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The James Webb Space Telescope, set to launch in December 2021, is the largest space science telescope ever developed. It is one of the most technically complex projects ever undertaken and will fundamentally change our understanding of how the universe works – and it all depends on people. PMI Strategic Advisor Dr. Ed Hoffman recently spoke with Greg Robinson, the Program Director of Webb at NASA, on the Center Stage podcast about leading the teams that made this futuristic endeavor a reality.

Hoffman: What are the biggest challenges that you have and your team faces in ensuring value delivery for Webb?

Robinson: Some of the larger challenges over the years were around performance. And with projects, it's all about performance, doing really good planning, getting your requirements right, setting your team during development, and getting it done within your constraints.

With that performance, the team is so important. Do we have the right team, the right team makeup? Are we communicating properly, not just talking but communicating? I took over Webb about three and a half years ago, and that was one of the largest glaring weaknesses, that communication was not good at all.

The biggest challenge was really getting the team focused not on the technical, but stepping it up a notch to make sure we were operating as one machine throughout the agency and with our stakeholders.

Hoffman: What are your principles in a leadership position or when you're part of a team? What do you look for to create a team that's high performing and successful?

Robinson: You want a good leader. That means a lot of things to different people. Someone who can look at the technical skills based on the work breakdown structure of the project. Do I have good technical prowess, technical leaders, good integrators, people who are not afraid of being challenged.

The great thing about NASA's history, internally, we've always been able to challenge each other. And we tend to end up with a better product. And that challenge has to occur with performance in mind, not taking too long to get it done. So recognizing people who have that skill, or can go deep technically, who are not afraid of being challenged, and often communicate.

In communications also we tend to talk technical language. And when we're communicating up and out, we have to talk layman's terms - that's not an easy skill. Those are the things I look for in my teams.

Hoffman: How did you develop into such a successful leader?

Robinson: Mentoring is a really big deal. A lot of a lot of people mentored me. We didn't even call it that at the time, but I reached out to other senior leaders, and basically saying, sure in different words, “I want to be like you one day when I grow up.”

Another area that came along a little bit later, the soft skills, which I did not appreciate early in my career at all. Then I took some class that was put together at NASA, and I was sold from that class on. I made sure I continued to develop my social skills through training and other types of development, kept the mentoring going, built networks within the agency.

So a combination of apprenticeship with senior leaders, mentoring, and training and development and networking. I think those were the key. And I continue to work on social skills today, believe it or not.

Listen to the full podcast on Center Stage.

Economies are still reeling from COVID-19, and the impact on job prospects and career trajectories has been devastating in many industries. The project management profession is no exception. But there are signs of hope in the New Year.

PMI has recently released the 2021 Jobs Report, which showcases new, emerging job opportunities—as well as areas of lingering uncertainty. Check it out to get some perspective on what the near future has in store for the global job market, and what it might mean to your professional path.

Here are a few highlights from the report on several of the world’s major regions:

Middle East:  The collapse of oil prices has created financial havoc, and layoffs have primarily hit retail, airlines and tourism sectors. The result has been a sharpened focus on the need to diversify the economy, with a specific emphasis innovation and R&D.

United States:  Hope is on the horizon, as October hiring outpaced September by 15.5 percent. While the road ahead is murky, job opportunities in manufacturing, transportation and logistics, construction, retail and real estate have been leading the pack… but will need digital-savvy project talent in order to continue the upswing.

Asia Pacific: Tourism and hospitality, as well as retail, have been hard-hit by the collapse of global travel, and will struggle throughout 2021. However, talented project managers will be in great demand to drive projects related to science, technology and healthcare.

India:  A significant shift in consumer behavior, due to the pandemic, will boost online and last-mile delivery services in 2021. An increase in demand for insurance and healthcare will also drive growth in these sectors.

You can take a look at the entire list of regions included in the 2021 Jobs Report here.  Not only does the report offer a deep dive into the regions listed above, but also Canada, Europe, Africa, Peru, China and Latin America.