Harlan BridgesConsultant, Coach, Trainer, Speaker, Program Manager, Project Manager| EntrepreneurSeguin, Tx, United States
I recently spotted a posting on LinkedIn titled From Project Manager to Project Leader. I eagerly went to the post, expecting a discussion of this great topic. Unfortunately, it was an article espousing how a software tool will turn a project manager into a leader.
What makes a person a leader? What is leadership to you? Saving Changes...
Mark Price PerryBusiness Driven PMO Evangelist| BOT InternationalOrlando, Fl, United States
Harlan, great post. I had to laugh as I got to the part in your post about the article espousing a software tool. No doubt tools can help, but...
Leadership can mean different things to different people and some folks are inherently good at it; others less so. Many folks advocate that leadership is both a mindset and set of actions. For many project managers and PMO managers, the servant-leadership model can be an effective leadership philosophy and set of actions to use.
For anyone interested in leadership, there is a very good (and controversial) new book from Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, titled "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead." In this book, Sandberg shows why women’s progress as leaders has stalled, explains why, and offers advice for women to achieve their full potential. The points that Sandberg makes are universal and not limited to just women. Great leadership read, provoking and inspirational. Saving Changes...
Kenneth KatzRelease Train Engineer/IT Project Manager| UnitedHealth GroupEnfield, Ct, United States
Management is the physics of things (resources, schedules, costs, estimates, plans, etc.).
Leadership is the chemistry of people.
Both are required for success. Saving Changes...
Wai Mun KooPMO Director| Intergraph PP&MSingapore, Singapore
Mark, I agree and choked on it too. It reminds me of giving a powerful magical wand to a sorcerer. Does it make him a power sorcerer? Probably yes, but it definitely will not him King Arthur.
Thanks for sharing the book. Saving Changes...
Wayne StriderVice President| Strider & Cline Inc.Kansas City, Mo, United States
Project leadership focuses on working with people so that
everyone can do their best project work. It is the job of a project leader to create an environment in which the project team can be successful. Shameless marketing to follow: My book, Powerful Project Leadership, explains how to do just that. Saving Changes...
Leadership is a trait that makes a big big difference. Looking at the situation and what that situation demands proceed towards the objective and the beauty is that leader just do not take the solo flight rather they take everybody on board , win their trust and teams / people standby with them . A true leader is the one who leads his/her tribe in a definitive direction that can lead to meet objectives (time , cost , scope) and maintain the quality for all these factors striving during the entire project life cycle.
No tool can take you to the success until the direction is not right ..tool can help reach the goal and can optimize the results but end of the day , intelligent use of tool can ensure the success (if tool is capable enough to empower team to get results).
A true leader is vibrant , observant and optimistic no matter how hard is the situation , he observe , makes up an orientation (self / team) and as encounter to the situation in an appropriate manner.
Saving Changes...
Ben SimontonPresident| Simonton AssociatesSun City Center, Fl, United States
Leadership can only be understood by knowing what it is that followers follow. In the workplace, they follow the value standards reflected in what they experience. What they experience is mostly provided to them by management meaning training, coaching, tools, discipline, direction, planning, rules, information, and the like. They absorb these standards and use them as how to do their work and treat their customers, each other and their bosses - how industriously, honestly, knowledgeably, respectfully, caringly, and the like.
Leaders can choose to control their employees with commands, goals, targets, rules, etc. All of these treat their employees with disrespect and so it is no surprise that employees would tend to treat their work, their customers, each other, and their bosses with disrespect.
Best regards, Ben
www.bensimonton.com
Saving Changes...
Peter WrightProgramme Manager| BAE SystemsSouthport, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Kind of related but there was also an additonal item on linked in in the CMI group
The question asked was "What's your one piece of advice you pass on as one leader to another?"
I think these are relevant to the question here for "Project Leader" if I assume Project Leader = the project manager utilising skills and competencies of leadership to manage the project.
Saving Changes...
Imran ManirSenior Project ManagerBurton On Trent, United Kingdom
Ultimately, the ability to influence and convince others of the values and beliefs held by the leader will determine the success of that individual in this capacity.
That's based on the view that one of the key measures of successful leadership is the extent to which your team (and others in the project environment) are willing to go with your ideas, approaches, decisions and values.
Personally, I believe that whilst you can appoint someone into a "leadership" role, it's the team around him/her that will ultimately decide their leadership capabilities.
Authority allows you to manage - respect allows you to lead. Saving Changes...
Wayne StriderVice President| Strider & Cline Inc.Kansas City, Mo, United States
Imran, I really like what you said,"Authority allows you to manage - respect allows you to lead."
I'm sure you didn't mean this, but I interpreted your "key measures of successful leadership" comment to mean the leader has the ideas and others go with him or not. I have seen that successful leaders are able to create an environment where the best ideas from any member of the team can be heard come forth. Saving Changes...
"If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas."
