EFFECTIVE PROJECT LEADERSHIP
09/02/2018
The Importance of Effective Project Leadership
Project leadership is a complex process that is crucial to successful project management. It is about an individual or group with the ability to motivate, inspire, and steer the project team successfully from start to finish. To achieve and carry out the primary objectives of a project, you need competent leadership. You need someone who can deliver and fulfill the project’s principal goals, ultimately complete the project on-time within budget, and to project stakeholder expectations. This is a significant role to fill, and a project’s success depends heavily on the individual or team leading it. True leadership on the part of the project manager has been seen time and time again by LQ Consulting and Management to be one of the most important qualities in successfully delivering projects.
WHAT SKILLS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH PROJECT LEADERSHIP
Successful project managers demonstrate both strong management skills and effective leadership. The appropriate balance between the managerial and leadership aspects of the project manager role is necessary to achieve success.
Critical skills needed for effective project leadership include:
- Communication: The importance of clear and concise communication as it relates to the success of projects cannot be overstated. A project manager must be able to convey their vision, goals, ideas, and present issues and solutions clearly to the team.
- "Naturally" Lead: If an individual has a natural tendency to lead, then they have the potential capability to provide effective leadership and deliver results. To lead, a person can set direction, motivate and align project staff to work towards achieving a common set of goals and objectives. These leaders display confidence and inspire confidence in the project team. This leads to individual project team members taking ownership in the success of the project and enabling higher levels of performance.
- Negotiation: Project management and effective leadership require strong negotiation skills. Projects involve daily negotiations with internal and external project stakeholders such as clients, vendors, suppliers, project staff, government agencies, and others. Successful project managers can effectively influence and persuade the other party to the overall best interests of the project.
While the above listed qualities are essential, so is the leadership style. Exceptional project managers can adjust and adapt his or her leadership style for optimal effectiveness. This ability to adapt is based on the project manager’s awareness of the responsiveness of project stakeholders to varying leadership styles in combination with the requirements and status of the project during execution.
WHAT SKILLS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH PROJECT LEADERSHIP
Finding the right individual or team to provide effective project leadership for your project or capital investment is a crucial role to fill. It is in your project’s best interest to hire a professional project management consultant or services firm. A professional project manager can lead, manage, coordinate, plan, execute, monitor, and control to ensure your project is successfully delivered.
Turn to LQ Consulting and Management for effective project leadership services within the following industries and market sectors: design and construction, energy and resources .
We are based in the Toronto area, providing services worldwide. We provide a full range of project management and consulting services when and where you need it most, whether it’s a one-time requirement or full management from project initiation to close-out. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please feel free to contact LQ Consulting and Management at our corporate office in Oakville, Ontario.