From good to great: The traits of highly effective project mangers

You know that feeling you get right in the pit of your stomach when you're stood next to someone (most likely at a fancy dinner party) who's incredibly smart, witty, the life and soul of the party.

That same person almost always has an incredibly exciting job and as much as I love what I do, working at APM often puts me in direct contact with people like this.

While it might seem like the very best in our business are born great, have achieved greatness or have had greatness thrust upon them, the truth is somewhere in between. Read on to see what the people in charge of some of the most important and impactful projects have to say on the topic.

Truly great project managers turn the people dial to maximum 

The project managers who stand out prioritise relationships above everything else. Which makes sense when you think that it’s not machines or software that bring projects to life; it’s people.

I find that almost every discussion I've had about the traits of highly effective project managers focus nearly entirely on those innate, human-centric qualities often labelled ‘soft skills'. These enable the very best to excel in their communications and to develop deeper connections with their teams and clients.

In practice, this means that truly great project managers understand their clients' needs better than anyone else (sometimes even more so than the client), and they recognise that it’s about more than just meeting deadlines.

Underlying all this is the ability to self-regulate and keep emotions in check while navigating even the most challenging situations. When you're in charge of delivering a nuclear reactor or the rollout of a new vaccine, it's the great project manager who maintains the middle ground when things go up, down or sideways.

Who’s the smartest person in the room?

From navigating egos to playing parent to clients throwing out the proverbial toy (or two), the modern-day project manager isn’t just needing to be the smartest technical expert in the room anymore - they’re also just as focused on coaching and leading people.

The very best have high emotional intelligence, reading rooms with ease and resolving conflict with the grace of the most capable diplomat.

They also ensure the right people are always in the loop, simplifying complex ideas into easily digestible formats for those who only need the headlines while speaking the language of strategy to c-suites.

Are younger generations changing the game?

You might be wondering whether younger project managers have an advantage here. Generation Z and millennials tend to have higher emotional awareness, having grown up in a world that is more aware of their mental health. 

The younger generation also tends to be better at identifying and sharing their feelings while also being more inclusive and rebelling against typical stiff-upper-lip-type behaviours (like stoicism) when things get tough.

Millennials are changing workplace cultures by normalising emotional health, and while boomers are having to keep up, it’s important to remember that older generations tend to have better emotional regulation when under pressure.

The moral of the story is that there's plenty we can learn from one another. As important as mentoring is for those newer to the profession, reverse mentoring (for those of us who are slightly longer in the tooth) is just as important.

Younger generations can provide insights into new technologies, cultural trends and social issues while older generations offer context and perspective. This exchange of knowledge is what separates the good from the great as it helps turbo charge emotional intelligence and strengthens how we communicate.

Introducing the human-centric servant leader

With more and more administrative work set for automation, project managers need to keep their emotional intelligence switch to ‘on’ at all times. In fact, when it comes to upskilling, it’s likely we’ll increasingly look to the world of behavioral psychology for help.

But how do you go from good to great?

There’s no doubt the most effective project managers blend vision with execution. They obsess over uncovering the right problems to solve and go to bed dreaming about how they will deliver the most benefits possible.

However, it’s the ‘servant leader’ project manager, the one who flips the traditional leadership pyramid on its head and champions the growth of others, that succeeds in this brave new world.

My top tip? It's simple really. As we've heard many times before, our profession is all about people, so go out of your way to observe the people around you. The great project managers are constantly modelling the behaviours they want to see in their teams, so you won't have to look far. 

 

You may also be interested in:

• Attend the APM Women in Project Management Conference
• What is project team management and leadership?
• Explore leadership resources the APM Learning