Leading to Success

Ian Whittingham, PMP is director of Calixo Consulting, providing project and program management expertise from initiation through to implementation, covering business transformation, workflow process re-engineering, and enterprise data integration. He is a regular contributor to ProjectManagement.com. You may contact Ian directly at [email protected].

  Career Development   Communications Management   Talent Management  

There is a widespread perception, in all walks of life, that the presence of leadership in any endeavor usually leads to a more successful outcome than an absence of leadership. But as the performance of the World Cup soccer teams demonstrated, while leadership tends to create drive and focus--two qualities necessary to enhance the chances of a successful outcome--the quality of leadership and outcomes may vary considerably.

The result may fall short of the leader’s desired goal but it is generally assumed that leadership always makes a difference. But what kind of a difference does leadership make? And how does it enhance the chances of success? How does a project benefit from leadership if, in fact, it makes any difference at all in influencing project outcomes?

To enhance performance and get a jump on their competitors, companies no longer need managers, they need leaders. Leadership has become a widely examined topic of academic research, especially within business schools. There is now a substantial body of research and literature on all aspects of leadership: what it is, how it influences the behavior of individuals and groups, and how it achieves its effects.

Various models have been developed to examine and answer these questions. And while there has been an increasing emphasis on cultivating and growing the leadership skills and abilities of …

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