Project managers are often some of the most knowledgeable people in the workforce. Essentially the jack-of-all-trades of the business world, they must possess a number of talents and be skilled in many different areas to be able to effectively manage different projects. This leads to a varied and eclectic skill set that enables them to be helpful in many areas.
Leadership is a value that combines many positive traits
While there are a number of skills necessary for an effective, experienced project manager, few traits are more important than leadership. After all, a manager must be a leader above all else, with the ability to plan, communicate, motivate, analyze and evaluate.
Whether you are looking to improve your leadership abilities or you need to identify the most important qualities of a good leader, the following list should be helpful by listing five of the most critical leadership traits in project managers.
1. Communication
The efficiency, quality, and output of a team begins and ends with effective communication. As a leader, there are few things that are more imperative to your own success than the ability to explain, instruct and delegate. However, you must also remember that communication is a two-way street.
As explained in scrum master training, open and effective communication allows a team to improve products, identify issues, mitigate risks and reach goals efficiently. This type of human-focused methodology is quickly gaining more relevance as we have begun to rely too much on rigid structures and algorithms in project management.
2. Flexibility
In the business world, as in most other areas of life, the only thing that stays the same is the fact that everything changes. With this being the case, a good leader must be able to adapt to changes in project goals, team member needs, client requirements, marketplace demands and countless other variables that are bound to change throughout the course of a project.
A leader must allow for flexibility in his or her planning and be ready for the inevitable changes that come with managing a group of individuals.
3. Planning
While flexibility is a critical leadership skill for project managers, this does not mean that one should go into everything (or anything) without a plan in place. Just because you can not predict everything, it does not mean that you should not prepare for everything you can.
A good planner must be able to set achievable goals for the team, implement processes to reach the goals, create a timeline for each process and prepare for risks and foreseeable pitfalls. Unfortunately, much of this leadership trait will only come with experience, but the more you practice your planning skills, the more effective they will become.
4. Motivation
You may have developed the most efficient processes and well-devised plan of all-time, but they will do you no good if you cannot get your team to buy in. One key aspect of a natural leader is the ability to inspire and motivate others to come together and achieve a common goal.
However, this ability does not come naturally to the vast majority of us. Most people have to work for a long time to fully develop this trait, and even natural leaders must practice regularly to reach their potential. In addition to generic motivational tactics, you must also learn about your team to identify the best ways to motivate each individual.
5. Evaluation
The traits listed above are invaluable in helping managers lead their teams, but you will also need the ability to properly evaluate the work and the team members to be successful. This usually requires thorough analysis and critical thinking, and you should always be evaluating your processes, goals, and team for ways to improve.
