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Date
It’s time to make New Years’ Resolutions. One of
mine is to have shorter, more concise, and helpful blog posts.
So…
I have a few suggestions for
project managers who want to 'elevate' to
Project Leaders:
Commit to being a lifelong learner- AI is here, there, and everywhere (apologies to The Beatles) so learn about it, practice using it, understand its limitations and (amazing) capabilities
- The PMBOK® Guide 8th Edition is here – get familiar with it, PMI has done a fantastic job compressing valuable knowledge (about value!) in this edition
Expand your thinking- BROADLY – consider people, planet, profits
- Consider the broadest variety possible of stakeholders
- Consider how stakeholders interact with each other, not only with your project
- DEEPLY – beyond the end-date of your project.
- Consider the project’s PRODUCT (whether it’s a physical entity or a service) and what that PRODUCT does in the longer term
- Develop a VALUE mantra – In all you do, ask: “is this chunk of work adding value to the project?”, and of course, “Is this project adding value to the mission, vision, values, goals, and objectives of the organization?”, and even, “are the goals and objectives of the organization aligned with a healthy balance of people, planet and profit?”
Develop your systems thinking capabilities- Consider certifications like STSI®
- Remember that your project, program, or portfolio is part of a much larger, connected series of things
- Understand perspective – remember that you have your own (and be aware of it) and others have strikingly different ones that you don’t have to adopt, but of which you should be aware
- Consider the relationships of the pieces of work within your project but also consider the relationship of your project to the rest of your enterprise, its customers, competitors, employees, and… the world
- Develop your critical thinking capabilities
Don’t doubt yourself, but be willing to question yourself (from multiple perspectives)Check anything that an ‘expert’ tells you – and that ‘expert’ can be AI. Is what the expert told you:
- Relevant?
- Accurate?
- Applicable?
- Complete?
- Logical?
- Unbiased?
And, importantly when YOU are the expert, check your ‘transmitted’ advice for the above set of attributes
Become more self-aware and develop your Power Skills• Communication: Clearly conveying information and ideas.
• Problem-Solving: Effectively addressing challenges and finding solutions.
• Collaborative Leadership: Guiding and working with teams to achieve common goals.
• Strategic Thinking: Seeing the big picture and making plans for future success.
• Active Listening
• Adaptability
• Conflict Management
• Emotional Intelligence (EI)
• Negotiation
• Relationship Building
• Team building and teamwork
That’s it – I am consciously avoiding a long, boring post to keep my resolution! I hope to sustain it through 2026.
Happy New Year!
Posted
by
Richard Maltzman
on: December 28, 2025 10:27 AM |
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