Bad News For The PM Hero. You're Out.

 

Did you just save the day? Did you just use your superpowers to singlehandedly turn that troubled project around? Can you do things much faster yourself than your team member?

Do you have a cape? Do you have a theme song for when you enter a building? Are you a genuine PM Hero?

Well, your days are over, as Lynda Bourne argued in her entertaining presentation "The Future Of The PM Hero" at the PMI EMEA Congress in Milan on Tuesday.

Somewhere during the 1990s a Project Manager became all of a sudden seen as CEO of his project. Not just executing a plan towards a sudden goal, but also having entrepreneurial spirit and being concerned with things much wider than your own organization; Captain of The Ship; Remover of Every Obstacle; The Great Visionary. And just coming out of the 80s, a good CEO, the person, was regarded to be a hero; an iconic figure that singlehandedly steers the company towards larger profits. Think Jack Welch.

And now, the PM should stop being a Hero. Yes, sometimes it is good that you are involved every decision made. And yes, sometimes you need to know everything. And yes, sometimes you need to speak to everyone. And yes, a true Hero does it all. Himself. Being iconic. Being stressed out.

This might have been useful than, but it is certainly not useful anymore. Now it is really more about leadership, about soft skills. And not in the sense of being the Iconic Charismatic Hero, but as in Level 5 Leadership. In the famous book "Good To Great" the author, Jim Collins, defines 5 levels of leadership. Level 3, the competent manager, is the level most Project Managers find themselves on. The Effective Leader, level 4, creates a compelling vision and ensures commitment to get there with ever increasing performance. The Level 5 Executive is the leader who "builds enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will."

So, yeah, Level 5. That's what we need. Humility + Will. Emphasis on your team
The Hero is out. Leadership + Business Focus are the future for the PM.

It sounds a little tree-huggerish, but they are sound concepts worth exploring. Google "Level 5 Leadership" and emerge yourself for a couple of hours.

A tip provided during the presentation, is the use of The Organizational Zoo to sharpen your soft skills. The zoo describes 25 personality types using animals as analogy. This is a fun and effective way to familiarize yourself with different personalities.