Positive Leadership in Project Management – Team Building, Influencing and Leadership By Frank P. Saladis, PMP “Don’t follow where the path may lead, go where there is no path and leave a trail.” “The key to leadership is having dreams. The key to success is making dreams come true.” “The important thing is not how much you know but how well you can apply it.” The sources of these quotes are anonymous but they do touch on the very foundation of strong leadership. You can’t really be a leader if you are always following someone else’s steps. If you don’t have a dream or a vision, you won’t have a destination, and if you cannot apply your knowledge there will be chaos, confusion and very little progress. Of course, there is much more to leadership than blazing a new path, dreams of the future, and application of knowledge but these are certainly key to any leader’s success. If we look at the definition of leadership from three prominent authors and experts in the field we can see a direct connection to the opening quotes of this article: Peter Drucker: "The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers." John C. Maxwell : "Leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less." Warren Bennis :"Leadership is a function of knowing yourself, having a vision that is well communicated, building trust among colleagues, and taking effective action to realize your own leadership potential." These experts and many others view leadership in different ways and each expresses a key point about leadership. If you don’t have followers can you be a leader? If you are unable to influence people, how can you accomplish goals or obtain the resources you need? If you don’t have a clear vision or you cannot communicate that vision with enthusiasm and credibility how can you motivate people to action? These and many other skills are required to become a truly effective leader. If you consider the characteristics of effective leaders you will probably notice that they have a very strong ability to influence others. Influence defined: The ability to persuade, convince, or impact others in a way that will cause or motivate people to support your vision, goals, objectives or personal agenda. Influencing people takes conscious thought. We need to think about what we are seeking to accomplish, our audience, and how we will plan to influence. This also means making a very solid and positive first impression among the people you are attempting to influence. First impressions are critical in the leadership positioning process. It is important during introductions to demonstrate knowledge, ability to listen, empathy, respect and passion for your interests. To influence effectively take some time to ensure that your goals are clear, feasible, and can be explained easily. Also and consider how your goals will be received and perceived by your potential followers. Your personal enthusiasm is a key element here. Your Agenda, Vision, Goal, Objective To influence a team or a group of potential followers you may want to ask yourself the following questions: What are you planning to accomplish? What is your specific need? Why is this important? Why do you need a team? If you can answer each of the questions with confidence and enthusiasm you will be much more successful in you attempts to influence others. Assumptions of influence Assumptions are a part of project management. We establish project assumptions about resources, support, available funding, technology, capabilities and more. It is also important to establish assumptions of influence. Assumptions of influence are based on the desire to have a specific impact or effect on others where you have a set of goals, a mission or vision to accomplish. This includes the specific type of impression you wish to make or a course of action you want others to accept and commit to. Consider your potential followers or team members. Develop an assumption set about them. As you develop a list of assumptions ask yourself the following questions about your potential team: Do they have the appropriate skills? Are they motivated? What is the morale of the organization? How willing are they to accept change? How do you expect them to react to your vision and goals? How willing are they to follow you? What other factors may impact their impression of you? Assumptions are a part of planning and provide a basis for some decision-making but most seasoned project managers know that assumptions should be validated on a regular basis. After the team has been formed and you are progressing toward your goals, take time to revisit assumptions and stay “in tune” with your team and your organization. Credibility It is important to remember that the formula for success in influencing and team building reflects not what you think about your expertise or the trust you believe you inspire in others, but the way the other person perceives your level of expertise and whether or not they should trust you. You have to constantly monitor, prove, maintain and enhance these perceptions if you want to be able to influence others. Our personal credibility and integrity are the most powerful leverage factors in influencing others or situations. Empathy Empathy demonstrates your ability to understand others. Empathy is often the one thing missed by emerging leaders. Expressing empathy demonstrates that unspoken or partly expressed thoughts, feelings, and concerns or others are understood. Tips for expressing empathy: Listen actively Understand the unspoken – Maintain awareness of expressions and body language, thoughts and feelings, concerns and fears. Demonstrating trust and trustworthiness will bring out the unspoken. Address feelings before facts – Sometimes emotions will have a significant impact during a discussion. Become aware of emotional issues before introducing facts and data. Be sincere – People can generally determine your sincerity. Don’t try to fake it. Your team members will, in most cases, be able to assess your sincerity. Organizational Awareness Politics is a major factor in any organization. The prospective leader must be aware of organizational structure, who has the greatest influence, what the “hot buttons are” (topics that may cause emotional reactions) and what the priorities and interests are among the key players. Identifying who the real decision-makers are or those individuals who can influence goals or directions is one of the keys to success when seeking support for your agenda or goals. Developing scenarios about how your ideas, goals or objectives may affect lines of business is a tool that can be used to determine how successful you will be in delivering your message and how well the message will be received. Engaging Team Members The most important element of leadership is to engage the team members. The following tables provide a guide that will assist in the process of engaging your team. Team members need to know why they are being asked to do something. They especially want to know what’s in it for them. Take the time to explain these items to your team and revisit them frequently. Engaging Team Members Identify Common Ground Goals and Objectives Mutual benefits Similar /complimentary priorities Organizational Factors Over-arching organizational benefits Ask For Input Feedback on the mission / objectives What can be added? What are the concerns? How will the person or persons be affected? Alternatives Improvements Lessons learned Risks Other opportunities Demonstrate your Commitment Why is this important to you? Why is this important to your organization? Be prepared to answer the WWIFY and WIIFM Listen Actively Display genuine interest Acknowledge the input but be careful about what you agree to Formulate a plan for responding to ideas and suggestions Follow up Obtaining Buy-in and Commitment Once you have established a team and have achieved their initial buy-in, there will be a continuing need to reinforce their commitment and continued support for the project. Review the main points of the project or mission on a regular basis. Keep the team focused through regular and effective communication. Gently remind the team of their purpose and emphasize continued improvement. Proposing / Recommending Explain the mission / objective Provide information about how this mission / objective can be accomplished Refer to past experiences and best practices Providing justification Why is this mission / objective necessary? What makes it important? Improving service Customer satisfaction Employee benefits ROI Stating expectations What is needed? By whom? When? Why (Set expectations intentionally and obtain feedback to ensure they are understood and accepted) Opportunities / Consequences What can happen if successful? What can happen if not undertaken? What are the potential rewards? What are the potential penalties? Summary Leadership and influencing skills are directly connected. The most effective leaders know how to influence their organizations and the people in them. True leaders do not use force or intimidation. Those tactics are usually associated with leaders who are concerned only about their own personal needs. In the project environment where project managers may be given the authority to select their teams or where teams have been selected for them, leadership and influencing skills can make the difference between a high performing team and a group of performers. Take a good look at how you influence people. Are you as effective as you can be? Are people willing to follow you? Is your team truly committed? Schedule an occasion check with your team. Stay in tune with their needs and make sure that the team is focused on the right things. Just by asking your team a few questions about their wellbeing or asking them for opinions and advice you can effectively maintain your influence and keep your team connected to your vision. References: The information in this article is based on material from John C. Maxwell’s book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Nelson Business, several anonymous articles and sources or information, and The Field Guide to Project Management, Second Edition, David Cleland, Wiley. About the Author Frank P. Saladis (PMP) is Senior Consultant with International Institute for Learning, Inc. He has been involved in the development of standardized Project Management Guidelines (PMGs) for the AT&T Corporate Information Technology Services (Corporate ITS) organization and is the author of the Project Evaluation Review Process (PERP). He is the President of the NYC PMI Chapter.