How Managers Can Grow Into Leaders
From the Voices on Project Management Blog
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As we move toward the end of the year and prepare our personal and professional goals for 2015, I’ve been thinking about how someone can go from being just a manager to being a leader.
Years ago, a big project I was working on with American Express and one of its partners ran into trouble. A lot of factors probably led to that, but one still stands out to me: I was succeeding as a manager but failing as a leader. And that was the project’s ultimate downfall.
Over the years, I’ve been able to reflect and grow from that experience. Here are three ways you can use my experience to help you become more of a leader in 2015.
1. Focus on the vision. Managers are, by their nature, implementers. We get tasked with projects that we may not have had a great deal of input into. But just because we’re helping our sponsors reach their goals doesn’t mean we can’t apply our vision as well. To focus on vision in your management and leadership, start by formulating what this project means to you, the organization, the team and the end users. Then, most importantly, personalize those aspects that are likely to inspire your team.
2. Focus on important conversations.I once read that a project manager spends 90 percent of his or her time communicating. To become a better leader, focus on the most important of these conversations: ones with your sponsor and your team. They are the people who are going to be able to inform you about changes in circumstances, troubles in a project or resource challenges. While there are lots of important people to talk with, the most important are the ones who have the most direct impact on the project’s success or failure — so prioritize those.
3. Look at the long-term.This advice ties into having a vision for your project and having conversations with your important team members and sponsors. But thinking long-term also means you need to infuse your vision and conversations with a future orientation. This might mean that you talk with your sponsor about how a project fits into a long-term strategic plan for the organization. Or, it might mean that you spend time during conversations with your team members asking about their goals and values. This can allow you to shift your actions and assignments in a way that delivers on the promise of the current project. At the same time, you will have built a stronger understanding and real relationship with your sponsors and teams that will transcend your current project and have lasting benefits for projects and years to come.
What are some of the ways you’ve helped make yourself a stronger leader, rather than solely a manager?
Posted
by
David Wakeman
on: December 09, 2014 10:37 PM |
Permalink
Comments (12)
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Amit Jain
Program Manager| Barclays
Pune, Maharastra, India
Looking at the long term is really important for a project's success. One might complete a project on time, within budget, but if long term impects are not analyzed and taken into consideration, then it should not be considered as a successful project.
Patti Gilchrist
Product Manager| UnitedHealth Group
Bluffton, Sc, United States
Great tips for becoming a better leader. Many are able to handle the management aspects of the role, but fail to be effective leaders. The key question leaders must ask themselves: if I weren't in a position of formal authority, would the team still follow my lead?
David Wakeman
Principal| Wakeman Consulting Group
Washington, Dc, United States
Patti-
You make a good point. I think one thing we all need to recognize now is that authority that derives strictly from position is quickly eroding and becoming a less clear way to achieve project success. It is much more important for leaders to lead regardless of their place in the hierarchy and use their influence and personal power to drive a project's success....and sometimes that might mean, even if you aren't labeled "project manager."
Andy Kaufman
Host| People and Projects Podcast
Lake Zurich, Il, United States
Great post, David. Thank you!
We recently interviewed Rob-Jan de Jong whose latest book Anticipate comes out in January 2015. Rob has an interesting premise: we all recognize that vision is important (especially PM''s!). But, when asked for their personal vision, most leaders struggle to articulate a compelling answer.
"Anticipate" does a great job of explaining the process in a non-Dilbert sort of way. :) For PMs who want to build their leadership capability, I highly recommend the book.
Bobbie Shrivastav
Sr. Project Manager - Classroom Technologies| The Center for Creative Leadership
Lewisville, Nc, United States
Leaders serve their team. If you want to become a leader, you have to foremost think about the team and how best to serve them.
Thank you for your article, David
In my personal point of view, before anyone turns into a leader, there should be a need for one around her/him. I am not sure that all projects, all organizations and all teams need their managers to become leaders. Consequently, if I am not needed as a leader on a particular project, should I try to act as one anyway? Would that contribute to the team cohesion and the overall project success?
David Wakeman
Principal| Wakeman Consulting Group
Washington, Dc, United States
Andy-
I'll keep an eye out for 'Anticipate.' That sounds like a book I would be interested in.
Darko-
I think that there are never enough leaders...but there are a lot of people that like to be in control. I think it can be kind of confusing because too often people confuse leadership with title, but being a leader is really just about putting the team first. So I think if you are in any role and you can help your team perform better, you do owe it to your team to try to help everyone achieve their goals.
That being said, I get it, not everyone wants or cares to do anything more than they have to...so you have to be careful to read the situation carefully.
I strongly feel that "walk the Talk" is a key element to be a leader. I believe just talking away about the vision, future direction and ways to meet long term goals is not enough and leader should be the one who takes the first step ahead and shows the way to all others . So just preachers cannot motivate teams and taking the first plunge is the first thing to be done by the leaders!
David Wakeman
Principal| Wakeman Consulting Group
Washington, Dc, United States
Namita-
You are absolutely correct.
It is important for the leaders in an organization to set the proper tone and examples. If not, the promises made are empty and the results are disappointing.
Ezara Penning
Systems Administrator I| Lincoln Land Community College
Springfield, Il, United States
Luis Branco
CEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, Ldª
Carcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear David
Interesting your perspective on: "How Managers Can Grow Into Leaders"
Thanks for sharing
3 Important tips on growing as a leader:
- Focus on the vision
- Focus on important conversations
- Look at the long-term
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