7 Must-Have Leadership Qualities For Project Managers

To a large extent, the outcomes of a project rely on the leadership skills of a project manager. Exceptional leadership skills can ensure a successful project. Those skills are not something in your genes, but more likely are acquired over time and with experience. Following is the list of 7 leadership qualities that need to be possessed by any project manager.

1. Communication

Communication is a crucial skill because only with competent communication skills can a project manager communicate effectively within and outside an organization. Project managers are required to deliver his visions, goals, plans and strategies to different people at multiple hierarchies.

2. Sharing a Vision

A competent leader is able to visualize a bigger picture and deliver it to the whole project team. Sharing a vision across the project team ensures that everyone is on the same page about the project goals and values, and get the message crossed about each individual’s role.

3. Team management

Leadership is all about the inspiration that you can give other people to acquire the defined goals. A successful project manager can keep everything on the right track by providing a strategic and operational perspective to project team members.

4. Delegation

In addition to allocating resources in the right place and to the right person, delegating responsibilities reasonably is a lesson that all project managers need to learn in the field of project management. This requires prioritizing tasks and helping the team believe in their capability to fulfill tasks. Ideally, project managers can build an environment to foster trust and self-confidence through proper delegation.

5. Creativity

When things start to deviate from the initial plan, a project manager needs to develop out of the box thinking to sustain project growth in the long run. Like delegation, a capable project manager can create an environment where appreciates creativity so that the team can be encouraged to offer new ideas and manage unscheduled tasks.

6. Honesty

As it has been said “honesty is the best policy”, this should be considered a gold standard in any healthy environment. If the head of the team, in this case, the project manager fosters commitment and stay true to his own values, the project team will follow. As a result, this provides transparency during the process of conducting the project.

7. Focus

Focus is a vital component of success. Competent leaders know how to stay focused on the task, and ensures that the project team does the same thing. It is important to remind yourself and the team about the project goals and values through honest feedback.

To gain thorough understanding of Leadership for project managers, enroll in this course on Project Leadership for Practitioners. Register now and earn 3.25 PDUs of Leadership for all kinds of PMI certificates to renew your certification, and receive a 50% discount. You can look for the course information on PMI CCRS.

IMT-PM - Global PMI R.E.P. #4760 offers various courses for PMP® Exam Preparation and PMP®/PgMP®/PMI-ACP®/PMI-RMP® Renewal.
Our best sellers are: