Chapter Summary

As the project manager, you will find yourself managing things, but leading people. Through your actions, your example, and your excitement for the project, you will find solutions to motivate, inspire , and urge your team to complete the project according to plan.

You can nearly always succeed by emulating the activities, processes, and solutions of other successful project managers and leaders they admire. By mimicking the abilities of successful leaders, you can begin to absorb and implement the same talents with your team.

IT project managers who come from a technical background may need to learn interpersonal skills, organizational abilities, and management techniques to best lead the team and benefit the company. On the other hand, project managers who come from a more traditional management background will need to gain experience and an education in the technology being implemented to be most effective.

You must allow the team to make decisions as a group . Discussion from each team member s perspective is required and will contribute to the overall good of the project. You ll also need a method for dealing with team members who don t want to contribute, or become confrontational when others conflict with their suggestions. There must be a balance of input, compromise, and some disagreement in discussions by the project team.

Managers of the project team must be as committed to the project as the project manager and the project team. To be a successful project manager, you have to make an effort to create relationships with management and share the news of the project status. The team members must also be given an opportunity to increase their value and their skills by working on critical path assignments. This can be accomplished by partnering less- experienced team members with a more advanced professional.

Finally, you need to recognize the two primary personality types ”hygiene seekers and motivation seekers ”and learn to use what excites them to move them forward on the project. Motivation seekers are likely to be the more exciting personality. These folks are achievers , entrepreneurial in nature, and excited by learning.

Leading a project team is one of the toughest assignments a project manager has. Developing a personal relationship with each team member, establishing mutual respect, and motivating each person to succeed will not only help you complete the project, it will make you a better person.