1. Leadership and the Project Manager
Chapter 4

2. Learning Goals
Understand how project management is a “leader intensive” profession.
Distinguish between the role of a manager and the characteristics of a leader.
Understand the concept of emotional intelligence as it relates to how project managers lead.
Recognize traits that are strongly linked to effective project leadership.
Understand the implications of time orientation on project management.
Identify the key roles project champions play in project success.
Recognize the principles that typify the new project leadership.
Understand the development of project management professionalism in the discipline.

3. Project management is leader intensive!
Leadership
“The ability to inspire confidence and support among the people who are needed to achieve organizational goals.”
Project management is leader intensive!
“For the project manager, leadership is the process by which he or she influences the project team to get the job done!”

4. Leaders Vs. Managers
Managers have official titles in an organization with administration duties; plan, direct, and control the behaviors of others.
Leaders focus on interpersonal relationships rather than administration; inspiring, motivating, and influencing others in pursuit of a goal.
Important differences exist between the two:
Creation of purpose
Outcomes
Network development
Focus
Execution
Time-frame

5. Differences Between Managers and Leaders
Concerns
Managers
Leaders
Creation of Purpose
Focus on plans and budgets; creates steps, timetables for achieving results and looks for resources to support goals.
Establishes direction; creates a vision and the strategies needed to achieve it.
Developing a Network for Achieving the Agenda
Organizes and staffs; creates structure for achieving the plans; delegates responsibility and authority; develops procedures to guide behavior; creates monitoring systems.
Aligns people with the target; communicates direction by word and deed to those whose cooperation is needed; creates teams that understand and share the project’s vision.

6. Differences Between Managers and Leaders
Concerns
Managers
Leaders
Execution
Controls and solves problems; monitors results and applies corrective action.
Motivates and inspires; energizes people to overcomes obstacles and show personal initiative.
Outcomes
Produces a degree of predictability and order; seeks to maintain the status quo.
Produces change; challenges the status quo.
Focus
Efficiency of operations
Effectiveness of outcomes
Time-Frame
Short-term, avoiding risks, maintaining and imitating.
Long-term; taking risks, innovating and originating.

7. Differences Between Managers and Leaders
administer
Demand respect
maintain the status quo
focus on systems
strive for control
short-term view
focused on the bottom line
imitate
do things right
state their position
innovate
Command respect
develop new processes
focus on people
inspire trust
have long-term goal
focused on potential
originate
do the right thing
earn their position
LEADERS
MANAGERS

8. How the Project Manager Leads
Project managers function as mini-CEOs and manage both “hard” technical details and “soft” people issues.
Project managers:
acquire project resources
motivate and build teams
have a vision and fight fires
communicate

9. Acquiring Resources
Projects may be underfunded in the concept stage for a variety of reasons:
Deliberately vague goals, allows the project to be fluid
No top management sponsor
Requirements (resources) understated to get project accepted
Insufficient funds – too many projects occurring
Distrust between top managers and project managers thinking the needs have been padded
Note: Resources can be considered either personnel or raw material

10. Motivating and building teams
Definition: The general desire or willingness of someone to do something.
Motivation ultimately comes from within us
Each of us decides whether we will become motivated to do the work we are assigned
Successful project managers must recognize they need to be able to
Recognize talent
Recruit it
Mold a team of collaborative workers
….apply motivational techniques as necessary
See Herzburg Article - How to Motivate

11. Motivating and building teams

12. Communication
It is critical for a project manager to maintain strong contact with all stakeholders.
If they do not know what you are doing, they may assume you are doing nothing.
Productive project meetings feature task oriented and group maintenance behaviors and serve to:
update all participants on project status
increase understanding of the goal
drive commitment on how the team member fits into the team
make decisions as a group
provide visibility of the project status

13. Leadership & Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence refers to leaders’ ability to understand that effective leadership is part of the emotional and relational transaction between subordinates and themselves. Five elements characterize emotional intelligence:
Self-awareness
Self-regulation
Motivation
Empathy
Social skill

14. Traits of an Effective Project Leader
A number of studies on effective project leadership reveals these common themes:
Effective communication
Flexibility to deal with ambiguity
Works well with the project team
Skilled at various influence tactics
Encouraging
Honest
What do you think would make an effective project leader?

15. Seven Essential Project Management Abilities
Organizing under conflict – ability to manage and handle conflict
Experience – know how/where to get task done
Decision making
Productive creativity – implement innovative ideas
Organize with cooperation
Cooperative leadership
Analytical thinking

16. What are Project Champions?
Champions are fanatics in the single- minded pursuit of their ideas.
Champions can be:
Creative originators – the driving force
Entrepreneurs – works to sell the idea
“Godfathers” - promote and protects
Project managers

17. Nontraditional Duties
Champion Roles
Traditional Duties
technical understanding
team leadership
coordination & control of activities
obtaining resources
administrative
Nontraditional Duties
cheerleader
visionary
politician
risk taker
ambassador

18. Creating Project Champions
Identify and encourage their emergence
Encourage and reward risk takers
Remember the emotional connection Champions may have to their project
Free Champions from traditional management roles so they can focus on effectivity not efficiency

19. Steps to Developing Project Management Professionals
Match personalities to project work
Use training programs to formally commit to project management
Develop a unique award system for project managers
Identify a distinct career path for project managers

20. The “New” Project Leadership
Four competencies determine a project leader’s success:
Understanding and practicing the power of appreciation of other’s talents.
Reminding people what’s important compared to the trivial many.
Generating and sustaining trust with team members.
Aligning, not dominating team members.

21. Growing Professionalism of Project Management
Project work is becoming the standard for many organizations to achieve their goals
There is a critical need to upgrade the skills of current project workers through continual training and skill development
Project managers and support personnel need dedicated career paths where project management is a permanent career choice

22. Chapter 4 Review and Discussion
The chapter stressed the idea that project management is a “leader intensive” undertaking. Discuss in what sense this statement is true.
How do the duties of project managers reinforce the role of leadership?
What are the key differences between leaders and managers?
Discuss the concept of emotional intelligence as it related to the duties of project managers. Why are the five elements of emotional intelligence critical to successful project management?
Consider the studies on trait theories in leadership. Of the characteristics that emerge as critical to effective leadership, which seem most critical to project managers? Why?
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23. Chapter 4 Review and Discussion
At the back of the chapter (page 129) is a Future Time Perspective scale. After completing it, determine whether you have a future time perspective, present time perspective, or past time perspective. What are the implications for the types of tasks you enjoy performing? How will your preferences lead to strengths and weaknesses in managing projects?
Why are project champions said to be better equipped to handle the “non-traditional” aspects of leadership?
Consider the discussion of “new project leadership.” If you were asked to formulate a principle that could be applied to project leadership, what would it be? Justify your answer.
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