3 vital project management skills for effective leadership

An effective project manager is worth their weight in gold, especially when the stakes are high and the deadlines are swift. At ICML, we pride ourselves on fostering incredible management talent through our learning programs, these in-house workshops work to develop you and your team into the leaders of tomorrow. So whether you’re looking to bolster your skills as an executive or hoping to jump-start your learning at the ground floor here are three skills every effective leader must possess.

1. Strong communication

It should go without saying that effective communication is important. An effective project leader will emphasise communication and prioritise clarity and transparency. This skill also involves employee relations as they can be the eyes on the ground. Every member of the team has their eyes on different facets of the business and an effective leader will encourage open communication in an effort to understand all operations. It’s also an easy way to show employees they are valued and allows project leaders to better see the bigger picture of every issue to sidestep any potential problems.

2. Ability to inspire

This skill can be both fun and challenging. The positive aspects of inspiration are easy to see – from the coach who turns around a first-half performance with a rousing speech to the quiet thoughtfulness of a person who’s gone through real adversity and speaks of it with quiet dignity.

Inspiring a workforce to do their very best is important to the life of a project. It can also be vital to the life of a workforce. To understand a team member is to know what gets them excited and what turns them off. Being able to harness this power can allow a project manager to share in the vision as well as the triumphs and tribulations of any project. Interpersonal skills come into play – after all, not everyone is inspired the same way. Therefore, the ability to inspire is often used in conjunction with relational management. It can also help the entire team believe ‘This leader cares, and so should I.’

3. Integrity

The truth is if a client or your workforce can’t trust you, any other skills are moot. This is a baseline skill, which, when added to other essential traits, can mean the difference between a manager and a true industry leader. And while the questions of integrity are as old as time, the way leaders answer them to demonstrate integrity is something that many in management struggle with. Proving integrity is a lifelong task – one that each and every project manager will face in some form. It has the ability to make or break a career and may have profound impacts on the workforce and the bottom line.

What kind of leader do you want to be?

All these skills translate into bigger, better business and a workplace worth talking about. No person is an island and no leader is alone. These skills, when combined with industry leading management techniques, can help form the base of a truly great career and a flourishing business. If you are looking to achieve higher results, create a workplace that fosters great thinking and motivates the next generation of staff, consider one of our custom learning programs. These in-house workshops are developed around your specific skill sets and personality traits to optimise your management skills. For more information on what ICML can do for you, check out our management leadership training page.