The skillset required for Project Managers to succeed is changing. Gone are the days when we can lead by the ‘do as I say’ model. The best Project Managers today know how to work with people, not against them. They know how to intrinsically motivate a team & the individuals that make up that team. They understand that the success of a project is intricately connected with being able to unleash a team’s potential.
Today, as new Project Management technologies are released on a monthly basis, knowing how to work with people is one essential item that cannot be taken over by technology & automation. Because running the best projects requires inherently human traits like creativity, originality & teamwork. Projects excel where new ideas are trialled & reviewed so that the best is taken forward. And so far, we don’t have successful technologies or algorithms that can affectively model the seeming randomness of creativity & innovation on our projects.
After all, projects are still run by people. The traditional ‘hard skills’ of the profession, such as scheduling, monitoring & document control can be replaced by software. Which is a good thing because it has the ability (when implemented properly) to strategically plan and prioritise better. This is forcing greater emphasis on ‘soft skills’ as the essential stand out attributes that differentiate the best Project Managers.
So what are the key soft skills that a modern day Project Manager needs?
- Communication – When was the last time you thought about, or adapted your communication style in order to get the best out of your team? Remember that communication is a two way process & is only successful if the messages you are transmitting are being received, actioned & implemented. The opposite is also true. Are you listening to your team & taking on board what they are saying? As good Project Managers we need to be great communicators – at both transmitting & receiving.
- Negotiation – Part of being a good Project Manager is being able to create win:win outcomes, delegate effectively & deal with setbacks. There are many different negotiation techniques that you can use for the benefit of your team (anchoring, framing, bluffing to name a few). How many negotiation tactics do you have in your PM repertoire?
- Critical thinking – As Project Managers we need to be able to think clearly, rationally and logically no matter what is happening on our projects. This involves being able to analyse information, evaluate evidence, interpret information & make decisions. Are you able to keep a calm and level head even when things get a big chaotic?
- Emotional intelligence – This refers to the ability to recognise, understand & manage the emotions in yourself & others. If you ever find yourself in cycles of self-doubt, conflict or, conversely, overconfidence then you could be lacking in Emotional Intelligence when assessing your own skillset. If you find navigating the intricate ups and downs of team dynamics difficult or struggle to understand how certain individuals in the team operate then you could be lacking the Emotional Intelligence skills that would help your team succeed better.
- Stakeholder management – Great stakeholder management involves being able to relay information clearly, manage expectations & educate those that outside our Project Management field. Projects today often have multiple & multifaceted stakeholders (funders, investors, executive boards, advisors to name a few) & we need to be able to manage them all.
- Strategic planning – Are you able to clearly align the actions on your project with the strategic objectives of that project? Are you able to pivot & quickly amend the strategy when a change arises? Are you able to think proactively & plan for different outcomes? If not, you may need to bolster your strategic planning abilities.
- Collaboration – Being a good team leader is about getting people, with different backgrounds, experience, training & communication styles to work together. There are many different techniques that you can learn to help a team collaborate more effectively. How many are you aware of?
- Assertiveness – Where on the assertiveness scale do you sit? Do you naturally gravitate toward a more passive or aggressive style of management? Learning how to be assertive is about being able be confidently in the middle somewhere, but still able to flex your style based on the situation at hand. Being able to be assertive without coming across as rude, or a pushover is a key skill that Project Managers need to learn & harness better.
- Dispute management – Sometimes dispute can be a good thing. Of course we want to stop things escalating into full on conflict, but a certain level of dispute can actually be a sign of a high performing team – a team where people are passionate, able to critically challenge & where all opinions, popular or not, can be confidently aired & respected. As a team leader this can be hard to manage if you do not know how to help a team successfully manage a dispute.
- Energy (time) management – It is in everyone’s benefit if stress, overwhelm & burnout are avoided by those working on a project. When people leave a project we lose the benefit of their knowledge, skill & experience. One way to help a team to manage this is for them to manage their energy (and time) better by scheduling tasks according to how they work best. Learn different time & energy management techniques that you can implement &, if necessary, teach your teams (Read issue 20 of the ‘How can we Build Better?’ blog to find out more about this approach to time management).
The Project Management profession is forecasted to grow faster than any other profession on a global level. But the requirements for what it takes to lead a project are changing, particularly within the context of automation, artificial intelligence & other technological developments. Make sure that you stay ahead of the curve & upskill in the 10 key soft skills above that will be an essential part of any future successful Project Manager’s toolbox.