How to lead and manage projects with confidence
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Every day, organizations spend billions of dollars on projects that often fail miserably or go way over budget. Why do so many projects run into problems? While there are numerous reasons why they fail, leadership is key to avoiding these problems.
What is project leadership
To be an effective leader for your project, you must have a clear vision and the ability to inspire people. You should also provide strong direction that keeps team members focused, as well as create a work environment where everyone feels valued and motivated to accomplish the goals set out for them. Project leaders must have a combination of skills from both personal areas as well as technical knowledge specific to their areas. You can even obtain a graduate diploma in Project Management online by enrolling in a distance learning course to help you become more familiar with project management concepts, so you can lead your team through the many difficulties of a project.
Use the tips below to help you become a better project leader and avoid common pitfalls that face many new leaders.
Take a project management course
The first step to becoming a better project leader is to take some courses that will help you learn how to spot potential problems at the early stages of your projects. This will allow you to develop preventive measures before things get out of hand. Certified Project Management professionals are available on platforms where you can enroll for the best PMP training online or any other course on different project management tools and techniques. You can easily take up some courses and enroll for a Graduate Diploma in Project Management online if you are interested in learning or refreshing your knowledge about Project management. By taking these courses, you will learn proven methodologies and techniques for successfully managing projects.
Improve your communication skills
Effective communication skills are essential if you want your project team members to have a positive working environment, so it’s important to focus on good verbal as well as written communication. Great communication is crucial when it comes to project leadership. You need to be able to provide your team with clear instructions while also ensuring that everyone understands their role. This includes setting the right tone, so people will trust you and want to follow your lead. It’s also important that you are able to motivate people by communicating what needs to get done, who will do it and why it’s important.
Build your support team
One of the biggest mistakes made by new leaders is thinking they can do everything themselves. While it’s important to be confident in your abilities, this will only hinder your progress and make you appear weak to your co-workers. You should always reach out for help when needed or when things get too overwhelming. There is no need for you to know every little detail about the project, and what’s really important is that key information gets relayed correctly to your team members. So take advantage of other people on your support team such as department heads, mentors, etc because having on board will increase the success rate of your leadership skills.
Have a plan
Don’t set out on a project without first having a clear idea about what it is you are trying to accomplish. If you are the leader in charge of project management, then it’s up to you to give direction and make sure everyone is working towards the same goal. Have an effective communication plan in place, especially if there are people who work remotely or outside the office. Knowing things like which type of communication tools they use can be very beneficial because this allows for information sharing at all times. So make every effort to keep every person well-informed by being accessible yourself, rather than turning into an isolated person that works behind closed doors just because you have too much work on your plate.
Build trust & relationships with your team
Building trusting relationships is key. It’s important to find out about team members and learn what strengths and weaknesses they may have. You should also be able to work well with all types of personalities because that will help improve your ability to lead effectively while avoiding problems such as miscommunication. Trust is the foundation for any successful relationship whether personal or professional, and you can build trust within your own team by spending time getting to know them, showing interest in their lives outside of work, sharing details about yours such as hobbies, etc. If someone on your team has a unique skill set that could benefit the project, take full advantage of it, even if it’s something you don’t know much about yourself.
Know your strengths & weaknesses
When it comes to leadership and management skills, some people naturally have more than others. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t focus on improving your own areas of expertise or be willing to seek help from others if need be. As a project leader, it’s important for you to know what the strengths of each person on your team are, so you can decide who would best reach out to certain clients or subcontractors if necessary. For example, maybe one person is particularly good with business development, or with details which could make them ideal for communicating with an accountant about billing issues whereas another person may have better-written communication skills making them well suited for updating the company blog or answering client questions via email.
Make time to network
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It’s always good to meet new people, and getting out there to various networking events is a great way of doing just that. The idea is to meet people, not just for the sake of it, but to expand your network and find people who may be able to help you in some way or have skills that complement your team’s needs. You can even look into joining relevant groups online such as LinkedIn, so you can connect with professionals who work in similar fields, plus conduct research on potential subcontractors before taking them on board.
You don’t become a good project leader overnight. You have to learn through experience and time spent practicing, which means making mistakes along the way and learning from them too. Remember that you will need support and encouragement from time to time. You can’t do everything yourself, and it would be a mistake not to enlist the help of others when needed. By taking a course and building on your leadership skills, you will be well on your way to becoming an effective leader with strong leadership skills.
