One of the most important qualities a project manager should have is high ethical standards. A Project manager has access to all types of sensitive data including proprietary customer and company information including software, personnel salaries, and sensitive company information. It is imperative that as a project manager, you strive to protect this data from falling into the wrong hands. If a laptop is stolen, you are responsible for the damage that may be caused whether it’s your laptop or someone on your team. Ensuring that you and your team are practicing the most up to date encryption and password protection methods is critical to your success. Remember to lock your office every time you leave it for any length of time.

Grace under pressure is what I like to call the trait of being cool under fire. Watching the NFL’s Joe Montana or Tom Brady do their jobs will give you some idea of what I’m talking about. Not falling apart when it finally hits the fan (and it will) is something that can save your career and your project. Fostering this mentality in others is part of a good project manger’s tool kit. I learned this by watching and greatly admiring others who have handled crises calmly.

Here’s a quick exercise to show you the absolute power you have when acting calmly in a crisis. If you are in a situation such as being stuck in traffic waiting to turn and someone is behind you honking like crazy and yelling obscenities, let him pass you. As he gives you the finger, wave calmly and smile, then watch his expression.

Other ideals for the project manager who wishes to be known for grace under pressure are fostering a team environment. Make sure you understand your team members and their other commitments. They are not your slaves and do have other priorities. Speaking with team members’ management is a good way to find out what may be coming up and if a major problem arises, you will be able to juggle company priorities along with the priorities of your project. Remember, the success of your project at the expense of another important one may result in damage to the corporation. Also remember that grace under pressure is much easier if you avoid as many pressure situations as possible via good planning. This is also good project management practice.

Part of working in a team environment is the way bad news is presented to you and to your team. If you “kill the messenger” every time bad news happens, you’ll never hear about it again until it’s too late. Treat bad news as an opportunity to show your team that you can lead them out of the problem through grace under pressure. If the bad news involves a hit to your project, your job at this point is to lead the team, remove obstacles from their path, involve the team in re-planning and get their buy in and communicate project status to all involved.

Planning and organization are the project managers’ stock in trade. As a project manager at Nortel, I often managed multiple projects simultaneously. Keeping track of due dates and juggling resources, sometimes managing the same resource over multiple projects requires a high level of planning and organization. One of the tools that can help you with this is the project plan. Project planning software allows you to assign resources across multiple tasks, view the number of assigned hours for each team member and let you know what tasks are (or should be) in progress and when they will be completed. After making this analysis you should be able to make a list of questions to ask about the tasks in progress. Before hounding the team about what is currently happening it is often useful at this point to see what’s next. I call this keeping your eye on the horizon. First Look at the tasks on the critical path.Be sure to evaluate all other tasks upcoming in the next few weeks and ask yourself the following:

• Do I need extra resources (people or
  material)?
• Who is assigned to these upcoming tasks?
• Will the resources be available?
• Can any tasks be done in parallel?
• Is there anything else hindering the horizon
  tasks from starting on time?

Being a leader. The best project managers are the ones that manage people effectively. Think of yourself as the hub in a wheel with many spokes. These spokes are your team and you must be their leader. To sum up my definition of a leader I will quote Thomas Payne as Lee Iacocca has done so effectively “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” If you can’t lead, then follow someone who can. Don’t think that this is a sign of weakness. On the contrary: Remember your job is to do whatever it takes (legally and within standards and reason) to bring your project in on time and within budget. If someone on the team has a particular expertise and is the best leader for that portion of the project then you must do what is best for the project and let them lead. You can always assume control again later. If you can’t lead or follow then by all means get out of the way. If you have to get out of the way too many times, you must ask yourself if the project management profession is for you.

Writing clearly. As a project manager your ability to write professional e-mails, specifications, plans and action registers (among other documents) can set you apart from your peers. Effective written communication is a tool that project mangers employ to distribute information efficiently and effectively. Write clear objectives. Concisely written and completely thought out specifications and unambiguous e-mails combine to create an atmosphere of communication that the project manager must foster and encourage. Spending time writing a complete statement of work is more than well worth the effort.

Standing and delivering. As much as most people hate to, a project manager needs to be able to stand in front of a group and make a presentation. Public speaking is right up there with jumping out of an airplane as one of the most feared activities. If you have a problem doing this I highly recommend that you take a public speaking course. After getting over my fear of public speaking, I had the opportunity to speak in front of over 100 people at a conference. I had a wonderful time because I had the confidence to stand and deliver.

Not being a yes person. There will most likely come a time when all is rosy and someone comes up with a new idea for a project that has everyone abuzz but you. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Ask the hard questions that may not have been asked. Be the devil’s advocate if you have to, especially if you really believe that someone is making a big mistake.

If you think you have the above qualities, then project management might be the right choice for you.

______________________________

Above is an excerpt from A.J.Frank's book "Project Management Advice That Really Works." 2009 CreateSpace, Amazon.com publishing. URL https://www.createspace.com/3373014