What is the leadership behavior of a successful project manager?

Author: Andrew Makar

Absrtact: Andy Makar discusses three leadership behaviors that every project manager should try to demonstrate. Let's see how you can add to the list.

Many project management articles focus on the technical aspects of work (such as the latest tools, templates, or technologies that help with scope, progress, and people management), but are as important as project management at the social and cultural levels. Leadership, teamwork, negotiation, problem solving, and politics can also have a significant impact on the success of the project.

Business schools and career development programs can teach you the leadership framework, but leadership behavior requires your mastery and presentation. To achieve successful project delivery, I worked in a company that identified three types of leadership behavior that project managers should demonstrate. Now, let's take a look at these three kinds of leadership behavior.

Leadership Behavior #1: demonstrating the power to achieve results

Project management is not simple, nor is it full of glory. The reality is that the project is tough, stressful, frustrating, and there are management challenges that could derail the ultimate goal. It is vital to focus on the tasks that need to be done, to reassure the ultimate goal, and to say that it is difficult to do so. A highly effective project manager will assume responsibility for achieving the results of the project definition; This means that you cannot simply assign the task down and wait for the status update to happen. In some of my projects, I never thought that I would be the person responsible for the data cleanup of legacy systems or the need to do logistical or administrative work to prepare for the next day's workplace, however, sometimes completing logistical work and focusing on the final results can help advance the project forward.

Leadership behavior #2: asking for the truth

To make the best decisions, the project manager needs to understand the real issues or risks that affect the project. High-performance project managers need to learn the truth from their own teams, then take the truth to the management and let their colleagues know. Using a variety of excuses to minimize the need for a project team or project manager to succeed. Rejecting rhetoric and political games, the whole team benefits by giving the team members a concise explanation of state.

Leadership Behavior #3: Demonstrating courage

Projects do not always follow schedule, and it is the job of the project manager to show the current status update and describe any corrective action to improve the performance of the project. In some organizational cultures there is a tendency to avoid reporting bad news until everything is too late. If you provide a positive status update, you may be able to get a little more time to solve the problem yourself, but once the project gets into trouble, the project manager usually needs to manage support and attention to help make things better. There is a problem with the project, to seek help, these need to communicate, and communication needs courage. It takes courage to talk to members of the team who are not performing well or do not provide the necessary support. It takes courage to make these tough decisions by canceling the project to save money or letting employees know they have no place in the project. As a project manager, these situations are difficult, but it is our job to deal with them.

More Leadership behavior

It is difficult to classify all the leadership behaviors that a successful project manager needs to demonstrate into just three areas. Commitment to customer satisfaction, attention to quality, and continuous improvement is the second type of behavior I want to add to this list. Successful project managers have technical project management skills and leadership behavior to deliver the project.

What leadership behavior will you add to this list? Please share your feedback in the discussion.