Leadership in a Project Environment

Course Overview

Influencing and motivating others without formal organizational authority is one of the project manager's biggest leadership challenges. This course provides project managers with the initial step in a life-long process of developing leadership competency.

This three-day course focuses on identifying the necessary "soft" competencies required of successful project managers. Participants use self-assessment instruments to identify their preferences for communication, motivation, conflict management, and decision making. From this information, participants can develop a personal leadership development program. The use of simulations and exercises enables participants to recognize how their preferences influence those around them.

Key Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the role of a leader/manager in a project environment
• Use preferences and leadership style in ways that positively influence the project team
• Develop and implement effective decision-making strategies
• Create an environment that fosters a strong team-oriented ethic
• Develop effective communication and stakeholder management strategies
• Identify strategies to build and lead effective teams
• Develop and implement effective approaches to conflict management
• Prepare and adopt a plan for improving leadership behavior in a project environment

Course Outline

The Leader in a Project Environment

• Define challenges of the project management leader
• Identify considerations for successful leadership

Leading Self-Knowledge: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®)

• Clarify strengths and contributions as a leader
• Identify blind spots and pitfalls as a leader
• Identify the leadership situations that bring out the best individual performance
• Explain how the MBTI® dynamic lens contributes to better problem solving and decision making
• Diagnose behavior through “speed-reading” to improve understanding

Communication Skills and Stakeholder Management

• Identify techniques for listening empathetically
• Explain the role of communication in a project environment
• Conduct stakeholder needs analysis and management

Leading Teams

• Develop methods for building effective teams
• Identify team facilitation skills that promote collaborative decision making
• Identify techniques for leading virtual teams
• Determine methods of measuring team performance

Relationship Awareness® Theory and Strength Deployment Inventory®

• Demonstrate a working knowledge of Relationship Awareness® theory
• Define your motivational value system, and associated behaviors
• Identify when personal strengths become weaknesses
• Identify behaviors under conditions of conflict

Conflict and Resolution

• Differentiate between real and unwarranted conflict
• Identify the five conflict resolution strategies
• Develop techniques for confronting and problem solving
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of principled negotiation
• Explain principled negotiation skills