Six Lessons on Being a Good Project Manager
5 October 2012
Read by 1700 persons
Today, more than ever, we operate in terms of Project Management...Certainly, it's great to be the manager in question, as it is enjoyable to feel like a leader, commander, the one who has the final say. Yes, but. But this system also means that we often have the opportunity to lead important projects with people who lack the qualities expected of a project manager.
What are these qualities? What does it take to be a good leader?
1. Be a Unifier
We often hear that you should "divide and conquer." This is one of the biggest mistakes a leader can make. Employees are not kind to leaders who sow division and/or conflict, rivalry. Everyone should feel involved in all actions. A good leader is fair and gives everyone the opportunity to feel valued, to express their views, ideas, and creativity. Try to create a true climate of integration, trust, and mutual respect, offer everyone the possibility to make suggestions, to bring innovative solutions to recurring problems, bring others together around your professional ideals, your motivations, what you believe in.
2. Be Altruistic
Of course, the goal is performance. Certainly. However, if the only motivation was this, everyone would only think of their work in terms of salary and raises. But that's not the case. Other satisfactions exist, even prevail, for some. So don't hesitate to develop your altruistic tendencies. Leaders who only seek profit can quickly be disapproved of by their collaborators. Consider job satisfaction, pride, and passion in daily activities. Be the catalyst for this positive and rewarding atmosphere.
3. Be Tolerant
A good leader knows, understands, and tolerates the vulnerability of their collaborators. They can therefore channel it, or even stop it, through targeted actions and/or words. They have enough tact and intelligence to accept everyone's shortcomings and, above all, to think about limiting them with others. A good leader knows that the pursuit of performance is a complex process and that obsession and the constant rejection of a problem can lead to a real fiasco.
4. Be a Captain
Being the captain of the ship is not just about indicating the direction to follow and then withdrawing. Far from it. It's about being a true facilitator, a ship captain, a team captain who encourages their teammates, a coach who knows how to replace a player on the field if necessary. It is necessary to accompany your employees in the tasks you entrust to them and to motivate them. For example, making reproaches without adding the correction to be implemented is futile.
Also, know how to acknowledge your mistakes when you make them, without making excuses, without vanity or haughtiness either. Practice honesty and openness. Don't lose sight of the fact that you can't achieve anything alone. The project manager must be the protector of the team, their team. The success of each member of the project is truly their success.
5. Know How to Get to the Point
A good project manager knows how to stay focused on the really important activities. They know how to avoid getting sidetracked and losing time on unnecessary details. They are perfectly able to consider the objective above all else and to remain focused on the means of achieving it. They skillfully set aside the internal struggles and ego rivalries that are everywhere, which harm everyone and everything. "Together, in the same direction" is their avowed creed.
6. Be Smiling
As surprising as it may seem, the leader is smiling. They are smiling because everything is going well, because they are confident, because they deeply believe in their team, their objectives, their ideas, in themselves, and in the future. A smiling project leader means a smiling team. Ultimately, it's a project that has every chance of working for the same reasons.
Article written by The ReKrute.com Team
What are these qualities? What does it take to be a good leader?
1. Be a Unifier
We often hear that you should "divide and conquer." This is one of the biggest mistakes a leader can make. Employees are not kind to leaders who sow division and/or conflict, rivalry. Everyone should feel involved in all actions. A good leader is fair and gives everyone the opportunity to feel valued, to express their views, ideas, and creativity. Try to create a true climate of integration, trust, and mutual respect, offer everyone the possibility to make suggestions, to bring innovative solutions to recurring problems, bring others together around your professional ideals, your motivations, what you believe in.
2. Be Altruistic
Of course, the goal is performance. Certainly. However, if the only motivation was this, everyone would only think of their work in terms of salary and raises. But that's not the case. Other satisfactions exist, even prevail, for some. So don't hesitate to develop your altruistic tendencies. Leaders who only seek profit can quickly be disapproved of by their collaborators. Consider job satisfaction, pride, and passion in daily activities. Be the catalyst for this positive and rewarding atmosphere.
3. Be Tolerant
A good leader knows, understands, and tolerates the vulnerability of their collaborators. They can therefore channel it, or even stop it, through targeted actions and/or words. They have enough tact and intelligence to accept everyone's shortcomings and, above all, to think about limiting them with others. A good leader knows that the pursuit of performance is a complex process and that obsession and the constant rejection of a problem can lead to a real fiasco.
4. Be a Captain
Being the captain of the ship is not just about indicating the direction to follow and then withdrawing. Far from it. It's about being a true facilitator, a ship captain, a team captain who encourages their teammates, a coach who knows how to replace a player on the field if necessary. It is necessary to accompany your employees in the tasks you entrust to them and to motivate them. For example, making reproaches without adding the correction to be implemented is futile.
Also, know how to acknowledge your mistakes when you make them, without making excuses, without vanity or haughtiness either. Practice honesty and openness. Don't lose sight of the fact that you can't achieve anything alone. The project manager must be the protector of the team, their team. The success of each member of the project is truly their success.
5. Know How to Get to the Point
A good project manager knows how to stay focused on the really important activities. They know how to avoid getting sidetracked and losing time on unnecessary details. They are perfectly able to consider the objective above all else and to remain focused on the means of achieving it. They skillfully set aside the internal struggles and ego rivalries that are everywhere, which harm everyone and everything. "Together, in the same direction" is their avowed creed.
6. Be Smiling
As surprising as it may seem, the leader is smiling. They are smiling because everything is going well, because they are confident, because they deeply believe in their team, their objectives, their ideas, in themselves, and in the future. A smiling project leader means a smiling team. Ultimately, it's a project that has every chance of working for the same reasons.
Article written by The ReKrute.com Team
