allPM.com :: Positive Leadership in Project Management – Strategies for Leadership, Lessons Learned from The Lives of Lee and Grant By Frank P. Saladis, PMP

Positive Leadership in Project Management – Strategies for Leadership, Lessons Learned from The Lives of Lee and Grant By Frank P. Saladis, PMP

Published on Thursday, July 01, 2010 - 03:25 PM

The project manager, upon receipt of an assignment, is immediately placed in a leadership position. Regardless of the size and complexity of the project, a team is waiting to be led. A few years ago the Wall Street Journal included the following quote in within one of its editions; “The news media doesn’t talk about world managers, it talks about world leaders.” People don’t want to be managed, they want to led. The project manager is expected to understand the leadership needs of the team as well as the expectations from management about results. This requires the project manager to develop a plan, or more appropriately, a strategy, that will establish and sustain a well connected, trained and effective project team that produces the desired results.

The expectations placed upon the project manager are significant. Compounding the challenges of leadership is the fact that many project managers have not been given the level of authority that can be used, when necessary, to leverage the completion of an activity, obtain resources, or in some way achieve an objective. The project manager, due to this lack of legitimate or formal power must rely on the ability to influence people, especially the stakeholders associated with the project. Influencing is a skill that all leaders must develop and enhance to ensure some degree of success. Most people will agree that in today’s business world everyone must rely on other people to get anything done. It is also understood that everyone has their own set of priorities and that “WIIFM” is prevalent everywhere (what’s in it for me?).

The challenges of project leadership are significant and every project manager must develop the skills that will provide the ability to balance the managerial and leadership demands of the project. Those project managers who rely heavily on their organizational skills, their ability to delegate and to make sure tasks are completed, in other words, their “managerial skills” will find themselves working with a group of people who are not necessarily connected or interested in anything other than the completion of their own specific tasks. The project manager who relies on his or her ability to motivate people, set direction, and create a vision, may find themselves with a team that works well together but does not actually produce results. What is needed is the ability to balance strong leadership with effective management. This balance generally creates an environment where shared goals and values are combined with a desire of the team to work together, to support each other and to achieve the expected results that have been defined and communicated by executive management.

In today’s international business environment it is becoming increasingly difficult to identify truly inspiring leaders. The news media provides us with a daily dose of reports about “leaders” who started out with promises, inspiration, and expectations of unprecedented success and have failed to achieve anything of significance or have only succeeded in creating an environment of mistrust, suspicion and fear. We need leaders who have the ability to motivate, accept responsibility, and create a true and sincere organizationally based desire to succeed at the individual level and at the team level.
General Ulysses S. Grant and General Robert E. Lee are two leaders who have provided us with some valuable lessons in leadership that should be, without a doubt, applied not only to the project environment but to the world business environment and the governmental organizations as well. Although these lessons are surrounded by the events that defined a very dark time in U.S. history, the impact of these leaders was significant and their style and their wisdom would be welcome today.

Leadership through the eyes of Grant and Lee

Recognize changed circumstances – It is important to recognize when circumstances have changed and no longer favor success. Good leaders don’t send their staff on fool’s errands. Leaders must be able to see the indications that a change is occurring and that previous successes and a feeling of invincibility can result in significant risk. Take the time to assess the situation and look for the sometimes hidden risks.

Create a thinking machine – Create an organization of people who know their jobs well but also know the mission of the organization. Empower people to use their knowledge and their ability to think creatively to develop new solutions. An environment of innovation, creativity, and empowerment will outperform any competitor

Unrealistic expectations – Guard against unrealistic expectations defined by your superiors, yourself, and your subordinates.

There is only one right way – In most situations, there is more than one way to complete any job. A leader or manager who insists that there is only one way to get the job done will stifle the creative talents of the organization. A lack of creativity will ultimately result in the inability to remain ahead of the competition and could place you as a player in the unenviable game of “catch up.”

Make them feel involved - Make your people feel that you are interested in their views and intend to involve them in the planning process. Listening to your people will provide you with valuable impressions of your team and their understanding of the current situation and the recommendations they offer. Asking questions and showing interest in their opinions reveals to the leader the capabilities and temperament of each team member.

Earn their respect – You can order people to obey you but to be successful, you need the respect that creates wholehearted support. You can’t demand it, you have to earn it. Be accessible to your team, get to know each person, listen to their ideas and their concerns and respond with sincerity.

These few lessons of leadership are but a sample of the wisdom that past leaders such as Lee and Grant have provided us and we, as project managers and project leaders should take the time to understand them and apply them in our daily work environment. We need strong, effective leaders today more than ever and it is up to us to reestablish real and inspirational leadership.

References:
Strategies for Leadership, U.S. Games Systems Card Deck, based on the books The Genius of Robert E. Lee, by Al Kaltman, and Cigars, Whiskey, and Winning – Leadership Lessons from General Ulysses S. Grant by Al Kaltman.

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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 recipient of the 2006 PMI Linn Stuckenbruck person of the year award.

How well does management support newly assigned project managers?