How project managers can land leadership roles

Photo credit: Peoplecreations

Suppose you’re a project manager and have all your ducks in a row: sufficient industry experience, a PMP accredited certification, and a handful of successfully delivered projects that recommend you for a leadership position.

But why is it that every time you try to land a leadership role, it feels more and more out of reach?

That’s because project success has evolved from the simple budget-time-scope triad to also include stakeholder satisfaction, product success, business benefits, and above all, team development.

This means your role is not limited to planning, executing, and closing projects. You need to have a say in the whole project cycle, create a vision, inspire people to follow it, and challenge the status quo.

You need to become a leader.

Effectiveness vs efficiency

Aren’t leaders and project managers the same thing? Not at all. They have distinct roles and agendas.

• Leaders are more strategic. Their duty is to create and communicate the overall vision, making sure all parties strive toward a shared set of goals. That’s why they focus more on the end results rather than the processes. When it comes to teams, leaders are coaches. They know people’s motivations and align them with the company’s vision.
• Project managers, on the other hand, are more tactical and centered on execution. They’re more concerned with the successful delivery of a project, and report directly to the management team or the project management office (PMO).

This popular industry saying boils it down:

A leader does the right things (effectiveness); a manager does things right (efficiency).

Linchpins

OK, so you know what a typical leader does. But how can you become one?

Don’t worry, I’m not going to give you a set of leadership skills. There are plenty of scientific and industry-oriented articles that cover this subject extensively. Instead, we’re going to focus on the predominant attitudes of a leader.

Think of a linchpin. No, not the bolt that keeps the wheel on the axle, but about that person without which a company wouldn’t be the same. Someone who is “indispensable,” to put it in Seth Godin’s words.

According to Godin, linchpins:

Requirements

The road to project leadership

Conclusion