Behavioral Competencies of Effective Project Managers

Nearly every area of business has the need for effective project managers. Whether you're in IT, Finance, Healthcare or Construction, there is the need for project managers to develop a project plan, define the goals and objectives, identify the resources and budget required and determine the task and timeline for completion. Many companies are kicking off large, mission critical projects that position them for growth in the future. The size and complexity of these initiatives of increased the scope of skills from "Project Manager" to "Project Manager with a high degree of Leadership".

Unfortunately, identifying good project managers who provide leadership is not an easy task. I supply contract project managers to clients in a variety of industry verticals. Every day, I have clients asking me how I've been able to "know" that a particular Project Manager will lead successfully, and how they can develop this same knowledge. The short answer is: I look for key behavioral characteristics independent of any official certification. Although I specialize in Project Managers for Information Technology projects, these behaviors are not limited to IT, and would apply to project leadership within any large, strategic effort.

This is a two-part series written to help you understand the key personal attitudes and behaviors of effective project managers.

How I came to Focus on Behavioral Competencies

During the heyday of Y2K, I was Director of Recruiting at a national IT staffing firm. I inherited a team of three local recruiters, none of whom had been in either recruiting or IT. They had all been hired a week before I was, and we had multiple Project Manager positions to fill at key accounts. All of the projects were very large and likely to encounter significant obstacles at some point.

One of my biggest challenges was getting the idea across that it takes more than a certification or deep understanding of a Systems Development Life Cycle ( SDLC) to effectively lead a team and bring a project to a successful conclusion. Both of the aforementioned are highly valuable in the hands of a skilled PM, but this alone wouldn't guarantee the individual could navigate some of the anticipated roadblocks. The behaviors were the remaining piece that unlocked the ability to manage expectations and situations that surrounded the projects.

I invested a significant amount of time training my team to ask key questions to uncover key abilities which fell into four main groups:

1. Strong identification as the Project Manager/Leader
2. Strong Commitment to Deliver as Promised
3. Ability to Influence Stakeholders and Team Members
4. Ability to Solve System and People Problems

This article will deal with the first two and the next edition will cover the remaining groups.

Strong identification as the Project Manager/Leader

This attribute is the single most important characteristic that impacts a PM's ability to lead. This is basically the stance that "I am the Project Manager and I will deliver this project". Individuals with this attitude are typically unfazed by titles, and quietly project an aura of authority.

It is easy to assume that if someone has had the title of PM that he/she automatically processes this attitude. This is not necessarily the case. If an individual has met with little organizational resistance in past roles, the need for this attitude may not have surfaced. The criticality of this attitude becomes particularly apparent in large, matrixed efforts, where resources may not be under the direct control of the PM. This attitude also determines whether the PM will have access to key stakeholders when it's necessary.

The key attributes in this area are attitude, self-confidence and flexibility. Here are some questions to ask to determine if someone has this skill:

• Tell me about a time you had to establish your role as PM in a non-welcoming environment. How did you accomplish this?
• Describe to me how you typically handle conflict with stakeholders. How about team members?
• Tell me about a time you had to deliver a project, but there were some skills missing on the team. What did you do to make sure the project was still successful?
• How do you react when you feel you are not getting through to someone? How do you remedy this?
• Tell me about a time you had to take calculated risks to get what you wanted. Was it successful? What would you have done differently?

Strong Commitment to Deliver as Promised

Project managers with strong leadership have internalized a personal commitment to deliver their project as promised. Most will take some degree of personal risk and sacrifice to make the project succeed. They frequently speak of some future state and what kinds of benefits they expect when they get there. Some that I have spoken with has used such terms as "committing to a different future reality" and "spearheading the move from Point A to Point B."

The key attributes in this area are concern for achievement and personal initiative. Some questions that will help you identify the commitment to deliver:

• Tell me about a time that key stakeholders wouldn't make themselves available. How did you deal with this? How did you secure their buy-in and participation?
• Tell me about a time you had disgruntled team members. What did you do to help them re-capture the vision of the project?
• How do you prioritize activities for yourself, and for others, to reach project goals?
• What methods do you use to make yourself and others more productive?
• Tell me about a time you failed. What have you learned from this to be more effective?

Testing
Several clients have asked me if there is a standardized test they could administer that would help them evaluate one candidate against another in these areas. To my knowledge, there is no standardized test that specifically focuses on the areas outlined here. At Partner, we have utilized several different tests from various providers and found that effective PMs score very high on tests aimed at assessing management ability. Most HR departments have these tests at their disposal.

While observed behaviors can help in identifying those candidates or employees who are likely to succeed as project managers, personal attitudes may ultimately be the key differentiator for those who excel in project management. We'll explore this and the remaining groups of characteristics in our June newsletter.

By Juli Nimitz