Introduction

Each and every one of us has worked with a manager or project manager who has been great at developing schedules or budgets, and even getting the work done, but that we would not characterize as a great manager. Despite being able to generally accomplish the activities of a manager, the person is lacking some intangible characteristic that prevents him or her from being considered a great manager. What is the elusive characteristic that he or she lacks? Broadly, we would call it leadership.

Leadership is that somewhat intangible quality that allows a passable, or even good manager, to transcend the mere nuts and bolts that constitute a project. A project is ultimately about focusing people’s energy, and a leader both understands and is able to focus that energy. This article identifies three key characteristics that distinguish leadership from simple management.

Vision for the project

Vision is a key aspect of leadership. The project manager needs to have a strong vision for the project. This means not only understanding what the project is going to create or how to get it done, but why it should be done in the first place. The project manager should have a strong and clear vision for why the project is important to both the organization and the people who will be affected by it. The project manager should also be prepared to articulate this vision and promote it to all project stakeholders.

I recall working as the assistant project manager on a project that was severely challenged. The project was well behind schedule and was in jeopardy of being terminated. My own commitment and interest was waning just as quickly as the other team members and stakeholders. A new project manager who had a very strong vision was appointed. She understood the importance of the project to the organization and, just as importantly, was able to articulate it to all stakeholders. She became the project’s chief salesperson and “sold” the vision to all involved. The project was eventually completed and was very successful despite its early challenges.

Consultative decision-making

Another key aspect of leadership is the ability to involve a wide array of people in a collaborative process. A strong leader is one who consults with his or her project team and the other project stakeholders. Consultative decision-making is the process by which the project manager considers the opinions and thoughts of the team members or other stakeholders, and then makes an appropriate decision about how to proceed. It definitely sounds simple, but it can be difficult to achieve the balance between the accountability that comes with being the decision-maker and ensuring that the ideas and opinions of others, who usually know more about their work than you do, are carefully considered.

I did work for a client whose approach to decision-making and management was to command people to do things. He honestly felt that this would produce the best results and most work from people. It doesn’t. In fact, the staff turnover rate was about 50% in his team. Autocratic decision-making does not engender loyalty from project team members, nor does it recognize that team members or other stakeholders have expertise in various subject areas that the project manager may not have. On the other hand, diffusing responsibility for all decision-making to project team members can easily lead to a lack of focus in the project and also implicitly communicates the message that the project manager is uninterested in the work of the team members.

Committed to producing

The final key to leadership is understanding the scope and constraints of particular project activities and encouraging team members to produce within the scope and constraints. The project manager needs to encourage team members to produce the work assigned to them within the time and effort that is allocated to the activity. Meeting the smaller goals and deadlines ultimately translates into being able to meet the major goals and deadlines for the project. Inability to meet these goals and deadlines may otherwise cause the project to languish and generate a culture in which missed goals and deadlines are acceptable.

One of my first experiences was working with a manager who at first seemed a born leader – his clear vision and enthusiasm were infectious and the team around him were all made to feel essential. I left most weekly meetings with a spring in my step. His enthusiasm, however, was paired with a no-pressure attitude and fuzzy deadlines. We settled into a habit of taking a little bit longer to do many simple things – “taking extra care” was how I looked at it. The project began to languish. The project did not meet its deadline nor did we feel positive about the outcomes, mostly because we were not encouraged to achieve.

Summary

There are some intangible qualities that distinguish leaders from project managers. Project managers are able to create schedules and plans and budgets, and may even do it very well. Leaders, however, are able to motivate people and encourage people to achieve even when the circumstances are difficult.

This article attempts to capture three key characteristics that make a manager a leader: having and communicating a vision; consultative decision-making; and being committed to producing good and timely work. These may not be the only characteristics, but they will certainly help a project manager rise above the rest. A strong, galvanizing leader provides his or her projects with momentum, focus, and collaboration. These elements will not only significantly improve your chances of success, but will also make for a much happier project team!

Blair Witzel (blair@mcdoane.com) is a member of the Project Management Institute and a consultant with McDonnell Doane + Associates, an information management and technology firm focusing on the not-for-profit and public sectors. His work centres on managing multi-project portfolios and working with organizations to develop project management methodologies to more effectively deliver projects.