While there have been various traits and qualities that can be equated to the title, ‘Great or Effective Project Manager,’ these traits are not revolutionary to all of us. However, they have evolved and improved as the years and experiences have given various project managers the opportunities to become better than they were in the past.
Effective project managers are not only good, they are great and can produce great projects. Their new attributes are emerging and these managers have stronger business acumen, with a strategically focused mindset. They are visionary, analytical, and conceptual – the key attributes that are expected of great project managers.
When we say strong business acumen, these managers not only demonstrate a thorough understanding of how different types of businesses work but they also have developed financial literacy. Both business and financial literacy skills have made them learn how strategies can drive a profitable business with a sustainable growth.
The skills of a 21st century project manager have been harnessed to include new attributes that have been helpful in achieving their business goals.
- In the past, a good project manager need to love his work but now, project managers also need to embrace the various challenges that they meet along the way.
- Effective managers have clear vision of where they are heading. However, the most effective managers know how to communicate this vision to the team members in the best possible way.
- A project manager is not only a business manager but also an effective team leader with strong team building skills. Today, the project manager as a team leader needs to set positive tones in every activity that the team performs.
- While good project managers need to establish structure and alignment in their projects, they also need to create an environment conducive for the whole team to arrive to their direction.
- Without strong interpersonal skills, a project manager can never be effective. As such, he needs to listen to as well as lead his team effectively to the right path keeping them all together united in one common goal.
- An effective project manager has strong discipline, not only for himself but also in the way each phase of the project is being completed. He knows how to instill this quality in his members in the way he manages the whole project in all its aspects.
- Effective communication skills are essential to becoming a great project manager. Technology has brought about various methods of communication which have changed the way businesses are being managed. Great project managers need to know when to communicate and to whom to communicate. He also needs to understand the effects of the different methods of communication brought about by technology advancements and to be able to use them properly in collaborating with his team members.
Though these traits have enhanced over time, the 21st century managers will go a long way in improving their qualities and skills as technology and business change their course in the years to come.
