Blog no. 5 – Six must have skills in a Project Manager (Interpersonal)

As a project manager, you have to rely on your project management knowledge and your general management skills. Your ability to plan the project, execute it properly, and of course control it and bring it to a successful conclusion, along with your ability to guide the project team to achieve project objectives and balance project constraints. In some respects, managing a project is similar to running a business: there are risk and rewards, finance and accounting activities, human resource issues, time management, stress management, and a purpose for the project to exist.

But in addition to above, you also have to bring the ability into the project to manage personal relationships and deal with personnel issues as they arise i.e. “Interpersonal Skills“

The “P” in PM is as much about “People” management as it is about “Project” management.

Here are the 6 interpersonal skills you need to develop / own, if you want to become a successful Project Manager.

Skill no. 1 – Communication: – Project managers spend 90% of their time communicating. Therefore they must be good communicators, promoting clear, unambiguous exchange of information. As a project manager, it is your job to keep a number of people well informed. It is essential that your project stakeholders know what is expected of them: what they have to do,when they have to do it, and what budget and time constraints and quality specifications they are working toward. If project staff members do not know what their tasks are, or how to accomplish them, then the entire project will grind to a halt.If you do not know what the project staff is (or often is not) doing, then you will be unable to monitor project progress. Finally, if you are uncertain of what your Client expects of you, then the project will not even get off the ground. Project communication can thus be summed up as knowing “who needs what information and when” and making sure they have it. All projects require robust communication plans, but not all projects will have the same types of communication or the same methods for distributing the information. For example, will information be distributed via a call or email. The communication management plan documents how the communication needs of the stakeholders will be met, including the types of information that will be communicated, who will communicate them, and who will receive them; the methods used to communicate; the timing and frequency of communication; the method for updating the plan as the project progresses, including the escalation process; and a glossary of common terms. 

Communication must be HOT – Honest, Open & Two-way … – Dan Oswald

Skill no. 2 – Influence: – Project management is about getting things done. Every organization is different in its policies, modes of operations, and underlying culture. There are political alliances, differing motivations, conflicting interests, and power struggles. A project manager must understand all of the unspoken influences at work within an organization. 

You will never influence the world by being just like it …..

Skill no. 3 – Leadership: – This is one of the most important interpersonal skills required in a Project Manager. Leadership is the ability to motivate and inspire individuals to work toward expected results. Leaders inspire vision and rally people around common goals. A good project manager can motivate and inspire the project team to see the vision and value of the project. The project manager as a leader can inspire the project team to find a solution to overcome perceived obstacles to get the work done.

A Leader is one who knows the way, goes the way & shows the way …..

Skill no. 4 – Motivation: – Motivation helps people work more efficiently and produce better results. Motivation is a constant process that the project manager must guide to help the team move towards completion, with passion and a profound reason to complete the work. Motivating the team is accomplished by using a variety of team-building techniques and exercises. Team building is simply getting a diverse group of people to work together in the most efficient and effective manner possible. This may involve management events as well as individual actions designed to improve team performance. Recognition and rewards are an important part of team motivations. They are formal ways of recognizing and promoting desirable behavior and are most effective when carried out by the management team and the project manager. Consider individual preferences and cultural differences when using rewards and recognition. Some people don’t like to be recognized in front of a group; others thrive on it.

Recognition is proven as among the best method of improving work motivation & employee engagement …. Majority of the employees say that they’ll work harder if they were better recognized ….

Skill no. 5 – Negotiation: – Project managers must negotiate for the good of the project. In any project, the project manager, the project sponsor, and the project team will have to negotiate with stakeholders, vendors, and customers to reach a level of agreement acceptable to all parties involved in the negotiation process. 

Skill no. 6 – Problem solving: – Problem solving is the ability to understand the heart of a problem, create a mitigation plan and then make a decision to implement that solution. The starting point for problem solving is problem definition. Problem definition is the ability to understand the cause and effect of the problem; this centers on root-cause analysis. If a project manager treats only the symptoms of a problem rather than its cause, the symptoms will perpetuate and continue through the project life. Even worse, treating a symptom may result in a greater problem. Root-cause analysis looks beyond the immediate symptoms to the cause of the symptoms, which then creates the ability to find an opportunity to identify a solution. A viable solution focuses on more than just the problem; it looks at the cause and effect of the solution itself. In addition, a timely decision is needed or the window of opportunity may pass and then a new decision will be needed to address the problem. As in most cases, the worst thing you can do is nothing.

Closure note: – Being a Project Manager is a mix of both Project as well as People Management skills. These were few key interpersonal skills which a Project Manager should possess.

Kindly share your thoughts on this topic, blog & please feel free to get in touch with me if you need any support (Details are available in the about me section of my page)..

Thank you & stay safe …