Chapter 5 : The Project Manager & Leadership

1. Chapter 5: The Project Manager & Leadership ISE 443 / ETM 543 Fall 2013

2. What are the personal skills that the project manager must have or develop, especially with respect to human interactions? • Those that support the key tasks of the PM ... • Planning • Organizing • Directing • Monitoring

3. The text identifies twenty attributes of a PM • Communicates well and shares information • Delegates appropriately • Is well-organized • Supports and motivates people • Is a good listener • Is open-minded and flexible • Gives constructive criticism • Has a positive attitude • Is technically competent • Is disciplined • Is a team builder and player • Is able to evaluate and select people • Is dedicated to accomplishing goals • Has the courage and skill to resolve conflicts • Is balanced • Is a problem solver • Takes initiative • Is creative • Is an integrator • Makes decisions

4. Communicates well and shares information

5. Delegates appropriately

6. Is well-organized

7. Supports and motivates people

8. Is a good listener

9. Is open-minded and flexible Oops! This worksheet seems to be missing. If I forgot to get it from you and you have it, please bring it to my office. Otherwise, I invite you to fill in your own thoughts …

10. Gives constructive criticism Oops! This worksheet seems to be missing. If I forgot to get it from you and you have it, please bring it to my office. Otherwise, I invite you to fill in your own thoughts …

11. Has a positive attitude

12. Is technically competent

13. Is disciplined

14. Is a team builder and player

15. Is able to evaluate and select people

16. Is dedicated to accomplishing goals

17. Has the courage and skill to resolve conflicts

18. Is balanced

19. Is a problem solver

20. Takes initiative

21. Is creative

22. Is an integrator

23. Makes decisions

24. How do you assess your strengths & limitations with respect to these attributes? • Self-assessment • Your journal assignment • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) • see pp 141-144 • Others (see pp. 144-147)

25. What are the characteristics of a “bad boss”? • Robert Bramson (referenced in the text) identifies seven bad boss types • Hostile-aggressives • Complainers • Silent and unresponsives • Super-agreeables • Know-it-all experts • Negativists • Indecisives • The PM can be the “bad boss” or can have a “bad boss” – either will affect the ability of the team to work effectively.

26. How do you manage a “bad” boss? • First, is this really a “bad” boss? • Sometimes it’s a clash of personalities • Review the description of communication styles (table 5.2, pg. 145) • Based on this, suggest 2 complaints that the boss and subordinate might make about each other in each of the circumstances described on the next slide

27. What complaints might arise from these personality types? ∗A: action; PE: people; PR: process; and I: idea.

28. If your boss is not pathological, you should ... Keep all interactions on a formal basis. Provide short but regular status reports on your activities. Develop lists of items you think are important to accomplish and present these to your boss for agreement. Demonstrate your capabilities with respect to your judgment, creativity and competence, and responsiveness and responsibility Look for opportunities to build trust. Do not confront in public situations. Do not allow yourself to be victimized. Speak to a trusted colleague who knows your boss to try to get another point of view. Take your boss to lunch to explore better ways of interacting. If these do not work, speak to your boss’s supervisor or the human resources people in your organization.

29. Along with the boss, the PM must also be concerned about relationships with customer(s) • The textbook identifies 3 types of customers • The outside direct customer • The outside surrogate customer • The internal customer • While the nature of the relationship may be slightly different among these, they all can present special challenges to the PM.

30. 12 Guidelines for dealing with the customer Your customer has a MBTI profile; try to figure it out and behave accordingly. Focus on the needs and requirements as stated by your customer. Imagine yourself in your customer’s position. Listen intently to what your customer is saying. “Sell” your approach and end product or service to your customer. Speak to your customer at least once a week. Be thoroughly professional in all interactions. Live up to all commitments. If your customer is headed in the wrong direction, gently suggest alternative directions and actions. Demonstrate your technical and management skills. Maintain customer contact and interaction in parallel channels above the level of the PM (e.g., vice president to vice president). Treat your customer with honesty and respect.

31. Beyond management skills, leadership involves a number of critical attributes, including ... • Critical Attributes • Empowering, supporting, motivating, trusting • Having a vision, long-term viewpoint • Cooperating, sharing, team playing, and team building • Renewing, learning, growing, educating • Extremely Important Attributes • Being communicative • Having culture and values, serving as a role model • Being productive, efficient, determined • Significant Attributes • Demonstrating time management, prioritization • Being action-oriented • Making a contribution, commitment, legacy • Being innovative, imaginative • Having integrity, morality, humanity • Demonstrating skill, knowledge, substance