When it comes to Project Management (PM), it is critical to understand that project managers DO NOT have authority unless they have direct reports. Why is this important? Because, without authority, you must become adept at leading teams via the use of leadership, emotional intelligence, empowerment and people skills. As 90% of what PMs do is communication based, utilizing soft skills in your leadership approach, is a must.
Even as a director with authority, I still apply the same skills as I would if I were managing a project team. Why? Because of the same reasons that I would apply if I don’t have authority. By focusing on people instead of position, it is possible to create an environment where team members and direct reports feel safe. The safer the environment, the more effective the team will become. The more effective the team, the more collaborative the team will be.
But you cannot just stop there, you also have to consistently give your team the chance to shine. I have spent 26+ years in project and program management in a variety of roles, and training is one of the most important, but least focused on growth opportunities for any team. Many organizations will provide online training that comes as a package, and if offsite trainers come in-house to teach, they often are focused on what the company wants them to teach.
In my first role as a director of PM, I had the chance to develop a budget for the department and a substantial amount of that budget was allocated to training. Not the mundane traditional training, but training that I left up to each PM to decide upon in terms of their own individual growth opportunities. What did this mean? It meant that they could go off site to take a course, they could travel to a university or other location to take a course, or they could take a course on-line. It was completely left up to them. The amount allocated to each PM was set at a high level, and so if they wanted to take a certification course, they could do so. The only requirement was that it had to help them in their role as a PM in some way. Other than that, the options were endless.
The result of this approach was an immediate benefit that was easily identifiable in all of the PMs that I managed. In fact, this in part also set them up for success, in that two went on to be promoted into other parts of the organization afterwards.
From a relationship perspective, I have always worked hard to create high-performing teams. To achieve this level of team training is important, but so is incorporating leadership traits, being transparent, having an open-door policy, listening, and ensuring that you have a team environment that is safe for individuals to try different things, even if they don’t always work out well. Management traits are important from a basic management of budget and schedule, but it is the leadership traits that will make your teams highly effective. Without leadership and the other traits listed above, there is no way to create an environment that is conducive to high performance. The other key factor that needs to be kept in mind is that these characteristics need to be sincere and honest. Letting words go in one ear and out the other is not the same thing as listening. Having an open-door policy where the door is always closed has no value to the team, and so forth.
Being transparent, and open to other’s ideas, while also being able to lead and empower your teams for success, are critical. Additionally, once you have created this high-performance environment, you will also start to see loyalty and other key factors take hold. This loyalty is a two-way street, and it helps take the team to another level in performance, because everyone is working in a common direction.
Bottom line, training, collaboration and team-work, are essential not only from a PM perspective, but from an organizational perspective as well. However, without continual cultivation and attention, these high performing teams can also decline over time. Don’t take for granted the effort it takes to achieve this high level of performance. When you get complacent, that is when your teams will start to decline.
Therefore, ensure that you take the time to talk to and listen to your individual team members, ask them for their feedback, pay attention to their body language and other signs that reflect that something is having an impact on them, and be an ear for those on your team and others to come and talk to you. The more transparent and open you are with your team, the more they will trust and have faith in you as a leader.
