Developing Project Leadership

Copyright © 2015 Team Animation and Business Evolution Slide: 1

Project Leadership Sarah Coleman and

Donnie MacNicol


Developing Project Leadership

Leading challenging and increasingly Volatile Uncertain Complex and

Ambiguous (VUCA) projects can leave leaders feeling exposed and

vulnerable. This session will provide you with insights and tools to

help you lead successfully, relying strongly on your business acumen,

interpersonal skills and organisational intelligence.

Specifically:

• Organisational culture – and why this is important to you and your

project

• Project Leader’s Eight Lookings – how to ensure you’re focused on

what’s important

• Planning your career – moving from “managing” to ”leading”

Also receive a discount voucher for “Project Leadership” 3rd Edition

published by Gower from which the materials have been taken


Agenda

• In a VUCA world - Project Leader

vs. project leadership: why is it

important?

• Organizational culture – and why

this is important to you and your

project

• Project Leader’s Eight Lookings

– how to ensure you’re focused

on what’s important

• Planning your career – moving

from “managing” to ”leading”.


VUCA

• The VUCA world

• Increasing “projectification” of

organizations

• Part of skill set underpinning project

success

• New reality: moving away from project

planning and control tools as the keys to

success, and towards the management

and leadership of people and their

performance

• Providing leadership capability is not just

left to ‘leaders’

• Every project, programme and portfolio

manager needs elements of leadership

capability to be effective

• A strategic issue for businesses and

government.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=d21AaBzA6q7AaM&tbnid=5i4WHtemx77hKM:&ved=0CAgQjRwwAA&url=http://warschawski.com/blog/marketing-in-a-vuca-world/&ei=k_1DUu-2OMyv4QTK_oCYAw&psig=AFQjCNFALiaqxiK8JVr3hceJS6hITbZ4-A&ust=1380273939955998


Commitments as a Project Leader. Adapted from The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® model (Kouzes and Posner, 2007)

Project Leader vs project leadership Role vs capability:

Model the way: Find your natural style & personal values; work with the team to identify a set

of shared values to guide the project

Lead by example, modelling appropriate behaviours

Inspire a shared vision: Develop project vision aligned with the organization & the client

Describe the future: exciting & full of possibility

Use the project team, organization & client by appealing to their aspirations

Challenge the process: Encourage better & innovative ways of working to improve performance

Adapt & modify your own approach: seek feedback & learn

Enable others to act: Build culture of collaboration & trust

Distribute responsibility & decision-making

Deliver value: Action as well as words: deliver what is required, not what you want

Demonstrate & publicize the value the team has achieved, & how it links

to the vision

Encourage the heart: Recognize individual team member’s expertise & contribution

Show appreciation & celebrate success

Build the community spirit.


The Eight Lookings

• How to deal with the apparent

complexity and multiple expectations

on the role?

• Helpful to categorize and consolidate

into a model which can be easily

understood

• Eight Lookings Model below presents

the idea that you must look in 8

directions in order to identify and

understand the whole picture.


Eight Lookings overview

Looking outwards – The client

Managing the client, end user and external stakeholders (including suppliers and subcontractors) to ensure the project meets their expectations.

Looking upwards – The Executive Board

Managing your governance team to achieve organisational commitment and engagement. Wiring into

stakeholders

Looking externally – The client’s vision

Understanding and aligning to the vision and strategy for the client and their stakeholders.

Looking internally – The organisation’s vision

Understanding and aligning to the vision and strategy for the organisation and its stakeholders.

Achieving the vision

Looking forwards – The future

Planning in order to ensure that the team sets realistic targets, and obtains appropriate resources to achieve those targets.

Looking backwards – The past

Monitoring progress with appropriate control systems, to ensure that the project meets its targets and the team learns from its mistakes.

Keeping on the ball

Looking downwards – The team’s performance

Managing the team to maximize their performance as individuals and collectively. Managing the visible and invisible, across disciplines, divisions, countries and cultures.

Looking inwards – My performance

Managing yourself, by reviewing your performance to ensure that your leadership is a positive contribution to the project.

Focussing on results


Lo

w

Hig

h

Cen

trali

sati

on

Low Collaboration High

Individual rules

Low level of collaboration and low level of

centralisation. Organisation has:

• Delegated authority and decision-

making to appropriate levels and/or

locations

• Low cross-functional working or

organisational networking opportunities

or facilitation

Process rules

Low level of collaboration and high level of


• Defined structure and hierarchy for

decision-making

• Low cross-functional working or

organisational networking opportunities

or facilitation

Relationships rule

High level of collaboration and low level of


• Delegated authority and decision-making

to appropriate levels and/or locations

• High incidence of cross-functional

working or organisational networking

opportunities or facilitation

Community rules

High level of collaboration and high level of


• Defined structure and hierarchy for

decision-making

• High incidence of cross-functional

working or organisational networking


Project Culture Matrix™


Individual rules

Low level of collaboration and low level of centralisation. Organisation has:

• Delegated authority and decision-making to appropriate levels and/or

locations

• Low cross-functional working or organisational networking

opportunities or facilitation.

What type of Project Leader/Leadership thrives in this culture?

• High self-reliance and can develop support networks and relationships

for self, team and project

• Can work with ambiguity and uncertainty

Process rules

Low level of collaboration and high level of centralisation.

Organisation has:

• Defined structure and hierarchy for decision-making

• Low cross-functional working or organisational networking



• Highly structured and organised, process driven

• Recognises project governance team and sponsor critical to success

• Feeds up, waits for and accepts decisions from more senior level

• Recognises his/her power may come from the size and status of

the project

• Works well with influence and power based on position, role or title

• Networking and relationship building not as important as

formalised authority

Relationships rule

High level of collaboration and low level of centralisation. Organisation has:

• Delegated authority and decision-making to appropriate levels

and/or locations

• High incidence of cross-functional working or organisational networking



• Organisationally intelligent: understanding power bases, influencers,

able to build strong relationships and networks to own advantage and

the advantage of the project

Community rules

High level of collaboration and high level of centralisation. Organisation has:

• Defined structure and hierarchy for decision-making

• High incidence of cross-functional working or organisational networking



• Able to insert self easily into established processes and structures, and

work well within these parameters

• Flexibility and adaptability

• Organisationally intelligent: understanding power bases, influencers,

able to build strong relationships and networks to own advantage and

the advantage of the project

Lo

w

Hig

h

Le

ve

l o

f c

en

tra

lis

ati

on

Low Level of collaboration High

The type of Project Leader / Leadership that thrives in each culture


Transition Model

Leaving behind the familiar and embracing the new

• Values: on the basis that what you value

is what you focus on, you must change

what you value about your individual

contribution.

• Time: a shift in two dimensions is

needed:

- What you spend your time doing;

- Horizon you are looking over.

• Skills: accept losing familiar skills,

welcome the discomfort of learning new

skills.

New skills

Enhanced

Delegated

Dropped

Existing


Idealized Individual and Organizational Development

Participant

Training/facilitation

Mentor/Coach

Project Member

Time Year 1 Year 2

Personal life

Personal reflection

Project execution

Local implementation groups

Experiential learning modules

Community investment, sharing and collaboration

Mentoring/Coaching

Key personal milestones

to take account of

Pre work Post work Pre work Post work

Clarity of Objectives –

Individual and Organisational

Key project milestones

to plan for


What individuals and organisations need to know about developing their project leadership capacity and capability to deliver in challenging times.

The Project Leadership Compass™

The role of the project

leader during the key phases of

the project lifecycle

Project leadership and

the project leader

The 3 key competencies

of a project leader

Building personal and organisational

capability


To celebrate the

publication of “Project

Leadership” 3rd Edition

(Gower Publishing Ltd),

we are offering 40%

discount when you

purchase it from the

Gower stand (68-70).

Please take the voucher

provided with you to

receive this discount.


Contact Donnie MacNicol – Team Animation

• m +44 (0)7799 766238

• e [email protected]

• w www.teamanimation.co.uk

• LinkedIn – http://uk.linkedin.com/in/donniemacnicol

• Twitter – @donniemacnicol

• Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Animation-

Ltd/160769337303100

Contact Sarah Coleman – Business Evolution

• m +44 (0)7999 879870

• e [email protected]

• w www.businessevolution.co

• LinkedIn – http://uk.linkedin.com/in/sjcoleman

• Twitter – @business_evolve

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.teamanimation.co.uk/

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/donniemacnicol

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Animation-Ltd/160769337303100





mailto:[email protected]

http://www.businessevolution.co/

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/sjcoleman

Leadership & Management

Developing Project Leadership