Essential People Skills for Project Managers

CHAPTER 2Project Manager: Leader, Manager, Facilitator, Mentor

Project managers, like many other leaders, are often promoted into leadership roles for reasons related to technical competency rather than because they have demonstrated leadership and management skills.

Ideally, project managers gradually acquire essential leadership skills during their early years of project work. They may also develop and sharpen their leadership skills by working with seasoned mentors or by attending formal project leadership training offered by professional organizations and institutes.

Regardless of the developmental method, the project manager must acquire a solid knowledge of basic leadership and management skills. These skills in leading team members are ...