Top Skills for Project Managers: Lead, Strategize, and Succeed

Andy Jordan

President of Roffensian Consulting

 Andy Jordan is President of Roffensian Consulting S.A., a Roatan, Honduras based management consulting firm with a strong emphasis on organizational transformation, portfolio management and PMOs.  Andy is an in-demand keynote speaker and author who delivers thought provoking content in an engaging and entertaining style, and is also an instructor in project management related disciplines including PMO and portfolio management courses on LinkedIn Learning.

Project management today isn’t remotely like when I started leading projects almost 30 years ago.  In those days, it was primarily a management-based task.  We focused on ensuring the right people did the right work at the right time. We were battling simplistic technology tools to try and help us, and tasks such as risk management were frequently manual, inconsistent, and, well, just plain bad.

The idea of focusing on being a leader, developing an effective team, and helping people engage with their work was unheard of.  Sure, we focused on communication, but that was little more than ensuring everyone understood what they should be doing and who was waiting for them to finish.  There was no discussion of the big picture or consideration of whether team members might have a better approach—just execute the plan and don’t be late.

Today’s project manager – really, a project leader

Thankfully, things have changed.  The advancement of software capabilities now means that most actual management tasks can be automated, simplified and standardized with minimal human intervention.  As a result, today’s project managers are more leaders than managers.  That alters the required project management skills.  And that raises a key question:  What skills do project managers need to succeed today?

Perhaps more importantly, what essential skills will project managers need soon?  After all, that’s what current and future project managers must be focusing on.  To me, it comes down to two primary categories:

• Leadership – broadly, what would be considered the soft skills for project managers to help them create effective and efficient teams.
• Strategy – business awareness, results focus, and related capabilities are becoming increasingly important skills for project managers.

Let’s look at each in more detail.

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Leadership – the key differentiator

Many factors contribute to project success.  I firmly believe that the most important single aspect, however, is the ability of the team to work together and commit to delivering a successful outcome, which is a direct reflection of the project manager’s ability to develop and lead an engaged, productive team.

In many organizations, that’s a problem.  In its most recent survey, Gallup found that just 23 percent of employees were engaged, while the same survey showed that best practice organizations were achieving engagement levels of 70 percent.  That’s a massive difference that directly impacts the ability to deliver success.  But even that 70 percent number can (and should) be improved, and that’s where the best leaders come in.

Leadership skills for project managers are more than simple communication and similar foundational capabilities.  They must also include the ability to empower and inspire to increase a sense of ownership.  They must encourage collaboration with healthy disagreement to drive better results.  It’s also essential to support a willingness to question the status quo and push for better approaches and solutions in pursuit of excellence.  Finally, they must demonstrate the need to create an environment where people want to give their best daily.

This is the difference between good and great leadership.  It is recognition that even the best project manager cannot lead a team that doesn’t want to be led, and this is where project managers should be looking to hone their skills.  You can’t always measure great leadership in courses taken, certifications acquired, etc.  Rather, it is about the project manager’s self-awareness and commitment to build on their assets and address their development areas in every way.

Strategy – the context for everything

The skills required for project managers today are far broader than when I first started managing initiatives.  Project managers must now drive business value, delivering on time, scope, and budget and “on benefit.”  The solution must allow the business to achieve its intended value—cost savings, revenue, etc.

Thus, business acumen must be added to the list of required project management skills. It, alongside leadership, is becoming the key differentiator for project managers with the most critical projects to lead.  Individuals wanting those opportunities must not just learn how their organization and industry operate, but they must also truly understand how different factors impact performance.  Only then can they ensure they facilitate their team’s best and most significant contribution.

Again, you can’t learn this skill simply from reading or taking a course.  It requires discussions with stakeholders, exploration of why specific strategies are being pursued, and understanding the numerous variables that define an organization’s operating environment.  It requires a project manager who is committed to becoming a business leader.

The bottom line

In the last few years, the required skills for project managers have evolved tremendously.  That evolution is set to continue. So, project managers must embrace ongoing professional development to ensure their skills remain relevant to their role and employer.  The project manager who can build and lead a consistently high-performing team while delivering solutions that help their organization achieve its goals and objectives will have a long and successful career.