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Enhancing Project Team Competency and Effectiveness

September 7, 2019 By

through Authentic Leadership – Part One

 

Positive Leadership in Project Management

SERIES ARTICLE

By Frank Saladis, PMP, PMI Fellow

New York, NY, USA

 

 

It is generally assumed by many in the field of project management that a project manager is placed in a leadership position when assigned to a project. I think it’s a fairly valid assumption, although there are many people, who are assigned to manage a project that may not agree 100% with that assumption. Regardless of one’s view about the leadership role, a project manager must actually “manage the project” and with that role there is some inherent leadership responsibility. The size and complexity of the project is not the issue. Whether it’s a small team or a large team, someone will be held accountable for the coordination of the work necessary to complete the project successfully.  The assigned person can provide leadership value regardless of project size or actual position in an organizational hierarchy. The key element here is whether or not an individual is creating value or, as John C. Maxwell states, “providing authentic leadership.” Authentic leadership is about creating value within an organization. It means making things happen, motivating people to succeed, making a difference, even if you are not actually leading a team. The role of project manager is certainly associated with creating value and, in most cases, involves guiding and directing team members who are assigned to the project. With that in mind, let’s focus on the need for a project manager to provide “authentic leadership, regardless of authority level.

According to Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, authentic leadership includes the following qualities:

  • Insight
  • Initiative
  • Influence
  • Impact
  • Integrity

These qualities, when demonstrated, will clearly separate the effective leader from others who have been associated with a “leadership” title. I think many will agree that there are people in positions of leadership, but do not actually offer what we can truly refer to as “authentic leadership.” Additionally, emphasis on integrity is key and directly related to the continuing focus within the project management community on Professionalism, Social Responsibility and Ethical behavior.

Executives of most successful organizations will agree that strong and effective leadership is a major factor in the work effort and activities necessary to achieve the desired levels of established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or Organizational Success Factors (OSFs). It is important to note that much of what a leader actually accomplishes cannot be measured using standard metrics such as on time, within budget, reduced defects, etc. Most of the metrics used by organizations focus on output, not on outcome. As an example, a manager saves the company $10,000. That is the output of some activity. The question is, what was the outcome? What changed as a result of the $10,000 savings? How did the company actually benefit? What was the $10,000 used for and how did that use create value? Simply saving money, although a good thing, does not create value. The challenge is that value is not easy to define. It is associated with generating something that is useful, reliable, user friendly, improves safety, or in some way benefits the organization. We have to look past the typical financial measure and include “value metrics” when assessing performance.

Leadership is associated with value creation. It is about vision, motivation, and an ability to allow each employee or team member to achieve their personal goals of self-value while contributing to organizational objectives, working with the team to succeed, and creating an environment of loyalty and respect.

Many organizations measure leadership success through financial and productivity metrics. It is difficult to measure leadership behaviors such as:

More…

To read entire article, click here

 

Editor’s note: This article is one in a series on Positive Leadership in Project Management by Frank Saladis, PMP, PMI Fellow, popular speaker and author of books on leadership in project management published by Wiley and IIL in the United States. Frank is widely known as the originator of the International Project Management Day, the annual celebrations and educational events conducted each November by PMI members, chapters and organizations around the world.

How to cite this paper: Saladis, F. (2019). Enhancing Project Team Competency and Effectiveness through Authentic Leadership – Part One: Positive Leadership in Project Management series article 3. PM World Journal, Vol. VIII, Issue VIII, September. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/pmwj85-Sep2019-Saladis-enhancing-project-team-competency-and-effectiveness-part1.pdf

 

 

About the Author


Frank P. Saladis

New York, USA

 

 

 

Frank P. Saladis, PMP, PMI Fellow is a Consultant and Instructor / Facilitator within the project management profession and has over 35 years of experience in the IT, Telecom Installation and IT Project Management training environment. He is a senior consultant and trainer for the International Institute For Learning Inc. and has been involved in the development of several project management learning programs. Mr. Saladis has held the position of Project Manager for AT&T Business Communications Systems, National Project Manager for AT&T Solutions Information Technology Services and was a member of Cisco Systems Professional Services Project Management Advocacy Organization. His responsibilities included the development of Project Management Offices (PMO) and the development of internal training programs addressing project management skills and techniques.

He is a Project Management Professional and has been a featured presenter at the Project Management Institute ® Annual Symposiums, Project World, PMI World Congress, CMMA, and many PMI Chapter professional development programs. He is a past president of the PMI New York City Chapter and a Past-President of the PMI ® Assembly of Chapter Presidents. Mr. Saladis is a Co-Publisher of the internationally distributed newsletter for allPM.com, a project management information portal, and a contributor to the allPM.com project management website.

Mr. Saladis is the originator of International Project Management Day and has written numerous leadership and project management related articles. Mr. Saladis is also the author of the Project Management Workbook and PMP ® / CAPM ® Exam Study Guide that supplements Dr. Harold Kerzner’s textbook – Project Management, A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling?, 9th Edition published by John Wiley & Sons and the author of Positive Leadership in Project Management, published by IIL Publishing. He is a member of the International Executive Guild and the NRCC Business Advisory Council. He has also held the position of Vice President of Education for the Global Communications Technology Specific Interest Group of PMI ® and holds a Master’s Certificate in Commercial Project Management from the George Washington University. Mr. Saladis received the prestigious Lynn Stuckenbrook Person of the Year Award from the Project management Institute in 2006 for his contributions to the organization and to the practice of project management.  He can be contacted at saladispmp@msn.com

 

 

Filed Under: Saladis - Positive Leadership

The PNR (Positive to Negative Ratio)

August 8, 2019 By

 

Positive Leadership in Project Management

SERIES ARTICLE

By Frank Saladis, PMP, PMI Fellow

New York, NY, USA

 

 

We all know that there are many leadership styles in the business world and what works for one leader may not work for another. In any case, and in any organization, leaders must be aware of how they interact with people, especially their subordinates, and continuously monitor how people react to the leader’s personal style and behaviors. Most people, when asked about the characteristics of an effective leader, mention the following traits or skills: Effective communicator, ability to motivate, establishes a clear vision, works at a high energy level, highly trustworthy, displays passion,  shows dedication to the team, has the ability to work effectively with people, and so on.  These are all traits commonly associated with leadership.

In my search for information about leadership, I found something else that can have a significant impact on the people who report to leaders: The PNR or positive to negative ratio.  The PNR is described in an article entitled “The Impact of Positive Leadership” by Tom Rath, co-author of the book “How Full is Your Bucket?” The article focuses on the typical positive and negative interactions an employee may encounter on any given day. The PNR is the ratio of bad or unpleasant interactions to the good or positive interactions. An unbalanced ratio can lead to the loss of key employees. The manager should therefore be aware of his or her contribution to the PNR. As Tom Rath states, “ Unless you are actively working, today and every day, to make sure your employee has more positive interactions, you may soon have a disengaged employee on your hands—or worse, you could lose one of your best people.

For the project manager, the PNR, which appears to be connected to, or part of the subject “Emotional Intelligence”, is a factor that must be considered in the course of day to day managerial and leadership activities. Take a good look at your style and how you interact with your project team. What is the PNR? Consider your first hour of work yesterday or today. How many of your interactions were positive and how many were negative? Here’s an example of a negative interaction:

You have a meeting scheduled for 9pm. One of your key project team members is ten minutes late, and when he arrives and takes his seat you make a comment like, “Well, I guess we can get started now.”

This type of comment is fairly common in many organizations and considered by many as “acceptable sarcasm.” This is definitely a negative interaction. How often do you or others on your team make these types of comments? Probably more than you realize. Here’s another:

More…

To read entire article, click here

 

Editor’s note: This article is one in a series on Positive Leadership in Project Management is by Frank Saladis, PMP, PMI Fellow, popular speaker and author of books on leadership in project management published by Wiley and IIL in the United States. Frank is widely known as the originator of the International Project Management Day, the annual celebrations and educational events conducted each November by PMI members, chapters and organizations around the world.

How to cite this paper: Saladis, F. (2019). The PNR (Positive to Negative Ratio): Positive Leadership in Project Management, series article 2. PM World Journal, Vol. VIII, Issue VII, August. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/pmwj84-Aug2019-Saladis-the-PNR-positive-leadership-series-article2.pdf

 

 

About the Author


Frank P. Saladis

New York, USA

 

 

 

Frank P. Saladis, PMP, PMI Fellow is a Consultant and Instructor / Facilitator within the project management profession and has over 35 years of experience in the IT, Telecom Installation and IT Project Management training environment. He is a senior consultant and trainer for the International Institute For Learning Inc. and has been involved in the development of several project management learning programs. Mr. Saladis has held the position of Project Manager for AT&T Business Communications Systems, National Project Manager for AT&T Solutions Information Technology Services and was a member of Cisco Systems Professional Services Project Management Advocacy Organization. His responsibilities included the development of Project Management Offices (PMO) and the development of internal training programs addressing project management skills and techniques.

He is a Project Management Professional and has been a featured presenter at the Project Management Institute ® Annual Symposiums, Project World, PMI World Congress, CMMA, and many PMI Chapter professional development programs. He is a past president of the PMI New York City Chapter and a Past-President of the PMI ® Assembly of Chapter Presidents. Mr. Saladis is a Co-Publisher of the internationally distributed newsletter for allPM.com, a project management information portal, and a contributor to the allPM.com project management website.

Mr. Saladis is the originator of International Project Management Day and has written numerous leadership and project management related articles. Mr. Saladis is also the author of the Project Management Workbook and PMP ® / CAPM ® Exam Study Guide that supplements Dr. Harold Kerzner’s textbook – Project Management, A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling?, 9th Edition published by John Wiley & Sons and the author of Positive Leadership in Project Management, published by IIL Publishing. He is a member of the International Executive Guild and the NRCC Business Advisory Council. He has also held the position of Vice President of Education for the Global Communications Technology Specific Interest Group of PMI ® and holds a Master’s Certificate in Commercial Project Management from the George Washington University. Mr. Saladis received the prestigious Lynn Stuckenbrook Person of the Year Award from the Project management Institute in 2006 for his contributions to the organization and to the practice of project management.  He can be contacted at saladispmp@msn.com

 

 

Filed Under: Saladis - Positive Leadership

Talent Management, The Leadership Edge

July 6, 2019 By

 

Positive Leadership in Project Management

SERIES ARTICLE

By Frank Saladis, PMP, PMI Fellow

New York, NY, USA

 

 

You probably have noticed that there is a steady stream of books that show up on the radar screens of project managers, executives and managers in general. I recently saw post that said over 400 leadership books are published every year. It becomes a real challenge to keep up with this endless supply of information.

There is so much useful information that we sometimes find ourselves in a true overload. We deal with books, articles, email, phone calls, meetings, webinars, news briefs, memos, elevator discussions, pre –meeting meetings and post meeting meetings on much more. The question is “how does anyone find the time to read the books and white papers that could really help make a difference in our performance?

I think that people who are strong leaders or who are aspiring to be leaders know when to take a look at a new book. Sometimes the title of the book is enough to peak one’s curiosity. Occasionally there is a need to find a new topic to discuss or a new idea to bring to a meeting. While I was searching for information for a presentation, I noticed a book entitled “The Talent Powered Organization” by Peter Cheese, Robert J. Thomas, and Elizabeth Craig, published by Kogan Page. This book’s title clearly identified a major challenge that many, if not most, organizations are facing today. The need to obtain and retain the talent needed to keep an organization healthy and growing.

The changing economic climate, the rise of third world nations, and the effect of globalization is continually changing the way business is managed. The work force is changing with baby boomers exiting and setting their sights on retirement and fresh college graduates (Millennials as they are referred to) with a different work ethic and set of priorities making their way into mainstream business. During these changes, many companies are looking for the talent they need to manage in a diverse, client driven, severely competitive environment.  The greatest challenge for today’s business leaders is to find the talent they need, engage that talent quickly to generate enthusiasm about the business, and create an environment that encourages loyalty and commitment. Basically what this amounts to is, according to authors Cheese Thomas, and Craig, the strategic value of talent.

More…

To read entire article, click here

 

Editor’s note: This article is one in a series on Positive Leadership in Project Management by Frank Saladis, PMP, PMI Fellow, popular speaker and author of books on leadership in project management published by Wiley and IIL in the United States. Frank is widely known as the originator of the International Project Management Day, the annual celebrations and educational events conducted each November by PMI members, chapters and organizations around the world.

How to cite this paper: Saladis, F. (2019). Talent Management, The Leadership Edge: Positive Leadership in Project Management series article 1. PM World Journal, Vol. VIII, Issue VI, July. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/pmwj83-Jul2019-Saladis-Talent-management-positive-leadership-series-article1.pdf

 

 

About the Author


Frank P. Saladis

New York, USA

 

 

 

Frank P. Saladis, PMP, PMI Fellow is the Owner/Founder of Blue Marble Enterprizes Inc. and Project Imaginers. Frank is an accomplished leader and contributor in the discipline of project management. He is the author of 12 published books, the past editor of the All PM Newsletter and the author of over 160 project management articles. Frank provides training and consulting internationally and has educated and entertained countless audiences with a special blend of project management knowledge and tasteful humor. He is also an experienced and well-known project management instructor and consultant and a member of the PMI ® Seminars World team of trainers.  Mr. Saladis’ 35 year career includes 28.5 years with AT&T, 3 years with Cisco Systems, and more than 25 years as a professional trainer, facilitator, mentor and keynote speaker.

Frank is the Originator/Founder of International Project Management Day which launched in 2004 and has been growing in recognition yearly. The goal of International Project Management Day is the worldwide recognition of the many project managers and project teams in every industry including nonprofit organizations and health care who contribute their time, energy, creativity, innovation, and countless hours to deliver products, services, facilities, and provide emergency and disaster recovery services in every city and community around the world.

Frank was PMI’s 2006 Person of the Year.  Frank is a Project Management Professional, a graduate from the PMI Leadership Institute Master’s class, and has contributed significantly to the organization’s growth and knowledge base for more than 20 years. His leadership activity within PMI included the position of President of the New York City PMI chapter from 1991-2001, President of the Assembly of Chapter Presidents, and Chair of the Education and Training Specific Interest Group. He received the high honor of the “PMI Fellow Award” in October 2013 and received the very prestigious “PMI Distinguished Contribution Award” in October 2015.

 

Filed Under: Saladis - Positive Leadership