Must-have personality traits for a Successful Project Manager

What makes a great project?

The idea behind it? The team working? The organization funding it? 

In fact, all these are secondary to the person coordinating the project -

The Project Manager! 

Here are the top 6 traits that make a Successful Project Manager.

#1 Leadership:

The best Project Managers are creative leaders with practical thought processes.  They motivate and excite people through their ideas. Without losing sight of the bigger picture they empower teams to apply these ideas.

Respecting everybody is an intuitive quality of a great Project Manager.

#2 Awesome communication skills:

Project Managers use a majority of their time communicating with stakeholders. Great Project Managers are able to convey their ideas, thoughts, and intents. This helps everybody concerned together to be on the same page. The ability to communicate well comes in handy in many situations. For instance, it's helpful in negotiation and persuasion with people at different levels.  

#3 Coping skills:

The different stages in a project involve many uncertainties, conflicts, risks, and limitations. The key skill is the ability to cope with the stress and pressures involved. This sets apart great Project Managers from  Project Managers. Patience, critical thinking, and persistence are the tools adopted to face tough situations. 

#4 Problem solving:

All great Project Managers are super-effective problem solvers as well. They’re open for feedback and they use critical thinking to come up with effective solutions.  A great Project Manager does not jump to solutions. He evaluates many aspects to find the best possible solution. During contingencies and challenges, a good Project Manager takes clear decisions. He identifies the “need to know” from the “good to know”.

#5 Delegation:

Delegation or sharing of authority is a prerequisite for successful project completion. It involves developing, person-to-person relationships with every member of the team. Great Project Managers are able to foster and maintain such relationships. They establish it with authority, accountability, and responsibilities assigned to each team member.

The project Manager has to spend more time in management activities than on technology. 

#6 Team building / Team management:

A great Project Manager leads his team across both strategic and operational aspects. He has his team unified behind a common goal. He understands team dynamics and uses this to create a friendly productive environment.

An integral part of team-building skills is coaching. It is important that a Project Manager act as a good coach. He has to guide his team to achieve their goals.     

To conclude...

Being a great Project Manager isn't an easy task. It requires patience, perseverance, and critical thinking skills at every step.

The good news is that there’s nothing stopping you from developing these skills. I hope this post gives you an overview of what you need to work on to improve yourself as a Project Manager. 

Do drop a line in the comments below to share your secrets for delivering great projects.
 

Read our article on - Types of Guys You Meet in Different Projects