Expand search form
  • Services
    • Client Services
    • PMaaS
    • Become a Consultant
      • Job Search
      • Saved Searches
      • Submit Resume
      • Referral Rewards
      • Effective Interviewing Techniques
    • Why SMCI
      • Our Philosophy
      • Our Process
      • The 80-Hour Interview™
  • Work With Us
    • Employee Benefits
  • About Us
    • History
    • Mission Statement
    • Code of Ethics
    • News (SMCI Blog)
    • Testimonials
    • Recognition
      • California
      • Arizona
    • Contact Us
      • Locations
        • Glendale, CA – Corporate Headquarters
        • San Francisco Bay Area
        • Phoenix, AZ
        • Tampa, FL
      • Email Us
  • EEO Commitment

Maximizing Your Leadership as a Project Manager

Posted:
Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Tags:
IT Careers, IT Jobs, Project Management jobs

Comments: 0

Maximizing Your Leadership as a Project Manager

At just about any scale, project management is an important responsibility, and a project manager must oversee effective operations so that a project can be finished on time and, in a business context, on budget.

To be fair, the breakdown of some projects can be chalked up to factors outside of a leader’s control. A leader’s job is to ensure that a project does not fail due to inadequate leadership or mismanagement. When it comes to massive, expensive projects, poor project management can be disastrous and even dangerous.

The initial planning phase of a project sets the tone. A leader that starts out on top of things is in position to ensure actual work on the project gets off on the right foot. Through the rest of the project’s life cycle, a leader must take a number of steps in order to ensure the project results in success.

Communication is Crucial

A project leader must communicate effectively with both their team and stakeholders regarding progress, resources, problems, potential problems, expectations and various other issues. Of course, a strong ability to communicate is useful in any leadership setting, but given the focus a project is usually under, it is particularly important in this setting. Strong communication can include helping people achieve mutual understanding, resolving conflicts and keeping people informed of the latest developments, whether they are good or bad.

A good leader must act as a go-between that connects senior management to team members. This person should be able to use communication to persuade and facilitate collaboration. Through communications, a good leader reinforces objectives, recognizes individual contributions, celebrates milestones and provides corrective actions to achieve desired results.

Expect the Unexpected

Unforeseen developments will often disrupt a project. However, an effective project leader is able to prepare for the unexpected by formulating one or more backup plans. Part of any planning phase should be working out possible disruptive scenarios and ways they could be overcome.

Raise Potential Issues

Perhaps worse than not having a backup strategy is recognizing a potential issue and not flagging it up to talk about preemptive actions.

Also in the planning phase, a project leader should review the overall process and look for problems that are likely to occur. The leader should then plan on using steps and techniques to either prevent the anticipated problems from occurring, or to overcome each problem as it arises.

Build Consensus, But Embrace Tough Decisions

For some people, it could be tempting to micro-manage project workers, as opposed to trusting and empowering them to make their own contributions. It’s essential to note that your staff members ought to have enough knowledge and expertise to handle the tasks in front of them. Otherwise, they shouldn’t be there in the first place.

That being said, the leader is ultimately responsible for the success or failure of the project team. Rather than putting it all on team members, a strong leader trusts their own skills and takes responsibility for final decisions.

We Can Help You Find Your Next Leadership Position

At SMCI, we help business leaders and aspiring business leaders take the next step on their career path. Please contact us today to find out how we can help your career.


  • IT Careers
  • IT Jobs
  • Project Management jobs

Share This Post

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google Plus
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn

Related Posts

3 Reasons Why A Mid-Career Career Switch To IT Is An Excellent Decision

3 Reasons Why A Mid-Career Career Switch To IT Is An Excellent Decision

Saturday, October 13, 2018
Digital Transformation Tips for Success

Digital Transformation Tips for Success

Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Managing a Remote Team Has Its Challenges – Here’s How To Pull Your Team Together

Managing a Remote Team Has Its Challenges – Here’s How To Pull Your Team Together

Monday, July 13, 2020

Contact

Corporate Headquarters
500 North Brand Blvd., Suite 1100
Glendale, CA 91203

info@smci.com

Privacy Policy

©2021 SMCI®. All Rights Reserved.