George FreemanThought Leader | Author | Architect| Florida, United States
Julia,
Leaders need foundational (i.e., anchored) principles that guide them in their practice. Although these anchored principles may correlate with traditional leadership qualities (both hard and soft), they are not wieldable skills. Instead, they reflect who you are and, as such, become the primary influencer of your authentic leadership skillset.
For instance, take the leadership qualities of empathy and compassion. Should they be viewed as “leadership soft skills,” something taken out of your toolkit and deployed in a given situation, or is it a characteristic of who you are and, therefore, an influencer to “all things” leadership in your life and practice?
From a scholastic point of view, this perspective is likely an unnecessary parse and one that is problematic. However, if you ponder this perspective, you realize that if you are on the receiving end of a leader practicing these qualities, you may prefer that it’s more than a wielded tool—correct?
Although this may not be the type of reply you would inspect in this thread, I hope you see its underlying purpose. I’ll leave you with a couple of sample principles leaning toward the example I provided above (empathy and compassion).
[1] - Leadership practiced through philosophy alone renders little; leadership practiced through meeting “human needs” gains much.
[2] - Empathy is a form of Understanding, Understanding is a form of Knowledge, and this one we all know – Knowledge drives projects. Therefore, empathy is valuable not just to the nature of relationships but to the nature of projects.
Principles such as these gain power when you write them down or reconstruct them into your own words. They don’t need to be earth-shattering statements, just concepts you can consume into your being. Saving Changes...
Leadership is diriection, stratgey, value driven, make plan happen, make team work. not is waiting, not looking for what others doing. Saving Changes...
Navaid Ur RehmanAdditional Director / Project Management Expert /Writer /Trainer| Confidential (Pakistan)Karachi, Sd, Pakistan
Hi Julia,
In my view, leadership isn't just a skill; it's an ATTITUDE . The most influential aspect of leadership lies in delegation and empowerment. Whether you are a mentor or a leader, your job is to guide and motivate your team to success. It becomes impossible to separate your team's victory from your own sincere accomplishment. Saving Changes...
Oscar DíazPMP SENIOR| IKUSI LATAMBogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia
I agree¡¡
1- Scope Management, not a Skill
2- Schedule Management, not a Skill
3- Cost Management, not a Skill
4- Quality Management, not a Skill
5- Communication, the best important Skill for tne PL
6- Situational Leadership, good Skill for the PL
7- Team Building, important Skill for the PL
Saving Changes...
ANDREA LIVINGSTON-PRINCEChief Project Manager | Business Works LimitedKingston, No Selection, Jamaica
Dec 08, 2023 11:48 AM
Replying to Rami Kaibni
...
Julia, I am not sure I agree that Scope, Schedule, Cost, and Quality Management are top leadership skills as those are project management skills, However, Communication, Tema Building and Adapdability (Situational Leadership) are. In addtion to those three, I would say:
These skills, when combined, create a strong foundation for effective project leadership.
I agree. Ive found that self-leadership, patience, competence and a leadership's awareness of team members' competencies ( and gifts) are key to excellence. What are your thoughts? Saving Changes...
Tony SadowskiProject Manager| Pomeroy TechnologiesMooresville, Nc, United States
I would rank Communication, Team Building, Stakeholder management, Change Management, Cost, Quality, and Adaptability. Saving Changes...
Interesting Julia! There is a difference between LEADERSHIP and MANAGEMENT as well as centralized vs. de-centralized leadership. PMBOK 6 in Chapter 3 lists the secret sauce for SUCCESS as a PM and what makes the top 2% stand out! It is none of the items listed in items 1 - 4.
My "E-V-I-C-T-E-D" acronym lists 7 things to lead up and "evict" mediocrity as a PM leader.
1. ENDURANCE - Go for the long-haul. Not a lightweight
2. VISION - See the future
3. INNOVATION - Steve Jobs got it right. This distinguishes a leader from the pack
4. COMMUNICATION - 90% of one's time as a PM is spent doing this verbally and non verbally
5. TRUST - Without this, leaders will not go far
6. EMPATHY - Keeps the leader centered on the reason they succeed (focus on others)
7. DECISIVENESS - Laser-focused - no waffling. Leaders need a solid backbone
If we shift to a hybrid view and introduce some AGILE, none of the first 4 items would be the top 7 because the team would be much more involved.
Love this. Thank you for sharing Saving Changes...
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