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Leading the Pack: Effective Leadership of Your Team Means Great Results

Project management is really about the management of your team.  How you lead your team largely determines the project’s success.  If there isn’t a solid strategy in place, things can turn into chaos quickly.  Of course, communication is the largest factor of success in a project’s lifecycle, however great leaders also need to have the following qualities:

1. Passion

If you are passionate about the success of a project, express that passion.  Show your team that what they are doing is important and has a purpose, an impact.  Passion is what breeds excellence.  If you put your all into a project, chances are the results will be doubly as great than if you were uninspired and dreading the work.  Passion also has a way of rubbing off on people.  The excitement is contagious.  Soon, not only will your team be putting their all into a project, but their morale will also increase.

2. Courage

Face problems without the slightest hint of a wince.  Have back-up strategies to deal with any risks.  Great project management includes fantastic risk management as well.  If you don’t know how to manage risk, and you begin to lose your cool and start hiding under your desk, what does that show your team about your ability to lead?  Instead, remain calm and confident that everything will be solved quickly and smoothly.  Your team will follow your lead.

Another note:  don’t be too cowardly to take any risk in the first place.  All projects should be open to new solutions.  Encourage creativity.  Take risks when need be.  This will also show your team that you have the courage to try new things as a leader.

3. Respect

Establish your image immediately.  Be friendly, yet remember that you aren’t here to be anyone’s friend.  You don’t want to be the boss from hell, and you definitely don’t want to be the office golden retriever looking for everyone’s approval at every opportunity.  Establish yourself as the authority on all things project-related, but be open to suggestions and improvements to the processes in your project’s lifecycle.

4. Resilience

So not everything went according to plan.  That’s okay.  It happens.  Spring back from the problems and failures.  Learn from the experience, and don’t make the same mistakes the next time around.  Turn your biggest failures into your most rewarding successes.  If you can manage this, you’ll be able to manage any team with pride.

These four traits go hand in hand.  They’ll determine your team’s successes in the short term, and your success as a project manager in the long term.  Practice cultivating each of these traits everyday and applying them to your day-to-day activities, whether giving feedback to your team, dealing with a new obstacle, or pushing through the last stages of your project.

Another way to be an effective leader and to manage your team is to try out Copper Project Management Software.  It’s completely free for 30 days, and it allows you to manage your projects, your people, and your profits with ease.

Sara Border is a guest author for Copper Project.  She’s led multiple teams to success, like a general leading her troops across the battlefield.  To see more of her triumphs, visit her webpage here.