DEMONSTRATE LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS

Figure 3-7. Demonstrate Leadership Behaviors

Projects create a unique need for effective leadership. Unlike general business operations, where roles and responsibilities are often established and consistent, projects often involve multiple organizations, departments, functions, or vendors that do not interact on a regular basis. Moreover, projects may carry higher stakes and expectations than regular operational functions. As a result, a broader array of managers, executives, senior contributors, and other stakeholders attempt to influence a project. This often creates higher degrees of confusion and conflict. Consequently, higher-performing projects demonstrate effective leadership behaviors more frequently, and from more people than most projects.

A project environment that prioritizes vision, creativity, motivation, enthusiasm, encouragement, and empathy can support better outcomes. These traits are often associated with leadership. Leadership comprises the attitude, talent, character, and behaviors to influence individuals within and outside the project team toward the desired outcomes.

Leadership is not exclusive to any specific role. High-performing projects may feature multiple people exhibiting effective leadership skills, for example, the project manager, sponsors, stakeholders, senior management, or even project team members. Anyone working on a project can demonstrate effective leadership traits, styles, and skills to help the project team perform and deliver the required results.

It is important to note that more conflict and confusion can emerge when too many participants attempt to exert project influence in multiple, misaligned directions. However, higher-performing projects show a paradoxical combination of more influencers, each contributing more leadership skills in a complementary fashion. For example: if a sponsor articulates clear priorities, then a technical lead opens the discussion for delivery options, where individual contributors assert pros and cons until the project manager brings the conversation to a consensus strategy. Successful leadership enables someone to influence, motivate, direct, and coach people under any condition. It also incorporates characteristics derived from an organization’s culture and practices.

Leadership should not be confused with authority, which is the position of control given to individuals within an organization to foster overall effective and efficient function. Authority is the right to exercise power. Authority is usually delegated to a person by formal means such as a charter document or designated title. This person may then have a role or position description that indicates their authority. Authority denotes accountability for certain activities, actions of individuals, or decision making in certain circumstances. While individuals may use their authority to influence, motivate, direct others, or act when others do not perform or act as directed or requested, this is not the same as leadership. For example, organizational executives may grant someone the authority to form a project team to deliver an outcome. However, authority alone is insufficient. It takes leadership to motivate a group toward a common goal, influence them to align their individual interests in favor of collective effort, and achieve success as a project team rather than as individuals.

Effective leadership draws from or combines elements of various styles of leadership. Documented leadership styles range from autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, directive, participative, assertive, supportive, and autocratic to consensus. Of all these, no single leadership style has proven to be the universally best or recommended approach. Instead, effective leadership is shown when it best fits a given situation. For example:

• In moments of chaos, directive action creates more clarity and momentum than collaborative problem solving.
• For environments with highly competent and engaged staff, empowered delegation elicits more productivity than centralized coordination.

When senior managers suffer conflict over priorities, neutral facilitation helps more than detailed recommendations. Effective leadership skill is grown. It can be learned and developed so that it becomes a professional asset to the individual, as well as a benefit to the project and its stakeholders. High-performing projects show a pervasive pattern of continuous improvement down to the personal level. A project team member deepens leadership acumen by adding or practicing a combination of various skills or techniques, including but not limited to:

• Focusing a project team around agreed goals,
• Articulating a motivating vision for the project outcomes,
• Seeking resources and support for the project,
• Generating consensus on the best way forward,
• Overcoming obstacles to project progress,
• Negotiating and resolving conflict within the project team and between the project team and other stakeholders,
• Adapting communication style and messaging so that they are relevant to the audience,
• Coaching and mentoring fellow project team members,
• Appreciating and rewarding positive behaviors and contributions,
• Providing opportunities for skill growth and development,
• Facilitating collaborative decision making,
• Employing effective conversations and active listening,
• Empowering project team members and delegating responsibilities to them,
• Building a cohesive project team that takes responsibility,
• Showing empathy for project team and stakeholder perspectives,
• Having self-awareness of one’s own bias and behaviors,
• Managing and adapting to change during the project life cycle,
• Facilitating a fail-fast/learn quickly mindset by acknowledging mistakes, and
• Role modeling of desired behaviors.

Personal character matters in a leader. A person may have strong ability in leadership skills but then have their influence undermined by the perception of being self-serving or untrustworthy. Effective leaders seek to be a role model in areas of honesty, integrity, and ethical conduct. Effective leaders focus on being transparent, behave unselfishly, and are able to ask for help. Effective leaders understand that project team members scrutinize and emulate the values, ethics, and behaviors that leaders exhibit. Therefore, leaders have an additional responsibility to demonstrate expected behaviors through their actions.

Projects work best when leaders understand what motivates people. Project teams can thrive when project team members use appropriate leadership traits, skills, and characteristics that match the specific needs and expectations of stakeholders. Knowing how to best communicate with or motivate people, or take action when required, can help improve project team performance and manage obstacles to project success. When practiced by more than one person on a project, leadership can foster shared responsibility toward the project goal, which in turn can foster a healthy and vibrant environment. Motivators include such forces as finances, recognition, autonomy, compelling purpose, growth opportunity, and personal contribution.

Effective leadership promotes project success and contributes to positive project outcomes. Project teams, individual project team members, and other stakeholders are engaged throughout a well-led project. Each project team member can focus on delivering results using a common vision and working toward shared outcomes. Effective leadership is essential in helping project teams maintain an ethical and adaptable environment.

Additionally, business obligations can be fulfilled based on delegated responsibility and authority. Shared leadership does not undermine or diminish the role or authority of a leader designated by the organization, nor does it diminish the need for that leader to apply the right leadership style and skills at the right time.

By blending styles, continuing skill growth, and leveraging motivators, any project team member or stakeholder can motivate, influence, coach, and grow the project team, regardless of role or position.