O'Reilly logo

Stay ahead with the world's most comprehensive technology and business learning platform.

With Safari, you learn the way you learn best. Get unlimited access to videos, live online training, learning paths, books, tutorials, and more.

Start Free Trial

No credit card required

Essential People Skills for Project Managers

Essential People Skills for Project Managers

by Ginger Levin, Steven W. Flannes
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Release Date: August 2005
ISBN: 9781523096268
View table of contents
Start reading

Book Description

A Treasury of How-to Guidance for Project Success!
People problems can really hurt your project, causing delays, eroding quality, increasing costs, and resulting in high levels of stress for everyone on the team. Yet if you're like most project managers, you've never been taught the soft skills necessary for managing tough people issues.
Essential People Skills for Project Managers brings the key concepts of people skills into sharp focus, offering specific, practical skills that you can grasp quickly, apply immediately, and use to resolve these often difficult people issues. Derived from the widely popular original book, People Skills for Project Managers, this new version provides condensed content and a practical focus.
• Apply project leadership techniques with confidence
• Resolve conflicts and motivate team members
• Help a team recover after a critical incident
• Determine your team members' personal styles so you can work more effectively with them
You'll also learn how to apply people skills for a more successful career and life!
• Discover how to manage stress – personal and professional
• Learn proven methods for managing your own career
• Find out how to thrive in an atmosphere of change

Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. About the Authors
  5. Dedication
  6. Table of Contents
  7. Forewords
  8. Preface
  9. Chapter 1: The Importance of People Skills in Project Management
    1. Projects: Technical Problems with Human Dimensions
    2. Why Are People Skills So Important?
      1. Cyclical and Stage Nature of Projects
      2. Trend in Organizations to Become More Project-Based
      3. Increase in Project Complexity
      4. Continual Downsizing and Outsourcing
      5. Movement Toward Customer-Driven Projects
      6. Leading in a Matrix Management Structure
      7. Increase of Virtual Teams and a Distributed Workplace
      8. Role of Project Managers as Change Agents
      9. Use of People Skills for Risk Management
    3. What Can a Project Manager Do to Improve Key Project Skills?
  10. Chapter 2: Project Manager: Leader, Manager, Facilitator, Mentor
    1. Project Manager Versus Functional Manager
      1. Clarity of Organizational Structure
      2. Consistency of Human Resources
      3. Sources of Leverage for Motivation
    2. The Four Leadership Roles of the Project Manager
      1. Project Manager as “Leader”
      2. Project Manager as “Manager”
      3. Project Manager as “Facilitator”
      4. Project Manager as “Mentor”
    3. Discussion Questions
  11. Chapter 3: Interpersonal Communication Tools for the Project Manager
    1. Developing Concrete Communication Skills
      1. Sending “I” Messages
      2. Listening Actively
      3. Asking Open-Ended Questions
      4. Tracking the Message
      5. Reframing the Point
    2. Identifying and Appreciating Individual Differences: The MBTI Approach
    3. Communication Tips: Using the MBTI to Deliver Your Message
      1. Communicating with the Extraverted Team Member
      2. Communicating with the Introverted Team Member
      3. Communicating with the Sensing Team Member
      4. Communicating with the Intuitive Team Member
      5. Communicating with the Thinking Team Member
      6. Communicating with the Feeling Team Member
      7. Communicating with the Judging Team Member
      8. Communicating with the Perceiving Team Member
    4. Paying Attention to the Tone and Texture of Communication
      1. Being “Present” During the Discussion
      2. Listening to the “Music Behind the Words”
      3. Considering the Alliance and the Context
      4. Keeping the Communication Reciprocal
      5. Being Aware of the Content and the Process
    5. Recognizing Communication “Stoppers”
      1. Denial
      2. Projection
      3. Displacement
      4. Objectification
    6. Discussion Questions
  12. Chapter 4: The Art of Motivation
    1. Global Trends That Affect Motivation
    2. Strategies for Motivating Team Members
      1. Motivating Using Personal Style
      2. Motivating Using Career Stages
      3. Motivating Using Career Values
      4. Motivating Using Situational Considerations
    3. Systemic Approaches to Motivating the Team
      1. Creating an Empowered Team
      2. Applying Force-Field Analysis
    4. Motivational Mistakes
    5. Motivational Checklist for the Project Manager
    6. Discussion Questions
  13. Chapter 5: Managing Project Conflict
    1. Conflict Is Pervasive
    2. The Personal Experience of Conflict: Body and Mind
      1. The Cognitive Level
      2. The Physiological Level
      3. The Affective Level
    3. When Conflict Is Not Addressed
    4. Conflict in Project Phases
      1. Project Initiation Phase
      2. Project Planning Phase
      3. Project Execution Phase
      4. Project Closeout Phase
    5. Thomas-Kilmann Model of Conflict Resolution
      1. Competing
      2. Avoiding
      3. Accommodating
      4. Collaborating
      5. Compromising
    6. Conflict Resolution Checklist
    7. Managing Agreement: As Important As Managing Conflict
    8. Discussion Questions
  14. Chapter 6: Stress Management for the Project Manager
    1. Inherent Sources of Stress in Project Management
      1. Intrinsic Stress of Being a Leader
      2. Matrix Management
      3. Solving Singular Problems
      4. Project Ramp-Up and Ramp-Down
    2. Project Management Stress Caused by Dysfunctional Organizations
      1. Lack of Organizational Congruence
      2. Treatment of People As Objects
      3. Dysfunctional Leadership at Senior Management Levels
    3. Stress Caused by the Project Manager’s
      1. Personal Traits Perfectionism and Time Urgency
      2. Overcontrol
      3. The Overly “Feeling” Project Manager
      4. Runaway Personal Myths and Beliefs
    4. Adapting to Stress: Maladaptive and Adaptive Coping
      1. Using Positive Psychology
      2. Developing Resilience
      3. Crafting Cognitive-Behavioral Strategies
      4. Finding “Flow” Activities in Your Life
      5. Using “Expressive” Tools
    5. Discussion Questions
  15. Chapter 7: Critical Incidents: When Traumatic Events Strike the Project Team
    1. Impact on the Victim
    2. How Can the Project Manager Help?
    3. Impact on the Project Team
    4. Critical Incident Stress Debriefing
      1. Beginning the Debriefing Meeting
      2. Letting Members Tell Their Stories
      3. Concluding the Debriefing
    5. When All Else Fails: The Project Recovery Plan
      1. Specific Steps to Project Recovery
      2. Assessing Team Effectiveness and Performance
    6. Is a Project Recovery Manager Needed?
      1. Need to Review Progress and Actively Communicate
      2. Personal Qualities of the Effective Project Recovery Manager
      3. Project Failure and Project Closure
    7. Critical Incident Checklist for the Project Manager
    8. Discussion Questions
  16. Chapter 8: Future Issues, Career Management, and Thoughts on People Issues
    1. Future Issues and Challenges in Project Management
    2. Improving Your Performance as a Project Manager
      1. Crafting a Personal Improvement Plan
      2. Getting By Is Not Good Enough
    3. Improving the Performance of Team Members
      1. Become a Guide
      2. Create a Team Culture of Success
    4. Career Management for the Project Manager
      1. Rule #1: Actively Consider What You Want to Do
      2. Rule #2: Network, Network, Network!
      3. Rule #3: The Higher You Go, the More It Becomes a Matter of Chemistry
      4. Rule #4: Keep Your Resumé Current and Active
      5. Rule #5: Put Your Personal References in Order
      6. Rule #6: Create Your Two-Minute Introduction
      7. Consider a Portfolio Career
    5. Thoughts About People
      1. Change Is Taking Place, but Do Not Forget the Constants
      2. Existential Givens of Being a Person
      3. Parting Thoughts
  17. References
  18. Index