Telling The Truth About Project Leadership
Keywords: small business, project leadership, project management, communication, team work, success
A regional claim center of a major insurance company was in big trouble. It’s customer service rating was a miserable 58%, entirely unacceptable. A senior manager was brought in to lead a critical turnaround project.
After experiencing a Leadership workshop, the approach he took was very simple, so simple that he attracted lots of naysayers, lots of pushback from all directions within the organization.
Eighteen months later, his simple approach to project leadership had taken their customer service rating all the way to 93%. That regional claim center became the customer service benchmark for the rest of the company.
How well a manager provides project leadership will determine whether the people factor is a divider or multiplier of project team performance. If the leader is effective in dealing with the soft, people issues, the performance of the project team is multiplied. If not, the people factor is divided, and project performance nosedives.
The key to successful project leadership and successful projects is to bring out the best in people. Unleash their potential and focus the resulting energy, creativity, spirit, buy-in, passion, talent, enthusiasm, etc. on accomplishing our project objectives. It is not an exaggeration to say that project leadership is mission critical!
With so much riding on the skills of the project leader, it’s not surprising that innumerable complex leadership theories have made their way into the business world. Leadership has gotten a reputation as a complex, mystical, ethereal, maybe even touchy-feely talent that we can’t quite wrap our arms around or demonstrate routinely. Everyone knows it is important, but many might not know how to do it.
Most managers have become experts in the hard parts of their jobs through training, education and practice. The same cannot be said for the soft parts of those jobs. In general, managers and executives don’t have nearly the experience or the education to cultivate sound practices in dealing with the soft, people issues. So, the challenges of leadership can look more complex than they really are.
It’s much more effective to simplify the way in which leadership issues are viewed and approached. Most of life’s complex challenges are tackled by distilling them down to their simplest forms. Even cleaning out the garage is overwhelming (at least at our houses!) unless it’s reduced to a series of simple tasks!
The power of simplicity
Complex solutions are rarely executed successfully, except on television. A number of years ago there was a series of TV commercials that featured basketball greats Larry Bird and Michael Jordan having an amazing shoot out in which they each tried to trump the other’s best shot.
The dialogue that laid out the shot always went something like, “Off the ceiling, around the pole, over the car, through the window, nothing but net.” The player would then nail the shot perfectly as described. In real life, the margin of error in those shots is so infinitesimal that it would be impossible to succeed. The slightest miscalculation would mean a colossal air ball. Yet, project managers often choose complex solutions with long odds instead of effective, albeit simple, effective methods of leadership.
Former General Electric CEO, Jack Welch, shed some light on the reason complexity is chosen over simplicity when, in an interview with The Harvard Business Review, he said, “Insecure managers create complexity. …Real leaders don’t need clutter. …But it’s not easy. You can’t believe how hard it is for people to be simple, how much they fear being simple. They worry that if they’re simple, people will think they’re simple-minded. In reality, of course, it is just the opposite. Clear, tough-minded people are the most simple.”
Like a trick shot, a complex solution is almost guaranteed to be difficult. A simple solution might not be easy, but at least it has a chance of succeeding.
Experience suggests the simpler the better.
Complexity is best reserved for those competitions in which “degree of difficulty” has a weighted impact in judging who gets the gold medal!
While many aspects of project leadership can be very complex, there are always ways to simplify them. Successful executives are beginning to recognize the power of simplicity. John Sculley, former CEO of Apple Computer, said, “Everything we have learned in the industrial age has tended to create more and more complication. I think that more and more people are learning that you have to simplify, not complicate. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Ed Oakley is the founder of Enlightened Leadership Solutions. Solve your greatest management challenges with his new book, Leadership Made Simple www.leadershipmadesimple.com
Previous Articles Highlighter:
How To Make Money From Home (1)
Keywords: How To Make Money From Home,How To Make Money, From Home Government statistics have been quoted many times by politicians indicating that small business is really the engine of the economy and small business owners who operate out of their homes form a large proportion of this part of the economy.
Online Affiliates: Tips And Tricks On The Internet Affiliate Trade (2)
Here are two things you can do to get started with your affiliate online business: First, you must learn how to generate leads. You need to have a web site and learn the strategies to get people in there.
Marketing Your Home Based Business (3)
Will they be able to earn enough money working at home to pay the bills and provide comforts to the kids too? Luckily, there are many home based business opportunities nowadays that could give young parents the chance to earn good money while staying at home.
Searching For The Right Home Business MLM Opportunity (4)
This practice was acceptable since there was a tangible product changing hands in exchange for money and many people became very successful in these businesses. The company saw it sales increase, distributors made money as independent contractors and their distributors made money as well.
Get Noticed By Using Promotional Business Products (5)
With so many means of advertising available, business owners must look at their budget to determine how many people will be exposed to the brand and at what cost. Very few advertising opportunities can be had as inexpensively as promotional business items.
Getting Creative: Finding Great Ideas When You Need One! Part I (6)
Right there! Perspective and Patience Leonardo daVinci believed that to gain knowledge about the form of a problem, it was vital to restructure it to see it in many different ways.
An Introduction To Greenhouse Gardening (7)
When you do this, you will transform your love of gardening into a year-round hobby. To grow greenhouse plants throughout the winter the minimum temperature is 45 degrees. Unlike gardening outside where the rain waters the plants, it does not rain inside a greenhouse.
Find The Perfect Dutchman RV (8)
Traveling is the ultimate experience when you travel in an RV that provides you with a home away from home. Comfort, luxury and style make this choice the best RV around and you can own one today.
Using Promotional Apparel Products To Increase Advertising (9)
Promotional apparel products serve an added purpose as well, though. Think of how many people someone encounters throughout the course of a day. Each of these people was exposed to the name and logo of your business.
Using Vinyl Banners To Promote Activities (10)
Schools, churches, clubs, sporting venues and individuals can all use a single vinyl banner, or as many as needed, as a means of getting a message out to the public.
Newer Articles Highlighter:
Information On Sleeping Bags And Comfortable Sleeping While Camping (1)
If you are going to use it in a dry environment where you can air it then a down bag still gives better insulation weight for weight than a man made filling bag will do.
What To Wear To Work? (2)
So why would you wear a dingy shirt or tight skirt to work in a professional office? Now, I realize that not every office has a business casual dress code.
Auto Loan Calculator (3)
The auto loan calculator calculates the monthly repayment installment for all the loans in the market. This data is then listed in the results table in an ascending order, with the cheapest monthly repayment installment options on the top.
What To Look For In An Ebook Publisher (4)
If you have difficulty ordering or finding a book on the site, chances are readers may have a hard time finding your books, too. Customer Service: To get the full effect of an eBook publisher in action, purchase a book.
Answers About Eye Drops For Newborns (5)
The opinions on this vary. Some people believe that if a woman's water was broken before delivery either naturally or by the doctor, that there is a chance that the baby could still have made contact with any infection that might be present.
Information On Backpacks (6)
On the other hand, when you are out for 8-10 days of Appalachian Trail hiking, use a smaller ultra light pack (1.5 lbs, 3400+ cubic inches) and skimp on some of the camp comforts in favor of making hiking as comfortable as possible.
GPS And Other Emergency Contact Devices (7)
If you don't check in, they would send someone out to check on you. Victor Epand is an expert consultant for www.CombatCloth.info. CombatCloth.info carries the best selection of combat clothing, gear, and accessories on the market: www.CombatCloth.info
Are There Really Any Good Make Money Business Opportunities (8)
Jeff Schuman invites you to visit his make money website for ways to make money online and make money at home. Make money ideas, articles, opportunities, and our top rated make money blog.
Does Your Body Type Affect Your Weight Loss Goals? (9)
Neither can we change the fact that we're Caucasian, Chinese or Indian. Rather, just appreciate and be thankful of who you are and what body type you belong to.
Four Ways To Save Money On Your California Home Mortgage (10)
Anything outside of these fees is fair game to be negotiated with the lender. Do not hesitate to ask your lender to take away some of the unnecessary fees.