Undoubtedly, project managers need soft skills. Across the project management profession there is debate about what these skills are and how they should be measured.
In general terms, soft skills are the abilities that an individual has in relation to their emotional intelligence quotient, their ‘EQ’. These cover a wide range of skills including communications, interpersonal skills, and how an individual builds and maintains relationships with others. In a project environment, getting others to work with you toward a common goal is the cornerstone of project delivery.
The 12 essential behaviors for project managers are:
* Communication and Consulting
* Conflict and Crisis Management
* Flexibility and Creativity
*Leadership
* Learning and development
* Negotiation
* Organizational effectiveness
* Problem solving and decision making
* Professionalism and Ethics
* Reliability
* Self control
* Teamwork
The importance and priority of competencies will be influenced by the culture and environment of a project or organization; however, developing and improving these behaviors will help a project manager deliver successful projects no matter where they are applied.
Communication and Consulting: Interact with people about ideas, thoughts, facts, emotions, challenges, successes, etc. along with concrete facts such as the progress of the project. Have the ability to convey complex ideas with ease; clearly articulate what is to be achieved; keep the team moving towards a common goal; and foster an environment that allows team members to communicate openly and honestly.
Conflict and Crisis Management: Listen and respond to the needs and points of view of all team members to anticipate possible areas of conflict. The ability to defuse situations where conflict has arisen maintains a healthy project environment.
Flexibility and Creativity: Think of original and imaginative ways to expand the scope of problem solving when problems arise. Encourage project teams to find the best solution and results without slavishly following generic solutions or delivery methods. Adapt the different components, templates, tools and techniques of a project.
Leadership: Understand the vision and direction of the project and align the team to work towards it. Skills include delegating, coaching, motivating, and leading by example.
Learning and development: Continuous improvement of both your own skills and those of your team. Assessment of skills and abilities, encouraging participation in learning activities and evaluating how learning is applied in the project environment.
Negotiation: Information analysis, decision making, establishing the desired outcome and developing a strategy for negotiation along with understanding the optimal outcome among various options. Obtain agreement through the consensus of positions of both parties.
Organization effectiveness: Understand and apply people management processes and policies. Understanding the corporate culture, the organizational dynamics and the people who work in it lead to getting the best out of your team.
Problem solving and decision making: Troubleshooting and solving problems that are a normal part of every project.
Professionalism and ethics: Demonstrated through knowledge, skills, and behavior along with conduct and moral principles appropriate to organizational and project settings.
Integrity: Do what you say you’re going to do. Build trust with the stakeholders involved and convey that they can be trusted to do the right thing at the right time every day to maintain project success and sponsor satisfaction.
self control: Self-monitoring and self-management to ensure daily stresses are addressed and a work-life balance is maintained.
Teamwork: Creating a team atmosphere where the team believes ‘we’re all in this together’ is a critical component to the success of the project.