The Next Generation Project Manager - Conquering New Business Obstacles

The Next Generation Project Manager - Conquering New Business Obstacles

Are you sick of being a mediocre project manager, completing mediocre projects, not being promoted, and receiving mediocre reviews for your work? At this very moment, you must comprehend something. It takes more than just being an accomplished project manager, having completed successful projects, and being a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) to be a top performer in the field. Nowadays, every project manager needs to take their game to the next level in order to meet the current demands and expectations. You risk falling behind if you do nothing now.

Novel Obstacles

Consider all the difficulties you encounter every day: Keeping motivated teams that are more difficult to shape and manage than previous ones. Increasing the rate of service introductions in order to stay competitive. Adapting to new procedures, policies, rules, and regulations, etc., is all part of managing change. Handling increasingly high standards set by customers. Dealing with the increased demands placed on our business.

Being a project manager in the modern corporate world requires a different approach than the old-fashioned "tyrannical management and control" method. For this and other reasons, a large number of project managers across all sectors have been laid off within the last three years. It became clear to upper-level management that conventional project managers were a drain on resources. They were ill-equipped to deal with novel problems and high standards. Dead weight and a threatened species, traditional project managers are no more.

Leadership is required to meet these obstacles. If you were in charge, why would you want to alter your approach? Now we'll see. The most effective motivator? A pioneer. Whose thoughts and efforts are most profound and well-considered? A leader. Whoever sets lofty objectives and invariably meets them? A leader. Who motivates individuals to exhibit time-honored values like dedication, enthusiasm, and loyalty in the workplace? A leader. So, who's getting the promotion? A leader.

Classical Project Manager vs. Innovative Team Leader

What gives with the dearth of leaders? There are many who think that the tried-and-true methods of "tyrannical management and control"—which include yelling orders, slapping people around, and calling them names—are more effective. While this may be effective in the short term, it will have a devastating effect on morale, teamwork, and productivity in the long run.

Read A Leader's 13 Core Competencies to determine if you fit the profile of a conventional manager or leader. You need to know the distinction between the two and which leadership core abilities you should focus on developing if you want to stay in your present project management role or move up the corporate ladder.

Key Competencies for Leaders

Management Approach. Project managers in the traditional sense oversee, direct, and rectify tasks. Chief executive officers plan, encourage, and inspire their teams.

Goals. In the past, project managers relied on a never-ending set of internal procedures and focused on the here and now. Leaders are those who take the role of owner seriously, who are dedicated to the company's success, who can see the big picture, and who act accordingly.

Approach to Thinking. By sticking to tried-and-true methods, traditional project managers are content with small victories. The best leaders are those who are always learning and growing, who are open to new ideas and methodologies, and who encourage their teams to do the same.

Expressing thought. Conventional project managers speak over their employees, fail to foster two-way communication, and impose their will on the team. Listening to colleagues and customers, embracing feedback in all its forms, and encouraging interactive communication are all hallmarks of effective leadership.

The feeling. Classical project managers are dispassionate thinkers. Leaders inspire followers to feel something. Customers and staff alike are motivated to constantly attain their goals by them.

Have faith. As a rule, traditional project managers take Murphy's Law very seriously. They keep a close eye on their workers at all times. Leaders keep the faith of their employees strong.

Openness. Conventional project managers are extremely dogmatic, insist on proof for everything, and take great pleasure in flat-out rejecting ideas. Leaders welcome and value differences in perspective and are open to fresh ideas and perspectives from all members of the group.

Take part. Conventional project managers often collect excellent ideas but seldom put them into action. They are risk averse, overanalyze everything, and struggle to make decisions. In high-pressure situations, leaders are able to think quickly on their feet, devise innovative solutions, and take measured risks because they are proactive and self-motivated.

Mentoring. Employees are seldom coached or mentored by traditional project managers. Following protocols and checklists to the letter is their strong suit. Leaders facilitate the habits of success by providing people with the authority to make decisions, monitor their own performance, and offer constructive criticism.

Change. In their traditional view, change is inherently bad, and traditional project managers would stop at nothing to keep things the same. A leader is someone who welcomes change, embraces it, is flexible, doesn't get scared of it, and views it as a chance to grow.

Frame of mind. Conventional wisdom holds that project managers are glum and unapproachable. Getting the boss's approval comes first, followed by the approval of staff and consumers. They pass judgment and then pass the buck. Leaders are able to keep a positive outlook because they know how important it is to treat others with respect, keep an objective stance, apologize when necessary, and admit when they're wrong.

Core Principles. There is a lack of familiarity with corporate values and a lack of documentation of individual or team values among traditional project managers. Leaders believe in the power of values to direct individuals and groups, and they make it a point to write down and revisit team and personal values on a regular basis.

Evaluation of Performance. Performance is seldom measured or reviewed by traditional project managers. When they do, the metrics are subjective, and workers have little idea of their day-to-day performance. As a leader, you should always be measuring data-based performance, keeping tabs on employee progress, encouraging employees to do the same, and using the results as a tool for training.

The Path to Leadership

Was leadership in your blood? Not at all. Got what it takes to lead? Yes.

They say that leaders are born, not made. Developing the 13 Leadership Core Competencies should be the main focus of traditional project managers if they want to succeed and tackle the current difficulties that businesses face. You will achieve future success by consistently applying the basic competencies, receiving leadership training and coaching, and gaining experience.

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