What Makes a Successful Project Manager?

Thursday, February 4, 2010 by Ty Kiisel
Over the past few days, I've been writing about some of the characteristics that make a great project manager.  I don't think anyone disagrees that delivering projects on-time, on budget, and on spec are important.  I certainly think they are.  That being said, I was thumbing through some old notes last night and found these six leadership attributes.  I'm not sure where I stumbled across them originally, but they are leadership skills that can take a good project manager and make them great.

As companies turn to project based work to help make and keep their organizations competitive and profitable, the need for skilled project leaders will continue to increase.  Regardless of your particular work management methodology or business project management software, do you take time to foster the following skills or attributes?
  • The gift of foresight.  I'm not suggesting that membership in the Psychic Friends Network is required, but being able to look down the road and make some reasonable predictions based upon practical assumptions is an important skill.
  • Organization.  I don't think this needs much explanation.  Keeping information, schedules, and team members organized is critical.  Fortunately, most project managers I know are very organized and detail-oriented people.
  • The ability to lead.  Although there are some people who are natural leaders, basic leadership skills can be learned, practiced, and improved.  You might not read about it in the PMBOK, but there are mentors, leadership training, and books you can read if an honest evaluation of your leadership skills finds you lacking.  Leadership and people skills are, at the very least, as important as methodology and tracking tools.
  • Exceptional communication skills. It's important to be able to communicate with everyone involved in the project from peers, to team members, and stakeholders.  Everyone needs different information couched in different terms.  This is a skill that is vital to a project manager's success.  Adam Michaelson is talking about project communication in his blog today, if you'd like to read a little more.
  • Pragmatism.  A pragmatic approach to problem-solving is a skill that is essential for a discipline that faces the regular adjustments and changes that face project managers.
  • Empathy.  In order to lead people, you need to understand them and what motivates them.  Everyone is different and a one-size-fits-all approach to leadership is seldom the most successful approach.  I'm not suggesting that project managers need to get all "touchie-feelie" and start tearing up in romantic comedies (not that there's anything wrong with that), but the old saw about "..walking in another man's shoes," might apply here.
It's not a secret that in my humble opinion, like any good leader, great project managers understand that successfully leading people is half the battle to successfully managing a project.

I've appreciated all the dialog on this topic over the past few days.  Please feel free to share some of your favorite leadership skills.

Comments for What Makes a Successful Project Manager?

Thursday, February 4, 2010 by Anna Evans:
The foundation of leadership skills are the values we live by. I would submit these need to be inplace for any leader, perhaps more so for PM's. 1. Integrity in ALL we do. Earning respect from others through consistency, dependability, and hoenesty. 2. Engendering Trust. We do the right thing and are consisitantly sincere. 3. Stand for Something Important. You will establish repore with people if they know what you represent and that you stand for something important. 4. Meet Commitments. Sets our personal image to be one of responsibility, integrety and trust. 5. Help Others. Be a mentor, help others work through their problems to engender greater performance levels from others. 6. Include others. Share your VISION. In strategizing, in planning, leading the team and in decison making , commitment follows.
Thursday, February 4, 2010 by Ty:
Anna, These are great additions to the list. Thanks for contributing. I particularly liked your #5.
Friday, February 5, 2010 by Olaf Hinz:
Project management is the normal principle of processing a new task that just because your "obscurity" can not be processed in the previously existing structure and process organization, a worldwide face this challenge and on the principle of hierarchy, therefore, makes little sense. . What this means: We usually look at occupations as though everything we do dominated by the law of proportional effect. One reason is followed by a well-defined effect. Especially when we are moving into areas where we already have lots of experience, we believe the effect of a cause to know exactly - a linear model! Such linear processes have the great advantage that they are manageable and predictable and guaranteed so as to permit the project manager's inevitable. He does everything right and can count on this happening what he previously planned. And so the current PM software works: As activities and steps are to be entered, "predecessor" and "successor" - actions defined milestones identified and assigned dates. Comes out at the end of a schedule that allows you to effortlessly wallpapering the walls of the entire project offices, and its predictions will still happen rarely ... The linear thinking in the project is reaching its limits! Lead projects means that creation of processes that are dependent to a large degree of networking with other, equally complex processes. And not least, affect these complex processes are all still other! How can you make more right decisions ....
Friday, February 5, 2010 by Ty:
Thanks Olaf, and I agree. Project managers need to look beyond traditional linear thinking and consider all the options available for good decision-making.
Monday, February 8, 2010 by J:
And how does one measure these skills? Unfortunately in today's economy and job market a degree and PMP certification state to a company that you have these skills however all it really shows is you have a piece of paper. There needs to be some way to weed out the good PMs for the unskilled PMs.
Monday, February 8, 2010 by Ty:
I couldn't agree more J. Measuring these skills might be problematic, but not impossible. As organizations recognize that these skills are important, certification will likely become a piece of the puzzle, but not the determining factor. After all, the right project leader can become certified—but certification won't necessarily make the wrong leader a good choice. Thanks for contributing to the discussion.
Monday, February 8, 2010 by Joel:
Great list - and great additions in the comments as well. I think the issue of what importance certification holds is an important one. I've known many great Project Managers who did not have a degree or a certification and I've known many marginal ones who had both. In today's economy it's unfortunate that the good folks might have a tougher time of it because of their lack of credentials. I think as in many other fields, sales, technology, etc. - proven results may be the best measure.

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