Project managers are responsible for teams, and that means we have a responsibility to develop the people in those teams. Project leadership is a hot topic at the moment and as project managers we should also be aware of the leadership responsibilities that come with working on projects.
Unfortunately, in a project environment we can't be everywhere at once. Sometimes project managers need a holiday or are just involved in off-site meetings or workshops that mean they can't answer the phone instantly. Sometimes we leave our phones at home by mistake.
"Leaders cannot leave themselves exposed to situations where employees are unable to make decisions because they cannot get hold of you," writes Kevin Murray in his book The Language of Leaders: How Top CEOs Communicate to Inspire, Influence and Achieve Results (Kogan Page, 2011). "They have to be empowered to do the right thing when the critical moment arrives."
Sometimes projects need decisions taken instantly, in response to a risk mitigation activity or a new issue. That is when you need your project team to step up and act in a leadership capacity.
Yes, that's right. Other members of the project team can be project leaders, not just the project manager. You don't have to be in charge of a PMO to create leaders. As project managers, we can develop our project team members to become project leaders.
How to create project leaders
"Key to creating leaders is creating a well-understood framework within which leaders can operate," writes Murray. "The objective is to ensure that people throughout a company understand what the company expects of them, not only in terms of what they need to do but how they should do it. Leaders need to spend a great deal of time trying to ensure that everyone understands what 'doing the right thing' really means."
Everything happens fast in business these days. Project managers who surround themselves with people who are able to react appropriately in any given situation within the framework of the project are helping the project - and their team members - succeed.
How can you do this? Set clear guidelines and standards. Articulate a clear mission for the project. Agree project values in conjunction with the team and live them. Ensure that everyone knows what the overall goal is and how you believe you can get there together.
The purpose of doing this is so that everyone can turn to these values, guidelines, standards and the project mission and use these to inform their decisions. You are trying to provide the context for decision making so that the team members have a framework to use to work out what 'the right thing' is when you are not available.
What if your leaders make wrong decisions
The risk of creating a team where everyone is empowered to make decisions is that sometimes you may worry that they will make the wrong decision. Well, there is no such thing as the bad decision, as I have written before, so don't worry too much about that.
A lot of the risk around decision making hinges on project success. After all, decisions - even 'bad' ones - help move the project forward. What is also a concern is the relationships with stakeholders, as decisions, and how they are made, have a key part to play in keeping the peace on projects.
Communication is important for maintaining relationships. "Managing reputation is actually about managing the risks around the intangible asset of relationships," writes Murray, "for it is upon these relationships that the future of the company depends." Or, in a project environment, the future of your project.
When you empower your project team members to lead in your absence, you can also recommend approaches, values, tools and standards for communicating with stakeholders. You could recommend that all idea gathering is done through iMindQ, for example, or whatever your preferred mindmapping tool is. This reduces the risk that they will make the best decision (e.g. to organise a mindmapping exercise) but execute it poorly through poor communication or follow up (e.g. not recording all the output appropriately).
Whatever your troop of project leaders do, they should know that they have your support. If they don't know this, they will continue to hesitate to make decisions and you will continue to find the project grinding to a halt when you accidentally leave your smartphone in the car after a meeting or are at the dentist.