Just because your title doesn\u2019t include the words \u201cproject manager,\u201d doesn\u2019t mean you aren\u2019t already one, or should become one.<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re a real estate developer, financial advisor, or restaurant manager, you must develop some basic project management skills in order to succeed. By mastering control of your projects, you build strong relationships and become a better leader.<\/p>\n
As a project manager, you own the big picture<\/em>. You possess an end-to-end understanding of the job at hand. All the other members of your team have their specific area of focus, with expertise that runs deep. Conversely, your expertise runs wide: from soup to nuts, you\u2019ve got your arms around each and every step of the project, giving you an enormous breadth of knowledge.<\/p>\n Your first task should be embracing and understanding the strategy behind your assignment: Why it\u2019s being launched, the resources that will be required, and the timeline\u2014 from conception to completion.<\/p>\n As the project lead, you\u2019ll be interacting with every key touch point to ensure success. You\u2019ll be able to anticipate what problems will need solving, how to fix them, and how to prevent future problems from escalating.<\/p>\n What are the key functions of execution?<\/em> As a project manager, you\u2019ll be:<\/p>\n Use the tools that work for you.<\/em> There are a number of certification exams and programs out there such as PMP, Six Sigma, Agile Scrum, to name a few. But having a fancy credential is not going to replace hands-on experience. So before you commit to anything, take a hearty dive into a project. Get some real-world experience under your belt\u2014 teach yourself to connect all the dots, communicate and become compulsively organized. Once you\u2019re familiar with the territory, explore what kind of tools and programs would best geared toward your specific pipeline of work, and the best way to navigate through it.<\/p>\n Take on the hard projects.<\/em> When the going gets tough, don\u2019t give up. Be bold. Show your team and senior management that you are the \u201cgo to\u201d person for any assignment, no matter how hard.<\/p>\n If you see something that\u2019s broken, take the initiative to fix it.\u00a0This will help you gain visibility within your company and build your brand. Work with your team to find solutions and keep the project moving forward. Good project managers are problem solvers: They get the job done despite obstacles, while remaining calm and positive.<\/p>\n You are the company spokesperson for every project you lead. As such, you\u2019ll learn to become an effective communications manager\u2014 parsing out updates and directions to a variety of stakeholders, executives, departments and teams. You\u2019ll refine your written and verbal skills, and adjust them to suit each particular audience.<\/p>\n Set clear expectations.<\/em> Once you\u2019ve kicked off your assignment, assemble your team and give clear direction, holding members accountable for their specific deliverables. Then, give them the freedom to make decisions in their area of expertise, and refrain from judging or intervening unless absolutely necessary. Tone is a critical part of communicating; pay attention to the sound of any hidden negative or demeaning messages hidden behind your words.<\/p>\n Also, tailor your approach to each team member to get the information you need and impart your concerns and instructions. As a manager, you know that each team member has a unique work style and reacts differently to different types of feedback. It\u2019s your job to understand what communication tactics work best with each team member.<\/p>\n As a project manager, you will get plenty of opportunities to pick up new skills, build solid relationships, and understand the functions and roles of all the teams involved in the business\u2014 that\u2019s the \u201cbig picture\u201d view that you wouldn\u2019t get any other way.<\/p>\n What about you? What strategies do you employ to be a great project manager? We\u2019d love to hear more about that. Please share your thoughts in the comments below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Just because your title doesn\u2019t include the words \u201cproject manager,\u201d doesn\u2019t mean…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":7652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[443,444,315,152],"class_list":["post-6481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-project-management","tag-learn-project-management","tag-pm","tag-project-development","tag-project-managers","option-evergreen","option-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redbooth.com\/hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Execute<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Navigate<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Communicate<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll gain.<\/strong><\/h2>\n