What are the key skills for project team leaders and managers?

There are a myriad of different ways to look at project management, but keeping everything simple with the following core tenants functions best for me: - Communication - clear and concise - Calm demeanor - never let emotions drive decisions,... listen, learn and ask the right questions - Collaboration - Unite and guide your team behind a common goal - Conformability - conform to change as that is a constant in projects Finally, just smile. A project manager is the buffer between the stakeholders and the project team, a happy approachable project manager adds loads of confidence to the team and motivates them to meet project goals while also making meeting those objectives satisfying and inspirational.

Successful team leader/managers possess collaborative skills that further translates adaption and resilience. A leader should digest different perspectives specially when part of a matrix work culture, understand the team strengths/weaknesses and diversity of the skills and lead with firmness. Last but not least, paying attention to the small details, being concise and agile brings clarity and better outputs.

A side of empathy will also help. Praise your team when they are doing well will motivate them while making them feel good. It's also a good idea if you actually have some knowledge about the project you are involved in.

In my experience, having knowledge that is deep in Project Management Principles and wide in industries is key. If you are a project manager with a surface amount of knowledge or in only one industry, you can still be successful but your skills won’t jump from company to company or industry to industry easily. The cliff will be higher. However, having a deep knowledge of project management principles means you’ll know why things should happen in a certain order or why certain risks would be more impactful over others. Deep knowledge means you can plug in to any team, lead any project, or deliver any expectations with only a little onboarding specific to the industry or company size/workflow.

Essential Skills for Project Team Leaders and Managers Project team leaders and managers need a diverse set of skills to navigate the complexities of their roles effectively. • Master project management knowledge 📚 • Develop effective communication strategies 🗣️ • Foster teamwork and collaboration 👥 • Cultivate problem-solving and decision-making abilities 🧠 • Practice time management and prioritization ⏳ • Embrace adaptability and flexibility 🌿 • Ensure quality and standards compliance 🔍 • Build leadership and motivational skills 💪 • Enhance negotiation and conflict resolution techniques 🕊️ • Maintain stakeholder engagement and management 🤝 Mastering these skills equips leaders to drive project success and team development.

Good feedback is key to a team's success, and I've seen it work wonders. Some managers shy away from this important step, they tend to play "always nice" with their peers. They keep increasing the feedback debt. It's crucial to cheer for the wins and equally important is to guide through the mistakes with a caring and practical approach. Consistent, continuous and honest communication, based on each person’s unique role and style, shapes a positive and strong team. Project Managers should build that culture where feedback is welcomed, respected, and acted upon. The culture that transforms feedback into a two-way street - everyone learns from everyone else.

A project manager who excels in leadership and collaboration plays a pivotal role in achieving project success. By actively participating in team meetings, understanding obstacles, and providing necessary resources, they foster a supportive environment. Importantly, they validate and advocate for the team's efforts. A dependable project manager is characterized by their ability to meet deadlines, keep commitments, and provide stability during challenging times, ensuring the team remains focused and motivated towards project goals.

Being sensitive to all type of people and they way they perform best is a great way to navigate being a good leader. When providing directions, take the time to deliver those directions in a variety of way so all type of learners are able to resonate with the directions. Lead by the example you wish to set within the team by showing the gaps in your knowledge and work with your team to fill that gap. It will encourage others to speak up when they don't understand something and use the team as a whole to solve it. Creating a safe space for ideas, learning and comradery will help the team perform better as a whole.

Critical Aspects of Leadership and Communication: Effective leadership is closely tied to proficient communication, underpinning successful team dynamics and project outcomes. • Cultivate clear and transparent communication 🗣️ • Develop active listening skills 👂 • Adapt communication style to audience 🔄 • Foster an open feedback culture 🔄 • Empower team members through supportive dialogue 💪 • Articulate vision and goals compellingly 🎯 • Manage difficult conversations with empathy 🕊️ • Utilize diverse communication channels 📲 • Encourage team collaboration and discussion 🤝 • Demonstrate leadership through action and words 🚀 Mastering leadership and communication crafts a pathway to team cohesion and project triumph.

Critical thinking is an essential skill for effective team leading and project management for several reasons: Problem-solving: Critical thinking enables leaders to analyze complex situations, identify potential issues or challenges, and develop innovative solutions. Decision-making: Team leaders and project managers often face situations where they need to make important decisions that impact the team or project's success. Risk management: Projects inherently involve risks, uncertainties, and unexpected obstacles. By critically assessing risks, project managers can proactively address challenges, mitigate negative consequences, and ensure project success.

Here is a list of key skills for a project leader: (i)Effective Communication (ii)Leadership (iii) Organizational Skills (iv) Problem-Solving (v) Collaboration (vi) Time Management (vii) Adaptability (viii) Risk Management (ix) Negotiation Skills (x) Emotional Intelligence: Understanding and managing one's emotions and those of others to build positive relationships and resolve conflicts effectively.

In my experience Critical thinking allows PMs to separate facts from speculations or opinions, while making decisions on projects. It enables problem solving and rational reasoning to achieve the best outcomes, at times bringing unexpected benefits too.

Critical thinking enables project professionals to anticipate or foresee future problems by exercising a methodical thought process to different probable scenarios that can unfold. Simultaneously, critical thinking skills also help to uncover different possible opportunities to maximize project success by analyzing disparate sets of data and connecting the dots uncovering relationships where none seem possible.

Key skills for project team leaders and managers center around critical thinking. This involves analyzing situations objectively, evaluating different options, and making informed decisions. Leaders should be able to foresee potential problems and devise effective solutions. They need to assess the impact of their decisions on the project and the team. Critical thinking also requires questioning assumptions and considering alternative perspectives, ensuring a well-rounded approach to project management. This skill is vital for navigating complex projects and leading teams towards successful outcomes.

I think this is the most important skill to have as you have to deal with team and every person you are dealing with might have a different emotional state on a single day. So, you will not only have to make sure your Emotions are not impacting the team but the team is also emotionally balanced

Being able to understand others, show empathy and take the time to build trust with others is by far the most important skill to being a PM leader. Ensuring that you earn trust and confidence in others is crucial to success. Finding common ground in conversation is in my experience the quickest way to start building this trust and then following through on requests the best you can. Being able to take the heat for others mistakes also can provide a quick path to a strong trusting relationship.

It is also critical to speak your team’s language; learning some technical skills like programming, into to cybersecurity or infrastructure and network will go a long way in terms of building trust with your team. After all, it is your job to be able to understand and advocate for your technical folks

Being adaptable to technology and the softwares used by your current company or client is a super useful skill to build. This can be done by spending time using different software's outside of the office. Familiarity of a few of the big ones is easily transferrable to the remaining softwares. Having super strong technical skills is not the highest on my list to becoming a great leader but to compensate for that, you need to be great at asking the right questions and being able to identify and build strong relationships with those who can see when you are being told incorrect information.

▪︎ Ability to convey complex information in a clear and concise manner. ▪︎ Ability to inspire and motivate the team. ▪︎ Capacity to see the big picture. ▪︎ Analytical skills. ▪︎ Prioritize tasks. ▪︎ Develop strategies to mitigate risks. ▪︎ Foster a positive team culture. ▪︎ Focus on win-win solutions. ▪︎ Understanding of budgeting and financial management. ▪︎ Uphold ethical standards. ▪︎ Manage the stakeholders. ▪︎ Ensure quality standards.

Whenever possible, a leader must be transparent, accessible, a two-way communicator, vulnerable, and empathetic while upholding individual/group accountability, standards of practice, and outcomes. In this way, leaders make it safe for team members to seek them out when things are trending toward a negative outcome.