GREAT LEADERSHIP IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

1. GREAT LEADERSHIPIN PROJECT MANAGEMENT Sean Whitaker, PMP, BA, MSc, MBA

2. A Bit About Me . . . • Experienced project manager having successfully delivered construction, telecommunications and IT projects in NZ and Australia • PMP, BA, MSc, MBA • President of Project Management Institute of New Zealand • Project management trainer, author and speaker

3. Overview • Present a competency-based model for leadership • Present four key competencies for leadership within the profession of project management • Implications for project managers • Feel free to ask questions throughout

4. Leadership • Studying leadership and developing your own leadership abilities is important for both personal and professional reasons • For you personally, a path of growth through your own leadership development will enable you to reach the goals you have and fulfil your full potential • Take a proactive approach to accepting the personal and professional challenges that leadership opportunities present

5. The Value Of Leadership To Project Management • The value of project management • Properly applied professional project management practices do add bottom line value to an organisation • The value of leadership to project management • Leadership increases the likelihood of project success and the absence of leadership negatively affects projects

6. Defining Leadership What do you think defines Leadership and Leaders?

7. Leadership – Definition • The ‘Purposeful Influencing of Followers’

8. Purposeful The leader must accept the challenge that leadership presents and demands There are many people we may wish to follow who may not wish to lead

9. Influencing The leader must have a vision and be prepared to influence followers to see and move towards the vision

10. Followers Leadership is a relationship between those who choose to lead and those who choose to be lead Without followers there are no leaders A leader must acknowledge, value and protect this relationship

11. What about Followers and Followership? • Are you a Leader or a Follower? • If you are a Leader do you know what your followers expect of you? • If you are a Follower do you know what your leaders expect of you?

12. Born or Made? • There are certain behaviours and characteristics you are born with which may dispose you towards a certain style of leadership • Other than that it is entirely up to you if you wish to study leadership and learn to develop your particular leadership style • Leadership is situational, different situations call for different styles (i.e. charismatic leadership works well in transformational situations but can be a liability in other leadership situations))

13. So what? Now we know what leadership is, what are the characteristics, traits and skills a great leader should have?

14. The Leadership Development Spectrum Spiritual - Personal - Tasks - Technical

16. A Model for Leadership • Leadership within projects presents a unique situation • A project environment is finite and unique • It is also constrained by time, budget or resources • It needs a different prioritisation in the set of leadership competencies from an operational setting • Leadership in project management is situational and utilises 15 core competencies depending on several contextual factors such as project type, complexity, industry and size

17. The 15 Competencies of Leadership • Intellectual • Critical analysis and judgement • Vision and integration • Strategic perspective • Emotional • Self-awareness • Emotional resilience • Motivation • Sensitivity • Influence • Intuitiveness • Conscientiousness Managerial • Engaging communication • Managing resources • Empowering • Developing • Achieving

18. A Model for Leadership • Self-Awareness • Emotional Resilience • Motivation • Sensitivity • Influence • Intuitiveness • Conscientiousness • Critical Analysis & Judgement • Vision and Integration • Strategic Perspective • Engaging Communication • Managing Resources • Empowering • Developing • Achieving

19. Personal Foundation – It is Important • The need for an authentic personal foundation is central to leadership as during your career as a leader you will at one time or another be required to draw on and display whatever set of competencies are required due to the context of the situation • A strong authentic personal foundation is constant in all leadership situations • Without a strong personal foundation the dark, narcissistic side of leadership can take hold

20. What do you think . . .

21. Constant Core Competencies • A strong personal foundation is a constant requirements of great leadership • Many of the competencies of project leadership are situational. However, there are number of the 15 identified competencies, along with a strong personal foundation, which are regarded as constant no matter what the situation • The following research added weight to this • Overall the respondents can be described as highly experienced, motivated, intelligent and educated people working in a focussed, pressured and high profile profession

22. By Gender Female 28% Male 72% Romania 3% Jordan 3% Malaysia 3% Switzerland 3% Holland 3% Australia 6% The Interviewees By Industry Social services 3% Education 6% IT 59% Construction 31% By Country of Professional Origin By Country of Current Residence Jordan 3% Australia 3% USA 6% New Zealand 44% USA 9% New Zealand 88% UK 25%

23. Project Managers Why are you attracted to the profession of project management? Percentage of interviewees Variety, diversity and challenge Seeing workto completion Like organising/ planning Building something tangible Leadership role Finite nature Remuneration

24. What are your core values? Percentage of interviewees Honesty Integrity Humour Trust Authenticity Self-learning Fairness Passion Family Respect Sense of … Kindness Competition Pride Empathy EQ Humility Hospitality Project Managers

25. Your Leadership Experience • Think about a time in your life when you have accepted a leadership role. As a result of you being leader things went really well. • What behaviours, characteristics and traits did you display as a great leader? • What do you hope your followers would say about your leadership style?

26. The Core of Great Leadership What did they do when being great leaders? Percentage of interviewees Visionary Integrity Respect Fairness Passion Openness Charisma Trust Motivational Empathy Took responsibility Self-regulation Issue resolution Humour Use of authority Communication Servant leadership Coaching/Mentoring

27. Your Followership Experience • Think about a person in your life who has inspired you with their leadership role • What was it about this person that you admired? • What lesson did this person teach you about leadership that you would pass on to someone wanting to be a great leader?

28. The Core of Great Leadership What did they admire in great leaders? Percentage of interviewees Passion Humour Humility Honesty Kindness Friendship Authenticity Diplomacy Trust Empathy Listening Protector Self-regulation Visionary Use of authority Communication Servant leadership Took responsibility Coaching/Mentoring Charisma/confidence

29. The 15 Competencies of Leadership • Intellectual • Critical analysis and judgement • Vision and integration • Strategic perspective • Emotional • Self-awareness • Emotional resilience • Motivation • Sensitivity • Influence • Intuitiveness • Conscientiousness Managerial • Engaging communication • Managing resources • Empowering • Developing • Achieving

30. Bridging the Gap What things do they need to work on to become a great leader? Percentage of interviewees People skills Strategic/ visionary Work on leadership skills Coaching/ mentoring role Better processes Empathy Communication skills Confidence Servant leader Proactive

31. Becoming a Great Leader • Now we can see what the essential and core elements of leadership within the professional of project management we can look at ways to develop the required core competencies of great leadership

32. 5 Practices of Exemplary Leaders • Model the Way • Inspire a shared Vision • Challenge the Process • Enable others to Act • Encourage the Heart

33. Model the Way 1. Find your voice by clarifying your personal values2. Set the example by aligning your words and actions Titles are granted but its your behaviour that wins you respect Leaders are supposed to stand up for their beliefs, so they’d better have some beliefs to stand up for. People follow first the person, then the plan

34. Inspire a Shared Vision 3. Envision the future by imagining exciting possibilities4. Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations Leaders gaze across the horizon of time, imagining the attractive opportunities that are in store when they and their followers arrive at a distant destination Leadership is a dialogue not a monologue so you have to listen to others as you communicate your vision Your enthusiasm and passion for your vision will be catching

35. Passion defined pas·sion [pash-uh n] – noun an instance or experience of strong love or sexual desire. a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything i.e. a passion for music. [dictionary.com] The best leaders are passionate about what they do. Discover what you are passionate about.

36. Challenge the Process 5. Search for opportunities by seeking innovative easy to change, grow and improve6.Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from mistakes Leaders are pioneers and are willing to step into the unknown. Don’t sit around waiting for luck to make things happen. Leaders search for opportunities to innovate, grow and improve Failure doesn’t guarantee future success without the ability to learn – Try, fail, learn

37. Enable Others to Act 7.Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust8. Strengthen others by sharing power and discretion Leaders foster collaboration and build trust to build teamwork. A leader who can make people feel strong and capable will get more from their team. Leaders enable others to act not by hoarding the power they have but by giving it away – empower your people to be amazing and exceed their own personal best.

38. Encourage the Heart 9. Recognise contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence10. Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community Leaders encourage the heart of their followers to carry on. Recognise contributions, celebrate values and victories This demands that you are authentic and genuine People will know if you aren't a genuine person.

39. How can you apply all of this? • First make a decision to develop your leadership skills. They can be learnt • How do you think you can apply what we have gone over today? At your work place? In your personal life? • Leadership opportunities are everywhere • Follow the K&P model and start a journal noting down where and when you have, or wished you had, developed and displayed any of the 5 characteristics • Take the opportunity to get feedback from followers – ask the hard questions and accept the answers • Copy those leaders you admire – get a leadership mentor

40. Summary • Project management adds value to organisations • Leadership adds value to project management • Great project leaders demonstrate great communication,a vision, trust and empathy • Protect your personal foundation • Project environments are more focussed and constrained than operational environments and this affects leadership skills used • Actively (and proactively) seek to develop within yourself the traits of a great leader. • Just as you would study medicine to become a great doctor you can study leadership to become a great leader

41. Further reading • The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner • The Encouraging the Heart Workbook, Kouzes and Posner • True North, Bill George • Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman

42. Final Thoughts • The project management profession must take responsibility for developing our own leaders • Make leadership development a core component of ongoing professional development

43. Thank you • Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or feedback. • Sean Whitaker, sean@falcontraining.com (and on LinkedIn)