There’s an interesting message hidden in the offerings at the recent Project Management Institute’s World Congress.  Classes in Technical Skills comprised only 18 of the 65 classes listed by “content aim;” the largest individual class category was not about Agile, or Change Management – it was “Leadership Skills for Project Managers, Program Managers and Portfolio Managers.”

It affirms our conviction, backed by a survey quoted by PMI, that people skills are a major factor in a project manager’ career.

Trends in leadership theories abound; Googling “Business Management Leadership Theories” yields nearly two million hits.  It’s easy to get tangled up in Theory Overload –

Management By Walking Around, Emotional Intelligence, and others flourish.  Whatever the theory, though, our years of experience confirm that the best project managers:

•  Recognize that the most important element in a project is time
• Earn and maintain the trust of the project teams
• Inspire the team members commitment to the project with mutual support and individual accountability.

Those three points work together and will work with just about any theory, yielding successful projects and successful careers.

One distinctive – but misunderstood – aspect of the Project Success Method is the importance of frequent, face to face meetings. Frequent meetings are too often considered productivity-killing time-wasters – there’s even an app for that.

Yet, time and again, we’ve found that face to face team meetings are the best way to get things done, especially if the ‘mechanics” of the meetings are right:

•  Schedule consistently, using the same dates/times. Apps can help; a comprehensive roundup is here.

• Be brief. After 45 minutes to an hour, focus plunges.

• Create an agenda, stick to it, lead it and end it on time.

• Stay on track. Note essential, but non-agenda concerns, and follow up after the meeting.

• Refreshments? Beverages yes; food no.  Dehydration hampers focus, but it plummets if attendees sit still for an hour in a crowded, windowless room while digesting lunch.

• No electronics or side discussions.

• Air concerns, questions, problems and solutions…but not complaints or whining.

These “mechanics” help create a successful meeting, but proper planning and people skills are key.  Together, these elements can make meetings less of a necessary evil and more of meeting of the minds.

Are you getting the most out of your workplace conflicts?

PSI considers project conflicts a feature, not a bug, especially in the chartering process. A skilled facilitator uses conflicts (in resources, scheduling, timing and more) to flag problems and solve them. The key is having the right skills and credentials:

-They understand the contents and value of a good project charter

-They can lead a diverse group in a complex discussion for two hours or more

-They have no stake in any particular outcome

Two out of three won’t fly here. Although your company’s project manager seems like a logical choice, neither the project manager, the customer, nor the project sponsor should be facilitators. Team members will either withhold problems (thus not solving them) or consider the process a charade and their input won’t be heeded. Either way, the project suffers because not all problems have been addressed and because the project team has limited commitment.

Some companies tap someone from HR, or get someone from the International Association of Facilitators. Call me biased, but for a chartering process with a proven track record of success, outside experts from PSI, who can facilitate and consult on the project, are your best bet.