Below I have outlined examples of good and poor leadership
and their impact on project management. I aim to conclude with some ideas on
what to do, and hope to encourage some feedback and examples.
I have been very lucky that for most of the large-scale
business change projects that I have done I have worked with extra-ordinary,
talented and charismatic leaders.
This creates the environment which confers responsibility
onto capable people, inspires trust and encourages thinking, challenge, and
collaboration. When a pool of talent is allowed to debate freely the ideas that
will make the organisation stronger the quality of thinking improves with
benefits to the outputs and outcome and people’s commitment to them.
This is not an abrogation: the role of leadership is to set
the boundaries, define the goals and provide the resources (or constraints) in
which the team must operate. This is strong leadership which can be directive
in times of emergency or more coaching and supportive when circumstance
dictate.
For two of the public sector transformations that I managed
the leadership quest was as much about encouraging, coaching and supporting the
talent (capacity, capability and drive) as it was about delivering project
outcomes and the projects ran broadly parallel to business change programme
with each supporting the other.
The business change programme would provide the training,
tools, insights and free-thinking and the project programme would provide the
outlet for people exercise better approaches, supported by their cohort in a
collegiate approach to business improvement.
The secret to successful project management is to select a
project which is going to be a success. As a project manager in the environment
described above you have to work really hard to fail, because however you list
the tasks, dates and budgets the real purpose of project management is not
about compiling to-do-lists but about ensuring consensus, collaboration and
commitment.
THE IMPACT OF POOR LEADERSHIP ON PROJECT MANAGEMENT
The above may be obvious, as indeed may be the observations
on poor leadership on project management. A command and control, authoritative
or overly-directive style will kill thinking and innovation.
Steve Jobs is alleged to have said “Don’t hire talented
people and tell them what to do” .
If the retort from a leadership frustrated with lack of
progress is that people need direction because they are not talented,
motivated, educated (or lack competence, capacity or desire) they are wrong.
The goal of leadership should not to direct the people but
to create the environment where people can grow. The role of a leader is to
create other leaders.
If the leadership creates the environment and through
coaching, training, support or mentoring is able to motivate and engage the
people the role of the project manager is easy and the success of the project
is inevitable.
Delivery is a function of Competence, Capacity, Confidence
and Desire
Competence is a function of education and experience
Capacity is a function of resource management
Desire is a function a responsibility and opportunity
Confidence is a function of trust
All the above can be created and developed through a change
programme delivering coaching, training, support or mentoring, and all this can
be deployed to deliver projects.
If these elements are not present people, simply “keep their
heads down” and do nothing pending an instruction from the boss. Inevitably
therefore the leadership is the cause for failure even if the error or omission
is manifest with the person who has failed to deliver.
How can a project manager deliver any project successfully
in this type of environment?
LESSONS AND SUGGESTIONS
This is very difficult, but in such circumstances it becomes
important for the project manager to become a project leader and to provide the
type of support and encouragement that I have experienced from great CEOs.
The challenge will be to do this without undermining the
boss, or be accused of getting involved in areas (people development) that are
outside of the project (product delivery)
Informal social groups can help, as can workshops, which are
ostensibly about problem solving (a project task) but are actually about skills
development (a people task). The additional benefit of a workshop approach is
that it can become a collective and collaborative “self-help” group. However, caution
should be exercised so this is not divisive or become a whinging session about
what can’t be done rather than be project and outcome focussed on what can be
done.
Additionally, informal coaching, by lending-a-hand or simply
asking “how are things going” can appear to be about getting a task done
whereas the objective is about listening, offering support, trust and respect.
This is hard, and it is difficult if you are the project
manager who is having to fill a coaching role, but it is essential if the
alternative is to let the project crash-and-burn because the people are not
engaged or frankly too scared to do anything.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tim Rogers is an experienced Management Consultant, Project
and Change Leader. He is also Commonwealth Triathlete and World Championships
Rower and a Tutor/Mentor on the Chartered Management Institute.
