Full Bloom: Simple Steps To Grow Into A Leader

  PM Network  

When you look at influential business figures like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, it seems like they were born leaders. Not only are they able to articulate a clear vision, they also have an uncanny ability to inspire people and help them turn those visions into reality.

Yet the ugly truth is that project managers—caught up in a whirlwind of budgets and schedules—often lack those finely honed leadership instincts. That doesn’t mean such instincts can’t be cultivated, though. “Leadership skills can be learned,” says David Davis, PMP, PgMP, a program manager at telecom giant AT&T, Sylvania, Ohio, USA.

However, this is only possible if the project manager wants to learn them.

“This self-motivation is half the battle, and the rest becomes a combination of style, day-to-day behavior and situational experience,” he says. Sure, it helps to attend leadership development seminars and read the appropriate books. But the best classroom is often the front lines of a project—developing plans, communicating with clients, inspiring your team and solving the problems that pop up along the way.

“Project managers have the opportunity to share their vision about the scope of a project with the team, to build trust through a participative process when planning the project, to listen to the team and promote a work …

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