Leadership Means Never Having to Say You're Bored

Mark Mullaly is president of Interthink Consulting Incorporated, an organizational development and change firm specializing in the creation of effective organizational project management solutions. Since 1990, it has worked with companies throughout North America to develop, enhance and implement effective project management tools, processes, structures and capabilities. Mark was most recently co-lead investigator of the Value of Project Management research project sponsored by PMI. You can read more of his writing at markmullaly.com.

  Communications Management   Leadership   Talent Management  

Project managers face an awkward and interesting leadership challenge. On one hand, we are often given responsibility for the successful delivery of comprehensive, large scale and strategically important change initiatives. On the other hand, we rarely have the organizational influence and authority necessary to back up the responsibilities we take on. The result is a situation where we are expected to lead organizationally, without the formal organizational support or power that some might view as being necessary in order to succeed.

So what does the typical project manager do in this situation? What strategies are available, and what resources can we draw on in order to navigate our way to success? And what do we need to know about ourselves, our teams and our organizations if we are to genuinely lead effectively?

Many of us have learned over the course of our careers that leadership doesn't necessarily come with position, title or a box on the org chart. Effective and meaningful leadership behaviors can be encountered at all levels of the organization, in a variety of different situations. Whether in response to crises or in assuming responsibility for a meeting, a project or a problem, we see people step up and take on challenges, and do so successfully.

At the same time, having actual authority and influence is undoubtedly viewed by most as being a …

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