Developing Essential Skills
The core skills needed to be successful as a project manager: Communication, Organization, and Leadership.
As a project manager, you’ll need to develop a wide range of skills to be successful. These skills can be broadly divided into technical skills (related to the specific project and industry you’re working in) and soft skills (related to your ability to work with others and lead a team). In this blog post, we’ll focus on the core soft skills that are essential for every project manager, regardless of industry or project type.
Series
This blog is from a series of the 12 things you MUST master, to be the BEST, Project Manager, I just wish someone wrote them out for me at the start of my career.
Communication Skills
Effective communication is critical for project success. As a project manager, you’ll need to communicate with a wide range of stakeholders, including team members, clients, vendors, and executives. You’ll need to be able to clearly articulate project goals, expectations, timelines, and risks, and ensure that everyone is on the same page. You’ll also need to be a good listener, able to understand and address concerns, and build trust with your team and stakeholders.
Recommended Reading: “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High” by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler
Organization Skills
Project management is ALL about organization. You’ll need to be able to create and manage project plans, track progress, manage budgets, and ensure that everything stays on schedule. This requires attention to detail and strong organizational skills. You’ll also need to be able to adapt quickly when things don’t go as planned and be able to prioritize tasks and resources to keep the project on track.
Recommended Reading: “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity” by David Allen
Leadership Skills
As a project manager, you’ll be responsible for leading a team towards a common goal. This requires strong leadership skills, including the ability to inspire and motivate team members, resolve conflicts, and provide constructive feedback. You’ll need to be able to set expectations, delegate tasks, and hold team members accountable for their work. You’ll also need to be able to adapt your leadership style to different team members and situations, and foster a culture of collaboration and trust.
Recommended Reading: “The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential” by John C. Maxwell
Kay Takeaways
Developing the essential skills of communication, organization, and leadership is critical to becoming a successful project manager. These skills take time and effort to develop, but with the right mindset and resources, you can master them and take your career to the next level. Remember, the journey to becoming a great project manager is an emergent process, requiring a mix of experiential learning, studies, and stretch challenges at every step of your progression.
Thought Leaders to follow up on
Thought leaders in project management
Peter Drucker:
Considered the father of modern management, Drucker emphasized the importance of effective communication in project management. He believed that communication is key to the success of any project, and that project managers must be skilled at both listening and speaking.
Stephen Covey:
Covey’s book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” is a classic in the field of personal and professional development. One of his habits, “Begin with the End in Mind,” is particularly relevant to project management, as it emphasizes the importance of having a clear vision and goal for the project.
Tom Peters:
Peters is a management guru who has written extensively on the topic of leadership. In his book “In Search of Excellence,” he emphasizes the importance of effective leadership in project management and argues that project managers must be able to inspire and motivate their teams.
Daniel Goleman:
Goleman is an expert in emotional intelligence, which he argues is essential for effective leadership. In his book “Emotional Intelligence,” he outlines the five components of emotional intelligence and explains how they can be developed.
