What the Pros Think. We all know a project manager. Maybe we are one ourselves. With this in mind, how would you describe a project manager? My faithful audience knows I like to play word association in my blogs, so I'm going to start: Project managers are organized, excellent communicators, multi-taskers, proactive, and strive to make a difference. "Business to Community" recognizes some of the top project managers and their thoughts on the top project management skills needed to succeed.
What Makes a Project Manager Successful? The beauty of project management is that even though there's a definite science behind it, it's also an art. A large element of project management has to do with creativity. Creative problem solving, creative organization tactics and strategies, and creative project leadership all go into the "art" of project management.
So what does creativity have to do with project management success? Each project manager has his or her own unique, individual style for managing projects, working with customers, and working with team members. Sure, there are certain crucial steps in project management that are essential to success, such as risk management and response, gathering and identifying stakeholder requirements, communication and leadership styles, and estimating and budgeting, but there's also that gray area where each project manager has the opportunity to shade that gray area with their own color. While "following the rules" (such as the FMEA principles, ISO, and other set industry standards) is important, the other secret to project management success has to do with that little part of you that makes you, well, YOU.
Project Management is Really Project Leadership...So getting to the whole point of this blog, and the whole idea behind today, project management is really evolving into project leadership. I've always believed that there is a fine line between a manager and a leader. A manager does just that: manage. But we all know that a good leader displays an excellent balance between managing the business side and people side. A leader not only works with team members and stands by them, but also encourages.
We've talked before about how important communication is when leading a team (or any relationship for that matter). A successful project management leader encourages open communication among a team. A leader is open to conflicts and debate and sees them as an opportunity for change and improvement, and also recognizes the fine line between open, informal and formal communication, and knows when each is appropriate.
But there are challenges with project management leadership, isn't there? In fact, many would agree that the most difficult area of project management is working with different team members and personality styles. It's difficult to tailor your management and leadership style to the different working behaviors and learning styles on each team, especially if you have over ten people on your team.
What Do You Do When Your Team is Impossible to Work With? If you've been a project manager, team leader, or supervisor for some time, then you probably know too well what it's like to have a team that doesn't seem to agree on anything, or that are just particularly difficult to work with. But before you jump out the window, here are three ways to work with difficult teams:
- Recognize the four stages of project development
- Practice and encourage effective and active listening and questioning- Use the "shit sandwich" technique when delivering negative feedback
I know what you are thinking, "What the hell is a 'shit sandwich'?" Don't worry, we'll get there. First let's start with recognizing the four stages of project development. Whenever a team is assigned together for the first time, there is always that awkward phase of getting to know one another...which can really create a lot of tension and not at all productive. But, recognizing the four phases of project development can help project managers and leaders understand what is really going on with a team.
These phases are the following:
Phase 1: Forming - The team is becoming acclimated, overcoming initial awkwardness
Phase 2: Storming - The team is learning how to work together
Phase 3: Norming - The awkwardness of the first two phases are over, the team is now solving problems together, and productivity starts to spike
Phase 4: Performing - The team has achieved a high success level together by either reaching a goal or finishing a project, the ultimate level of productivity and team performance
Through recognizing the phases of product, and ultimately, team development, a project manager or leader can oversee the phases, participate in various steps, but overall, he or she should be practicing effective and active listening while encouraging questions. Recognizing each team member for the unique individual he or she is really begins with listening. A team leader can certainly voice his or her opinions, but not without fully, actively listening to a team member first. And before consider your response before you respond. How will this team member react to what you would like to say? Remember, it's not always what you say, it's how you say it.
And, now, the "shit sandwich". I came across this term earlier this week when conducting research for a client and I thought it conveyed my point here perfectly. The "shit sandwich" is a method for delivering negative feedback. As Hubspot explains,
and not for the derogatory term. The positive reaction is that it is a highly effective communication tactic. The negative reaction is it could be interpreted as "sugar coating". All in all, the bottom line here is pay attention to your team members' personalities and tailor your communication accordingly.
Unfortunately, there are times when leaders really need to step it up a notch and lead a team through a crisis. The ultimate crisis is the downturn of a company or organization where morale is at an all-time low, and tension and fear are at an all-time high...and productivity levels are at 0. Again, the only way to really lead a team to the light at the end of the tunnel is communication.
There's Always Room for Improvement. Even if you are a senior project manager, or have been in project management for over a decade, there's always room for improvement. Project managers are constantly evolving and improving as leaders. But, the hard truth is that projects fail sometimes. It's just the nature of the job. While project managers and leaders are responsible for SO many facets of a project, there's still a great deal out of our control (even though we might hate to admit it). But accountability and responsibility are huge aspects of project management that go a long way.
Take some time today to think about your personal and professional goals, your strengths and weaknesses, your leadership and communication styles...even if you aren't a project manager. Think about how you can make a difference in all that you do, because that in itself, can make all the difference.
Image credit: © CurvaBezier
Written content: © 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 J. H. Language Solutions
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