What Makes a Great Project Manager?

Paul Downing

Ask yourself this: of all the projects that you have worked on and the people you have worked with, what makes the successful project manager stand out… organisational skills? intelligence? charisma? knowing how to run a meeting?

It is likely that a successful project manager has some or maybe all of the above attributes but there are two things more than any others that tends to make project managers stand out in the workplace – tenacity and good communication skills. That’s it, not sexy but true.

In the modern workplace most middle and senior managers have time pressures that mean they have to focus on discreet deliverables, reports, meetings, presentations and company bureaucracy, time is short. Most external project managers who are brought in to deliver a particular project have to be very focused in driving their project through to completion. This doesn’t always mean hammering the table with your fist when an agreed action hasn’t been completed but it does mean being ever present and consistent with communications to ensure that deliverables and tasks are more likely to be completed on time as agreed, whether by the project management team themselves or by managers in the company where they have been seconded.

It is a well known fact that external project managers brought into an organisation on an interim or short term project basis have the edge on internal managers, they are less well known, often don’t have a working relationship with existing managers and can be objective and questioning where others can’t. Of course an experienced manager will always coax and encourage in order to achieve their aims, however ultimately it takes a multitude of behaviours & skills to ensure that your project is a success and to get others to work towards your (common goal) end point. Quite often these qualities are only gathered after years of experience.

Paul Downing & Associates have a record of driving environmental & energy projects through to completion. Whether it is ISO 50001, an energy efficiency drive, environmental impact assessment or a behavioural change programme related to energy or environmental awareness.

Call us to discuss your short term project needs from one week to several months. We are happy to build a programme around your budget and resource requirements.

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