10 Things That All Great Project Managers Do

10 Things That All Great Project Managers Do

They Seek Clarity From Start to FinishThey Seek Clarity From Start to Finish

Ambiguous marching orders or confusion lead directly to mistakes, repeated processes and blown deadlines and budgets.

They Don't They Don’t “Ask for Permission” to Assert Authority

They give directives because they know how to get the job done. They don’t resort to wishy-washy qualifiers such as “The higher-ups told us to do this ….”

They Edit Information as It's PresentedThey Edit Information as It’s Presented

Because there’s always “noise” in workplace conversations, they immediately know which facts are important to the project and which aren’t.

They Re-Evaluate on the FlyThey Re-Evaluate on the Fly

Frequent market and logistical shifts demand the constant adjustment of the game plan. While due diligence is necessary, paralysis through over-analysis will drag down a project.

They Craft Conversations for their AudienceThey Craft Conversations for their Audience

They know the goals and pain points of every team member and stakeholder. That’s because they’re great listeners first, and skilled speakers second.

They Stick to Regular Communications SchedulesThey Stick to Regular Communications Schedules

This doesn’t mean incessant meetings. It speaks to knowing when each project cycle merits productive exchanges.

They Put the Right People in the Right PositionsThey Put the Right People in the Right Positions

Like a great football coach, they design their play book according to the distinct talents of their players, as opposed to forcing round pegs into square holes.

They Exude IntegrityThey Exude Integrity

Because without it, they recognize that they have no credibility and, thus, will earn no real commitment from their project teams.

They Maintain ComposureThey Maintain Composure

They realize that team members will judge them by how they lead through adversity much more so than during the good times.

They Respect Work-Life BalanceThey Respect Work-Life Balance

Sure, deadlines and budgets matter, as does exceeding stakeholders’ expectations. But this can’t come at the expense of driving team members into the ground and burning them out. Great project managers think long-term.

Dennis McCafferty
Dennis McCafferty
Dennis McCafferty is a contributor to CIO Insight. He covers topics such as IT leadership, IT strategy, collaboration, and IT for businesses.

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