From chaos to Collaboration: How to lead your Project Management Team

One of the job descriptions of the project manager is leading the project management team, using project management tools and skills to enhance project team performance.

This post will explain precisely what a project manager does and how to lead a project management team effectively.

Leading a Project Team (like a true pro)

Teams always look up to their project manager to lead and guide them and provide the tools, templates, guidelines, scope, and project management process.

A leader is like a rudder on a boat, steering the ship on a path to its destination. Your boat will only progress if you add a sound hull, sails, and a crew, or it’ll just sail aimlessly.

A leader is part of an integrated team responsible for delivering a project on time and within budget.

Importance of Leadership in Project Management Team

The role of leadership in project management encompasses a wide range of activities, including effective planning, task coordination, overseeing projects, inspiring team members, and making decisions vital to setting up a plan of action for project implementation.

For a project manager to succeed as a leader, you need to know how to balance the needs of your team with things like their background, cultural beliefs, life experiences, and values.

It is essential to know how to lead a project management team and the importance of leading such a team.

A project leader must manage and complete everything related to the task within the allotted time. Not only this, but the project manager’s leadership skills are also helpful for effectively using resources, time management, ensuring zero wastage, and making the most of the resources used.

7 Key Skills for Better Project Leadership

To effectively lead the project, the project manager must possess some of the following skills:

1. Writing and Reporting

To develop a project from the initiation to the planning and execution, the project manager does a lot of writing and documentation.

Project documents, like the project plan, risk register, and resource management plan, are written by the manager. In doing that, he is expected to be skilled at producing clear, organized, easy-to-read, and understandable reports.

The project manager is also not expected to do guesswork on the project. So estimates and assumptions are supposed to be based on data and experiences from previous projects, all of which will be added to the project knowledge.

2. Influencing

Project managers are the natural leaders of the project, which makes it necessary for them to possess leadership skills for establishing the team’s vision and ensuring everyone is on board and motivated to bring the project through each phase.

This leadership skill also includes influencing team members and project stakeholders and ensuring everyone on the project is doing their work accordingly.

3. Critical Thinking

Project managers should also possess critical thinking skills that will help them maneuver difficult obstacles on the project. This is because, during the project, the manager may find himself in some critical situations that would warrant him to be a critical thinker to get out of it.

The project manager might also face some tricky requirements from project stakeholders, and his ability to make sound judgments or decisions will make him an effective project manager.

Critical thinking is one of the soft skills needed to excel as a manager of people and systems.

4. Conflict Resolution Skills

During projects, stakeholders and team members might have disagreements and altercations. Frustration and name-calling have a tendency to escalate if not properly managed.

A skilled project manager is needed to help work through these inevitable conflicts. The project manager will rely on their conflict resolution skills to stay cool, calm, and collected and help the feuding teams or people discuss their issues and agree on a mutually beneficial solution.

5. Delegation

Project management naturally involves a hefty delegation because the project manager cannot do all the project tasks.

Successful project managers can easily hand off work to competent people who would get it done.

Project managers know that successful delegation involves clear expectations, actionable instructions, helpful communication, and a willingness to provide guidance or advice when necessary.

6. Interpersonal and Communication skills

A good project manager is critical in keeping the team together and in balance. He ensures proper team management by using his interpersonal skills to listen to the plight, ideas, and information they might have in regard to the project.

The project managers also ensure that team members and stakeholders are informed about the project plan, timeline, and budget and stay updated on the latest happenings.

This is because updated project team members and stakeholders will contribute immensely to delivering a great project.

7. Negotiation and Collaborative Skills

Because the project management team members are humans, disagreements and disapproval are bound to occur, the manager requires good negotiation skills that will make them buy into his decision and trust his judgment.

From discussing prices with different vendors to compromising expectations between two teams, project managers will keep a level head and constantly advocate for the project’s success — without ruffling too many feathers.

He is also tasked with rallying team members around the project vision, coordinating tasks, and ensuring that everybody works together effectively, using his collaborative skills.

Leadership Approaches and Theories

Project leadership theory tells us that it’s a combination of characteristics and the ability to adapt to different situations that make a great leader.

Here are some leadership theories project leaders use to fulfill their roles and responsibilities:

Trait Theory

This theory deals with the strength of the project manager. It defines the qualities and characteristics that are helpful when leading a team.

For example, resilience, integrity, trustworthiness, and assertiveness are good qualities of a leader, but these qualities cannot be found in everyone.

This theory posits that people with the above qualities are natural leaders and will perform better in leadership roles than others.

Behavioral Theory

In this theory, the main focus is the project manager’s behavior. Some leaders include the team in every decision and discussion, while others unilaterally make decisions.

None of them is right or wrong; the success of a project depends on the decisions, and if the leader considers all the scenarios before deciding something, things will fall into place.

Situational Theory

The situational theory deals with the leadership style a project manager or leader is expected to use in a specific situation. He is expected to lead or act as the situation demands.

Adaptive Theory

The theory talks about leaders who adapt their teams to challenging situations rather than give up or become overwhelmed.

They may not have the immediate solution to any problem, but their idea is to adapt and sail through the new challenge.

Conclusion

It is now evident that one of the keys to project management is being an effective project manager.

Being an effective project manager requires choosing the most appropriate skills and style to suit the needs of the team, the organization, and the project.