The technological advancements of the past decade have shaken businesses to their cores, affecting organizational departments across all industries. Project management offices are no exception, and today’s professionals must acquire the skills to keep pace with accelerated change.
For project managers, it is no longer enough to master technical skills and deliver high-quality products in order to stand out. They must also possess leadership and communication skills so they can better influence management, maintain strong working relationships across their organization, think strategically and communicate complex project plans to employees throughout the enterprise.
Leadership skills are of particular necessity because projects without a strong driving force are more likely to fall apart than achieve completion. Some people innately possess leadership qualities. Others must learn the skills required to lead, oftentimes tailoring them to suit their personalities. Regardless of how they are developed, leaders will have a clear advantage over project managers who cannot take control.
Strong communication skills are essential defining characteristics of top-tier project managers, who need to communicate their vision, goals, expectations and strategies to a broad range of people employed at different levels of their business. In addition to delivering these ideas, project managers must also be able to receive constructive feedback and listen to other team members in order to drive a project to success. While leaders hold the most power, they typically cannot achieve it without the input of their group.
Those in charge will need to develop strong, trusting relationships with their team members. They can start this by sharing their vision, or “bigger picture” behind the project and ensuring that everyone understands the ultimate goals. Over the course of the project, leaders can continue to build their team’s trust by demonstrating commitment to their values and ethics. The sooner group members recognize their manager’s honesty, the easier collaboration will be.
Project managers can also drive collaboration and efficiency by taking the time to get to know the members of their team. Each group is bound to have a variety of personalities, all of which must work well together to achieve a common goal. A truly noteworthy project manager will learn the traits of each individual and spot conflicts early on to minimize arguments that might affect progress.
What some managers may not know is that team members respond especially well to leaders who understand their skill sets, assign tasks that align with their strengths, and trust them to meet expectations. Team members will appreciate that the project manager took time to recognize each of them and delegate work that suits their skills. This strategy also facilitates efficient project completion, as people will be more productive working in their areas of expertise.
Project managers are faced with a wealth of decisions that affect the success of their assigned projects and possibly their entire business. In order to achieve excellence in this field, these leaders must stay prepared for all circumstances by collecting as much information as they can about their assignments and team. Armed with data, project managers will be able to think on their feet and make informed decisions when required to do so.
