Clay SpringerChief Commercial Officer| ProVerne SolutionsMckinney, Tx, United States
I am passionate about turning Project Managers into Project Leaders. Too often the profession (and it's duties within the organization) are viewed as "technical", or worse, "administrative". Organizations don't see PMs and the PMOs as leaders of change that drive the organization forward. I think it's time to change that, and I'd like to get your input as to what's keeping that from happening. Responses should focus on two areas:
First, what organizationally is preventing this from happening?
Second, what personally is keeping you from taking a prominent leadership role?
I look forward to hearing from all of you! Saving Changes...
Satheesh PalaniProject Engineer| Al-Turki EnterprisesChennai, Tamil Nadu, India
1. We need to show to management that ourselves are concentrating on strategic objectives of the company.
2. Lag or less confidence in leadership skills & less project Mgt knowledge are the chances for hindrance.
This is my view and sorry if it is not within boundary. Saving Changes...
Clay SpringerChief Commercial Officer| ProVerne SolutionsMckinney, Tx, United States
Very true Satheesh!
Management often sees the role as tactical and not strategic.
Confidence is always a challenge, but i've found with a little coaching and practice amazing things can be acheived
Thank you for taking the time to reply Saving Changes...
John A. WilliamsOwner| JAW Consultancy | The PragmaticionerNootdorp, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
1) Anchor the sponsorship role in the organization. A responsible sponsor is more inclined to acknowledge the PM's contribution to the goals of the organization.
2) Don't hesitate to take the lead, even if it means you have to 'educate' your sponsor.
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1 reply by Clay Springer
Oct 08, 2018 3:28 AM
Clay Springer
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Hi John,
Thanks for chiming in and the great contribution. I agree that PM should not be a spectator sport. To be effective, developing a "grab the reins" mindset is essential.
Saving Changes...
Damian PereraMonitoring & Evaluation Specialist| ChrysalisMellawagedara, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Project managers require leadership skills to make projects successful. Many organizations invest a lot to improve the technical skills of project managers but with less investment to improve their leadership skills. An organization should create space for project managers to develop their leadership skills and to be evolved as great leaders by mentoring and providing opportunities to take leadership role.
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1 reply by Clay Springer
Oct 08, 2018 3:31 AM
Clay Springer
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When we've studied for our PMP exams we were drilled on how communications is up to 80% of a PMs job and yet, the proportion of emphasized skill sets is skewed decisively in the opposite directions.
I've spent countless hours helping PMs with such basics as presentation, summarization and and facilitation/group management skills and the results have always been multiple fold.
Mechanistic organizational structure may be too rigid during project developmens.
Individual' introvert personality may cause lack of confidence in communication.
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1 reply by Clay Springer
Oct 09, 2018 2:25 AM
Clay Springer
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Thank you for the response Pang.
I agree that companies often see project delivery strictly as a mechanical process. While there should be some solid foundational process, the true value of the PM is in leadership and interpersonal relationship skills.
Saving Changes...
Kristina Frazier-HenryDigital Practice Leader| Fusion AllianceFishers, In, United States
Hi Clay,
I have to tell you that your questions push a lot of buttons for me! Thanks for posting. Warning - this will be lengthy...
I've thought long and hard for years about PMOs - the different types, why/how they get spun up, and the reasons behind their eventual demise.
PMOs are generally service-oriented/support organizations that are created (usually) by a C-level individual who is wanting a one-stop shop for standards and reporting. C-level folks change positions about every 3-5 years and I've never seen a PMO survive when the C-level replacement takes over.
PMOs need re-branded and split into two entities - one which is operational and the other which is strategic.
You're always going to have a need for a "center of excellence" around project management. That can be centralized (or not) and its primary focus is efficiency and transparency. (Operational)
The second entity is strategic and focused on the portfolio of projects within the business unit (or company). Typically I've seen this type of functionality be a subset of a CFO or COO's group. That organization needs to be separate and independent and have it's own C-level....much like marketing has their own C-level. This is where you can be and would be leaders of change.
From a career progression perspective, I think that you can create a linkage between the two entities while still keeping them branded as their own "thing".
Now, about project managers vs. project leaders...As you can see by the title I've listed, I am in fact a leader and not a project manager. My entire career has been about being T-shaped (even before I knew what that was). I've never had an 'end goal' (i.e. I want to grow up and be a ....) but I did figure out quickly, what environments I thrived in. Corporate America is generally too rigid, suffocating, and the killer of individual dreams. I've had some good experiences in Corporate America but the best experiences for me have been in consulting and in companies who are private and on the smaller side (Less than 1200 people).
When all is said and done, you cannot rely on an organization to make you into a leader. You have to have the drive and you have to be willing to take the risks. You can't do it in a vacuum though. Relationships are EVERYTHING. Saving Changes...
Clay SpringerChief Commercial Officer| ProVerne SolutionsMckinney, Tx, United States
Oct 05, 2018 2:54 PM
Replying to John A. Williams
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1) Anchor the sponsorship role in the organization. A responsible sponsor is more inclined to acknowledge the PM's contribution to the goals of the organization.
2) Don't hesitate to take the lead, even if it means you have to 'educate' your sponsor.
Hi John,
Thanks for chiming in and the great contribution. I agree that PM should not be a spectator sport. To be effective, developing a "grab the reins" mindset is essential. Saving Changes...
Clay SpringerChief Commercial Officer| ProVerne SolutionsMckinney, Tx, United States
Oct 06, 2018 11:36 AM
Replying to Damian Perera
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Project managers require leadership skills to make projects successful. Many organizations invest a lot to improve the technical skills of project managers but with less investment to improve their leadership skills. An organization should create space for project managers to develop their leadership skills and to be evolved as great leaders by mentoring and providing opportunities to take leadership role.
When we've studied for our PMP exams we were drilled on how communications is up to 80% of a PMs job and yet, the proportion of emphasized skill sets is skewed decisively in the opposite directions.
I've spent countless hours helping PMs with such basics as presentation, summarization and and facilitation/group management skills and the results have always been multiple fold. Saving Changes...
1 what organizationally is preventing this?
Often my role combines technical and leadership. However due to a shortage of people with this technical skill, I get a lot of work assigned to me. I was told since there are so few people with this skill set, they need to keep me in that technical role. Because if i got promoted to higher % leadership/management, they would not have anyone to do the work.
2 what personally is keeping you from taking a prominent leadership role?
Often my role combines technical and leadership. The technical part, for me, requires concentration (consecutive hours) to do correctly (otherwise I have to start over). As a result, I spend less time on leadership than I'd like. Saving Changes...
Clay SpringerChief Commercial Officer| ProVerne SolutionsMckinney, Tx, United States
Oct 07, 2018 1:32 PM
Replying to Pang DX
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Mechanistic organizational structure may be too rigid during project developmens.
Individual' introvert personality may cause lack of confidence in communication.
Thank you for the response Pang.
I agree that companies often see project delivery strictly as a mechanical process. While there should be some solid foundational process, the true value of the PM is in leadership and interpersonal relationship skills. Saving Changes...
