Posts Tagged ‘Leader’

Visibility can be a double-edged sword. In other words, it has the potential to cut both ways depending upon how it’s used. Although it is a very effective tool to help a savvy project leader motivate and maximize the value of the team, it can also be used as a stick to micro-manage and beat down the team (an ineffective at best, demoralizing tactic at worst). Having experienced both uses of visibility myself, I’m not only opposed to using the power of visibility in such a small-minded way, I’m amazed that so many organizations insist on doing so.

With that in mind, let me share with you some of the ways a project leader could use visibility to benefit the team:

1. Visibility can give everyone on the team a clear understanding of what they should be doing: I know this sounds simple, but sometimes it’s easier said than done. When people have to spend time figuring out what they should be doing, it wastes time. When Visibility is available to everyone on the team, project leaders and individual team members, they have a complete understanding of what needs to be done, who needs to do it and whether or not things are on track.
2. Visibility makes it possible for project leaders to see how the team is doing and where they can provide help, facilitate collaboration or remove roadblocks: It doesn’t make sense to force project leaders to spend time struggling to figure out what everyone is doing, when it could be readily available. Visibility into what team members are doing makes it possible to facilitate a productive work environment (this is one place project leaders need to avoid the temptation to micro-manage).
3. Visibility makes it possible to keep everyone focused on those things that contribute to the project and provide value: Many project teams are often pulled in different directions as scope changes or cross-departmental demands arise. If this doesn’t happen in your organization, consider yourself fortunate. However, if it does, visibility into what’s happening within project teams makes it possible to keep teams on track and focused.

I don’t include it in the list (because it has the potential of being used as a really big stick), but accountability is what many businesses are looking for visibility to provide. I’m all in favor of accountability generally, and have found it to be very valuable in motivating team members. I’m a real believer that when team members feel ownership, or accountability, for something they tend to step up their performance. That being said, "cracking the whip of accountability" is another matter entirely (and possibly the focus of another post sometime in the future).

Do you have visibility into your projects? How do you use that visibility to motivate and lead the team?

Strategic Project Management

I’m a big believer in fostering an environment that develops effective project leaders.

While talking to a colleague the other day, this topic came up and we came to the conclusion that effective project leaders make decisions. Of course, that’s not the only difference, but part of what sets a strong project leader apart is their ability to make a decision, effectively present it to a group of stakeholders and achieve consensus. In fact, my colleague (who’s been a project professional for many years) suggested that the project management role used to be a testing ground for future executives. A project manager who couldn’t execute on strategy and make smart decisions would quickly be replaced with someone they could train for some kind of executive role. (In fact, she argued that the focus on process, at the exclusion of leadership skills, is a relatively new project management development.)

This is very consistent with a conversation I had with a large appliance manufacturer a couple of years ago. They use their new product launch process (that includes 500+ tasks and last about 18 months) as a way to train their future executive leadership. It was described to me as the "trial by fire" training method. She indicated that it was a very effective way to determine who had the "right stuff" for leading people and getting work done.

With that in mind, here are three questions that must be answered to make good decisions:

1. Who can make decisions? At the beginning of every project the "who" question needs to be answered. Nobody likes to "mother, may I" every decision. That being said, some organizations give project leaders more autonomy than others. Knowing upfront who has decision-making authority makes the process a lot smoother.
2. What decisions can they make? Once you know who has decision-making authority, it’s important to determine what type of decisions can be made. It’s frustrating to everyone involved when this is unclear. Project leaders who make decisions and begin to execute only to discover that they are summarily over-ruled soon avoid making decisions and become ineffective.
3. How should decisions be made? Establishing a decision-making process helps enable those with decision-making responsibility and train those new to making project decisions. How proper decisions are made is every bit as important as who makes them.

Many project managers are stuck in roles that allow them no authority to make decisions. This is a mistake in a business climate that needs project professionals to step up and lead teams that can consistently provide value to their organizations. In my humble opinion, the project management role needs to evolve into a real leadership role if projects are ever going to provide the business value we all believe they can. Making decisions is a big part of doing that.

Tell us about what happens within your organization. Should project managers have more autonomous decision-making authority?

Strategic Project Management

President Harry S. Truman said, "Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better."

I don’t think it matters whether you are talking about political leaders, military leaders, or project leaders, there are a number of traits that successful leaders share:

1. A collaborative management style: Engaging the team and stakeholders in problem-solving and decision-making is critical for work management success.
2. Adaptability: Project teams and individual projects are always different. Successful project managers are able to adapt and overcome the challenges new projects present. A fluid project management approach is a very effective method for managing project-based work.
3. "Figure-it-out" resourcefulness: This implies creativity and occasional out-of-the box thinking to solve problems along with a tenacious, never-give-up approach to overcoming obstacles and resource allocation issues.
4. Highly-developed communication skills: It’s paramount that project leaders are able to effectively communicate with stakeholders, project teams, and their peers. If project leaders are unable to customize their communication style to the appropriate audience, success will be elusive.
5. Flexibility: Adapted from a line in "To a Mouse," by Robert Burns, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." No matter how well a project is planned, there will always be something or someone that throws a monkey-wrench into the works. Flexibility is the genesis of creative thinking—which is critical for project success.

Are there any skills you would like to add to the list?

Strategic Project Management