Positive Leadership In Project Management – Evaluating and Retooling Your Leadership Capabilities
by Frank P. Saladis PMP
Leadership can be found in any organization and at any level within an organization. Generally we associate the word leadership with people who have vision, passion, ability to motivate, values, a commitment to the organization, and the ability to attract and sustain followers.
The project manager, by nature of the position assumes a leadership role upon acceptance of any project assignment. Most project managers will agree that their position can be complex and involve multiple roles and significant responsibility. In many cases the responsibility is not matched with the authority that is sometimes needed to accomplish certain goals. To meet this challenge the project manager, or project leader, must call upon a certain skill set to maneuver through the ever-changing project environment and the demands of a wide variety of stakeholders. Over time, and through many projects, the project manager gains experience and becomes more adept at dealing with the demands imposed by clients, sponsors, and other stakeholders. Experience is certainly important and has significant value, but it does take time!
In today’s changing project environment, affected by an uncertain economy, rapidly changing technology and leaner workforces, there just may not be enough time to learn through experience. One must continually adapt to the environment and focus on improving acquired skills and adding new skills to maintain an edge as a world-class leader. This requires the project leader to become a world-class learner. Leaders must invest in a “pay it forward” mode of personal growth. In addition, it is also important for the project leader to take an interest and encourage the personal growth of their team members. The business environment continues to change and as it changes, the need to learn as a team and to learn faster becomes essential if the organization plans to sustain its competitive advantage.
Leaders must examine the current state of organizational knowledge, review lessons learned, examine “best practices”, make changes as needed, and anticipate the future needs of the organization and its clients. Change requires leaders to analyze organizational capabilities and equip themselves and their teams with the tools necessary to meet the next set of critical success factors and Key performance indicators. From a leadership perspective, today’s environment requires leaders to adapt quickly, align the team through common values, purpose, and a clear set of objectives. Leaders must create a sense of great opportunity within their organizations to attract the best talent and establish a desire for the team to work together toward shared aspirations.
The skills required to reach organizational objectives with fewer resources that are more thinly dispersed and assigned to more projects that are becoming increasingly complex go well beyond the managerial skills that we are most familiar with. There is certainly a need for planning, delegating, organizing, estimating, and other skills we associate with management but today there is a much greater emphasis on skills that will improve personal time management, productivity, the ability to influence others, the ability to break down barriers and remove conflicts, and to motivate teams to go that “one step further.” It is also important to have the ability to show appreciation, to know when the pressures on the team begin to take their toll and when to provide a lighter, although probably brief, moment or two of rest with, hopefully, some fun included. Skillfully providing praise or criticism is another area where many project leaders could use some further development
Consider your skills in the following areas:
- Setting team and individual goals – clearly stating meaningful objectives
- Facilitating problem solving sessions
- Communicating bad news
- Delivering meaningful performance appraisals
- Matching assignments with competency and talent
- Setting clear expectations
- Listening to others (really listening)
- Sincerely recognizing and acknowledging outstanding work
- Creating a trusting environment that results in loyalty and commitment.
These are a few of the skills that many leaders possess, that could use some regular “sharpening.” It is also important to anticipate new skills that will be required to remain effective. Virtual teams are common in business today and they require leaders who have the ability to create a strong connection among the team members regardless of time zone, customs, language, and values.
Retooling starts with a self-evaluation. Conduct a personal inventory of your skill sets. What are your strengths? In which skills do you feel you possess the greatest level of proficiency? Where is improvement needed? What will you need to learn to stay at the same level, preferably, ahead of your competitors? How motivated is your team? Are you displaying true enthusiasm for your project? Obtain some feedback from a trusted peer or arrange for a 3600 feedback or performance review. Taking a close look at where you are now, what you have accomplished, what you will need for going forward and what your team needs to meet tomorrow’s challenges will keep your skill set fresh, sharpened, and ready. The desire to retool, enhance skills and to stay in a continuous learning mode is a key success factor for the project manager and paves the way to extraordinary leadership.
About the author
Frank P. Saladis is the Originator/Founder of the International Project Management Day. He has authored and published 7 books and over 100 project management articles. He was also PMI's 2006 Person of the Year. Frank is a PMP, a graduate from the PMI Leadership Institute class, and has been the president of the New York City PMI chapter for ten years.