Developing Valuable IT Project Leaders - Behaviors to Exhibit for a Project Manager Promotion

Project managers perform the most important work in the world. We get things done. I can't think of any other profession as exciting, gratifying and important as being able to plan ahead and reasonably estimate the cost, scope and quality of a project that will be delivered in the future.

Yet project leaders are undervalued and under compensated. While you are looking out for your projects, who is looking out for your career, prosperity and increasing your paycheck? How focused are you on developing the correct professional skills to get your next promotion? After you have delivered your current multi-year project and worked Thanksgiving weekend, will you hear during your annual review that "You do good work, but you don't have the necessary skills for a promotion, so try again next year"?

After you have been around the block a few times you realize that a project management certification, MBA and miscellaneous other qualifications do not automatically prepare you for your next promotion. Projects are successfully delivered by certified project managers as well as project leaders who have no certification. Despite what the marketing departments of educational and professional associations claim, project manager success on the job is linked to demonstrable behaviors, not academic knowledge or simplistic case studies.

If you are tired of being passed over for promotion, or want to progress faster up the project leadership ladder than you have in the past, then rank your project management PromoteAbility on the assessment below. Grade yourself, and then consider reviewing it with your manager. See if you are lacking skills and find ways to acquire the skills.

Use this tool to ask your manager what he or she is looking for in a project leader, and get informal feedback on the skills that you should be developing. Don't limit your investigation into only discussing it with your current manager. Your current manager may be clueless and/or have a hidden agenda. Interview senior project leaders in other departments and other organizations, to determine what they think are the best skills and behaviors for a project leader to display in your organization. Ask senior leaders what they are looking for in a project leader on their team. (If you find yourself directed towards HR guidelines then you are in the wrong place. Go and find an intelligent person to interview).

The goal of this article is to help you identify the unwritten behaviors that project sponsors and leaders are looking for when they consider you for a promotion. Use this tool to raise awareness of strengths and blind spots for your next promotion. Here are behaviors that the best project managers demonstrate. How do you score on these behaviors using the headings on each column?

Behavior	Could use help	Mediocre	Wow! This is my strength.
Project leadership skills * (Definition below)
Have strong vision of project results and communicate it your vision. You know precisely what the project is going to achieve.
Build networks and personal relationships with business partners, IT partners and project sponsors for mutual benefit n current and future projects.
Proactively gather information for your project status. Keep your finger on the pulse and know in advance if the project pulse changes.
Always know exactly what the top three issues are on your project and are actively working them, every day.
Regularly communicate good and bad news to project stakeholders.
Market yourself. Do good work and tell your manager and project sponsors what you have achieved.
Time management skills * (Explanation below)
Don't merely raise project problems. Propose solutions with a recommended alternative.
Be optimistic and positive. You can't lead projects with negativity.
Meet deadlines, or inform stakeholders in advance of status and impact.
Meeting facilitation skills for in-person and teleconference meetings.
Selectively manage project problems - don't try to solve all project problems yourself.
Be prepared for meetings.
Problem solving skills. Can you decompose a project problem and get it solved?
Display and continue learning the business. Projects support business deliverables. Do you understand you business?

* Project leadership skills. My definition of demonstrable project leadership skill centers around project ownership: "You are the person who is leading the project planning, presents the project to sponsors and stakeholders and shows that you "own" the project, or your portion of the larger project. There is no question in anyone's mind that you are the person to call for the project, or portion of the larger project. You treat the project as if it were your own money on the table and don't allow scope creep, you remove barriers for the project team and are proud to report status on the project at all levels at all times."

* Time management skills. You can't manage projects successfully if don't get time to work on project planning, measuring and reporting status. You must manage your time which means that you don't allow other people to arbitrarily interrupt you or allow yourself to be buried in emails every day. How proactive are you at controlling your involvement in activities other than leading your projects?

Now, it is time to review your score. How did you do on each behavior? Remember that we grow by building on strengths, so highlight your strengths.

4. Who can you ask to mentor you in your project management organization or professional association?

I find it hard to uncover the behaviors that are truly measured when project leaders are considered for promotion. You can't demonstrate the behaviors that lead to project success, if you can't identify them. Feel free to use this tool to help identify the behaviors that the best project leaders demonstrate. Hopefully, your manager will agree that these are important behaviors for you to develop and demonstrate. If your manager does not understand the value of these behaviors, then you need to develop these skills and look for a new manager. Contact me if you would like help with any of the above.