Project Management For Dummies®, UK Edition

Chapter 22

Ten Tips for Being a Better Project Manager

In This Chapter

Being proactive and looking at the big picture

Encouraging others and treating them with respect

Communicating effectively and acknowledging other people’s accomplishments

Successful project management depends not only on what you do, but also on how you do it. Your attitudes and behaviours towards people affect how they respond to you. Perhaps this whole chapter should have a large Tip icon on it because it offers ten tips that can help you successfully win people’s support.

Being a ‘Why’ Person

Look for the reasons behind requests and actions. Understanding why helps you make sure you respond appropriately to team members, senior managers and all other project stakeholders (which, in turn, increases people’s motivation and buy-in). Always look for the reasons behind other people’s requests and actions. People rarely do or think something without reason, and even if they’re wrong, you need to understand where they’re coming from.

Being a ‘Can Do’ Person

Look at all problems as challenges, and do everything you can to find ways to overcome them. Be creative, flexible and tenacious. Keep working at the problem until you solve it. Pull in other people where you need to in order to crack the problem; that’s teamwork. The UK military frequently uses the phrase ‘we, not me’, and that works for projects too.

Thinking about the Big Picture

Keep events in perspective. Understand where you want to go and how your plan ...