Categories: Agile, Collaboration, Communication, Digital, Disruption, Diversity, Innovation, Leadership, Project Management
Until March, I was very excited about the future, I dreamt about an exciting future for project managers and #futureofPMWork. Then came the COVID-19.
COVID-19 is nothing short of a “Black Swan “event, just like the invention of the internet, or the 2008 market crash. Needless to say this has affected all industries, a lot has changed for us, project managers, remote working, processes, decentralization, culture, ways of communication are only some impact and more are yet to come.
What are the key skills that are required for managers, leaders in the new normal ?
The million-dollar question that is probably in the minds of every project manager, leader popped out while I and Lenka were moderating our maiden connect at the #PMIChapterXchange program.
A Panel discussion with experts from Czech Republic (Petr Janis, Michal Jauker) and Mumbai chapter (Satish Mittal, Chintan Oza) to share their perspectives on this very topic. So what did our panellists say
Petr laid emphasis on adaptability, listening and digital skills
Michal vouched for effective communication, team motivation and the value of global outreach enabled by the virtual world
Satish accentuated on the ability to navigate through multiple skills, 3rd eye out, predict risks and motivate team to innovate.
Chintan highlighted the skill improvement framework Identify(gaps), Classify( what can be achieved), Simplify( bucketize Short, Medium and Long term goals), Justify( correlate goals to current scenario) and Amplify ( go full throttle to achieve your goals)
Armed with the wisdom of the wise and deep introspection of the great lockdown, here are some additional skills that comes out dominant for a leader to succeed in the #futureofPMWork
Anti-fragility: Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. A resilient leader resists shocks and stays the same; an antifragile leader gets better it means that he / she does not merely withstand a shock but learn and improves because of it. Leaders must learn how to make their lives anti-fragile, rather than simply less vulnerable to randomness and chaos to survive in #futureofWork
Empathy: Tough times calls for leaders to lead with empathy. Empathizing in these times can go a long way to foster engaged and inspired teams.
Inclusiveness: Uncertain times calls for innovative, creative and high-performance teams. Leaders will need to create a well-intentioned, inclusive-minded environment to foster high-performance teams.
Do you have any other skills on your mind which would be relevant for project managers to succeed in the #futureofPMWork ? Comment below.
Want to know more about the #PMIChapterXchange program ? Comment below or connect with Priya or Lenka.
Want to join our community on the PMI Chapter collaboration platform. Request membership here.
https://ccp.pmi.org/#/community/view/5ef874bd7db4c80069a50e75/stream
Photo by Ali Pazani from Pexels
