Developing Project Leaders

Project Management Institute Sacramento Valley Chapter Government Forum

Developing Project Leaders September 17, 2009 Keith Aldrich President Continuity Consulting, Inc.

Our Focus Today ● What is a project leader? ● Why do people follow? ● What is the Impact of strong leadership? ● How do we develop our leadership capabilities?

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What is a Project Leader?

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Extraordinary leadership is, at its very core, about being intentional and strategic about relationships with the people we lead, follow, and collaborate with.

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PMBOK Reference Leadership involves focusing the efforts of a group of people toward a common goal and enabling them to work as a team. In general terms, leadership is the ability to get things done through others. Respect and Trust, rather than fear and submission, are the key elements of effective leadership.

Source: PMBOK Guide, 4th Edition, Appendix G (pg 417)

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Leading vs. Managing Leadership

Management

Leaders have followers

Managers have subordinates

Working on the system

Working in the system

Create & Seek Opportunities

React to situations & control risks

Change Organizational Rules

Enforce Organizational Rules

Provide a Vision to believe in

Seek and follow direction

Motivate people by satisfying basic human needs

Control people by pushing them in the right direction

Inspire achievement and energize people

Coordinate effort

Coach followers, create self-leaders, and empower them

Provide instructions

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Management Focuses on Work ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Planning Organizing Controlling Coordinating Directing Resource use Time management Logistics Finance Budgeting

Hard Skills

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Leadership Focuses on People ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Vision Inspiration Persuasion Motivation RELATIONSHIPS Team work Listening

Soft Skills

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Leadership is about Relationships â—? Leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow. â—? People first follow the person, then the plan.

Source: The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes & Posner, Jossey-Bass Publishing, 2002.

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Why do people follow?

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Gallup Poll Random sampling of more than 10,000 followers from 2005 to 2008. â—? What Leader has the most positive influence in your daily life? â—? List three words that best describe what this person contributes to your life?

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Gallup Survey Response ● Trust – (Honesty, Integrity, Respect) ● Compassion – (Caring, Friendship, Happiness, Love) ● Stability – (Security, Strength, Support, Peace) ● Hope – (Direction, Faith, Guidance)

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Characteristics of Admired Leaders Intelligent

Fair Minded

Supportive

Forward Looking

Dependable

Honest

Broad Minded

Straightforward

Inspiring

Cooperative

Determined

Imaginative

Ambitious

Courageous

Competent

Caring

Mature

Loyal

Self-Controlled

Independent

* Circle your top five choices 13

Characteristics of Admired Leaders Characteristic

% of Respondents (2005)

% of Respondents (1993 )

Honest

87

83

Forward-looking

71

62

Inspiring

68

58

Competent

58

67

Fair-minded

49

40

Supportive

46

21

Broad-minded

41

37

Intelligent

38

43

Straightforward

34

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Source: Credibility, Kouzes & Posner, Jossey-Bass Publishing, 2003.

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Characteristics ● Honesty: Strongly tied to values and ethics.

We appreciate people who take a stand on important principles.

● Forward Looking: People expect leaders to have a sense of direction and concern for the future of the organization.

● Competent: Track record and ability to get things done.

● Inspiring: We also expect our leaders to be enthusiastic, energetic and positive about the future.

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Leadership is a Relationship ● Today’s leaders need more than technical expertise and mental aptitude to succeed.

They must possess the ability to effectively inspire and direct others. ● Such capacity is only achieved through the development and maintenance of strong relationships, relationships that come from a leader with good character.

Source: Credibility, Kouzes & Posner, Jossey-Bass Publishing, 2003.

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Impact of strong leadership?

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Value of Becoming a Project Leader ● Increase Probability of Project Success ● Improve Organizations ● Help others reach their potential

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Increase Probability of Project Success “Many projects and programs falter because of lack of communication, lack of people skills, or lack of leadership skills, rather than a lack of technical program management skills�.

Source: Developing Future Program Leaders, Timothy S. Kroecker, Defense AT&L, January-February 2007.

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“The higher the EQ, the higher the level of project Success” Leadership Competencies Measured by the Leadership Dimensions Questionnaire (LDQ) Intellectual Competencies (IQ) 1.

Critical Analysis and Judgment 2.

Vision and Imagination (-) 3.

Strategic Perspective (-) Managerial Competencies (MQ) 1.

Resource Management 2.

Engaging Communication * 3.

Empowering 4.

Developing Others * 5.

Achieving

Emotional Competencies (EQ) 1.

Self Awareness * 2.

Emotional Resilience * 3.

Intuitiveness 4.

Interpersonal Sensitivity * 5.

Influence * 6.

Motivation * 7.

Conscientiousness *

“Most importantly, it moves the discussion from what to do in projects to how to behave in projects” Source: Choosing Appropriate Project Managers, Muller & Turner, PMI Publishing, 2006.

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Impact of Trust ● Increases employee engagement at work o Only 1 in 12 were fully engaged when they did not trust the organization’s leadership. o More than 1 in 2 were fully engaged when they trusted the organization’s leadership.

Source: Gallup Survey Results

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Impact of Trust ● Increases employee engagement at work ● Increases Speed and Efficiency ● Improves Collaboration ● Enables Team Effectiveness

Trust is the foundation of teamwork!

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Five Dysfunctions of a Team Inattention to

Results Avoidance of

Accountability Lack of

Commitment Fear of

Conflict Absence of

Trust Source: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni, Jossey-Bass Publishing 2002

Impact of Compassion “My supervisor or someone at work seems to care about me as a person.” (10 Million Surveyed) ● Significantly more likely to stay with the organization ● Substantially more productive ● Deliver more profitability ● Have much more engaged customers Source: Gallup Survey Results

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Impact of Stability If employees … o …believed the leaders could be counted on in times of need o …knew that the leaders core values were stable o …were confident in their organizations future

Nine Times (9x) as likely to be fully engaged in their jobs Source: Gallup Survey Results

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Impact of Hope Does your organizations leadership make you feel enthusiastic about the future? â—? Strongly Agree: 69% of employees were fully engaged in their work â—? Disagree: 1% of employees were fully engaged in their work Source: Gallup Survey Results

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How do we develop our leadership capabilities?

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Developing Leadership Skills ● Good News: o Leaders are made not born o We can all grow and learn

● Bad News o It is up to us to develop those skills o “Knowing thyself is the most difficult task any of us faces” – Warren Bennis 28

Becoming Self Aware “Leaders thrive by understanding who they are and what they value, by becoming aware of unhealthy blind spots or weaknesses that can derail them, and by cultivating the habit of continuous selfreflection and learning.�

Source: Heroic Leadership, Lowney, Loyola Press, 2003.

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Self Awareness â—? Why is self awareness important to leadership training? â—? Why do we start here?

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Four Pillars of Successful Leadership 1. Self Awareness

Leaders understand their strengths, weaknesses, values, and worldview.

2. Ingenuity

Leaders make themselves and others comfortable in a changing world.

3. Love

Leaders know we perform our best in supportive, encouraging, and positively charged environments filled with greater love than fear.

4. Heroism

Leaders imagine an inspiring future and strive to shape it rather than passively watching the future happen around them.

Source: Heroic Leadership, Lowney, Loyola Press, 2003.

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5 Steps Towards Leadership Development 1. Identifying One's Ideal Self 2. Identifying The Real Self 3. Make A Plan To Build On Strengths and Reduce Gaps 4. Experiment and Practice New Skills 5. Develop Trusting and Encouraging Relationships Source: Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence, Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, Harvard Business School Press, 2002.

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Emotional Intelligence (EQ) â—? How we manage behavior, navigate social complexities, and make personal decisions.

Self-Awareness

Self-Management

Social Awareness

Relationship Management

What I see

What I do

Practical Application ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Explore and Declare Your Values Write Your Eulogy Write a Personal Mission Statement Conduct a Character Assessment Identify and Develop Your Strengths Conduct a 360 Assessment Surround Yourself with Courageous Truth Tellers Put it into Practice Pass it on

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The Journey Involves… ● Appreciating oneself as talented ● Identifying personal, derailing baggage that prevents the realization of your full potential ● Articulating personally motivating goals and ambitions ● Determining what one stands for, what impact one wants to make

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The Journey Involves… ● Developing a worldview that guides interaction with others ● Achieving control of yourself before you try to control others ● Acquiring the habit of updating oneself regularly on all the above

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Leave a Legacy “ Good leaders make people feel that they’re at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens people feel centered and that gives their work meaning”. – Warren G. Bennis

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Questions?

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Continuity Consulting hosts a variety of Free Workshops: •Values Based Leadership •Enterprise Architecture •Strategic Planning •Application Services •Organizational Change Management

Stay Connected and Informed: Keith Aldrich, PMP Continuity Consulting, Inc. (916) 458-5151 kaldrich@continuityconsulting.com

www.continuityconsulting.com

(916) 458-5151 info@continuityconsulting.com