion Among Sheep

Music teacher → Program Manager ∙ PMP ∙ PMI-ACP ∙ MBA

Hi, I'm Aakash. For 8+ years I ran a music academy alongside a full-time corporate career. I thought they were two separate lives.

Students, parents, enrolment, curriculum, the P&L — all mine. I thought I was running a music school. I was running projects: timelines I'd committed to, stakeholders wanting updates, scope that grew every time an exam date moved. I just didn't have the words for it yet.

Once I did, I moved into program management — introducing Scrum where there wasn't any, standing up a PMO from scratch, running coaching series for PMs at two companies.

Come talk to me if:

• You do good work and still miss dates, and can't work out why • Everything has equal urgency and you're triaging by panic • Scope keeps growing and you don't know how to say so out loud • You've just started managing people and seniors want answers you don't have • You're weighing project vs product, or which certification to take and when. I've cleared CAPM, PMP and PMI-ACP, and I'll tell you honestly if one's wrong for you now.

I write technical PM articles and reflective/motivated pieces about life on my website www.thelionamongsheep.com. I still play guitar. I still sing.

Expertise

Sessions with Aakash Sharma

• Ask Me Anything: project, program & PMO (60 min): For anything that doesn't fit neatly into the other sessions, or when you're not sure which it is. Bring whatever's on your mind — a decision you're stuck on, a situation at work you want a second read on, a career move you're weighing, or a broader conversation about where you're headed. An hour, no agenda required. If it turns out to be something specific, we'll go deep on that instead.
• Building a PM Career: getting in, and where next (60 min): For anyone trying to work out where they stand in Project or Program management and what the next move is. Come with the version that's yours: - You're already doing PM work — coordinating, chasing, planning — without the title, and can't get it recognized as experience - You're moving in from ops, support, engineering, delivery, teaching, or somewhere nobody expects a PM to come from - You're weighing project vs product and everyone gives you a different answer - You have the title and can't see what comes after it — program, PMO, delivery lead, or out We'll look at what you've actually done versus how you're describing it, which is usually the gap. You'll leave with a specific next step, not a category.
• Choosing PM Certification: which one, and when (60 min): An honest conversation about certifications — including whether you need one at all. I've cleared CAPM, PMP and PMI-ACP, and I know the terrain across Scrum Alliance certifications, the Google and Microsoft tracks, and the rest. We'll cover: - Which one fits where you are now, and which is a waste of money this year - Eligibility — whether your experience counts, and how to document it if it does - Sequencing, if you're taking more than one - What each is actually worth to a hiring manager, as opposed to what the marketing says - How to prepare, how long it really takes, and what to do if you've already failed one If the answer is "not yet, do this instead," I'll say that. I'm not selling a course.
• Running Projects: what nobody trains you for (60 min): Not the framework. The situation you're actually in. Bring the live one: - Everything is P0 and you're triaging by panic - You can see a risk coming and can't get anyone to take it seriously - Estimates you didn't make and can't defend - Scope that grows every week and nobody will call it what it is - Dates slipping for reasons that never appear in any status report - Your process is technically correct and things still go wrong We'll take one real situation of yours and work it properly — what's happening, why it's happening, what you can do on Monday.
• Manage Project Teams: leading without authority (60 min): The part nobody trains you for: getting things done through people who don't report to you. Come if: - You're accountable for delivery and control none of the resources - Two functions are in conflict and both are escalating to you - A stakeholder is difficult and you can't afford to lose them - You've just started managing people and your seniors want answers you don't have - You're the youngest or newest in the room and it's costing you influence - You need to say no, or say "this will be late," and don't know how to say it out loud We'll work through your actual relationships and what to do differently in the next conversation — including the words.
• PM Certification Prep: project & agile courses (60 min): For when you're preparing for a project management or agile certification and something isn't clicking. I hold the PMI-ACP, PMP, and CAPM, and I also help candidates preparing for Scrum certifications like PSM, PSPO and CSM, and other PM and agile exams. Come if: - A concept keeps tripping you up: EVM, critical path, risk responses, agile metrics, Scrum roles and events - You keep getting practice questions wrong and can't see why the "right" answer is right - Situational questions feel like they have two correct answers - Scrum questions hinge on exact wording and you keep second-guessing yourself - You're unsure how predictive, agile and hybrid ideas fit together on the exam - Your exam date is close and you want an honest read on whether you're ready - You're filling out an application, like PMI's, and don't know how to describe your experience Bring your specific questions or topics. We'll work through them until you could explain them yourself, and you'll leave knowing how to reason through similar questions on exam day.

What mentees say

“It is hard to formulate a review if the session was interrupted by technical difficulties. That being said, I'd like to explore other options.”

“I had a great mentoring session with Akash Sharma. He guided me on the career paths I can explore and suggested the key skills and actions I should focus on to achieve my goals. As this was my first mentor interaction, I found the session very insightful and helpful in giving me clarity about my career direction.”

“Session was helpful to solve my queries. Akash was very professional, helpful and he guided me wonderfully.”