It is imperative to mention those leadership qualities and a set of skills are vital for a project manager to ensure that no issues related to a particular project occur, and the levels of productivity are satisfactory. Moreover, understanding these factors is necessary if one wants to become an outstanding professional in this area. A set of questions has been developed to provide project managers with information regarding core skills that are vital for this position, and what aspects must be improved in the future.
Do you have an understanding of what aspects need to be prioritized in a particular situation and what issues must be avoided? (The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills & Caret Consulting Group n.d.)
The primary purpose of this question is to identify if an individual is confident in his or her abilities and does he or she possess qualities that are valuable for every single leader, and one must be able to analyze the situation and set priorities (Englund & Bucero 2012). Moreover, innovations may lead to significant competitive advantage most of the time, and this is an aspect that should be acknowledged by every project manager (Betz 2011).
Are you capable of developing long-term relationships with people and do you keep track of the latest information about events in their lives? (Galford & Maruca n.d.)
The goal of this question is to ensure that an individual understands that communication with many people is vital for this job, and it is an aspect that should not be overlooked.
Are you supportive of innovations and new ideas? (Sugerman, Scullard, & Wilhelm n.d.)
This question is vital to identify if an individual is ready to work in an environment where he or she has to deal with numerous changes and outdated approaches are not used.
Do you prefer your decisions to be flexible and do you think that it is important to make particular alterations depending on the situation? (Humanmetrics Inc. n.d.)
This question is vital because a leader should be capable of making adjustments to increase the efficiency of operations and avoid complications. Moreover, one should be able to make prompt decisions based on the available information.
Do you think that it is important to consider the opinions of all the group members when a vital decision is being made? (Cherry n.d.)
This question was selected because such information would help to get a better understanding of the leadership style that is the most suitable for an individual.
Are you known for supporting others and offering them your help is they have troubles? (Sugerman, Scullard, & Wilhelm n.d.)
This question aims to identify if an individual is capable of establishing a respectful environment in the workplace, and it was chosen because a manager that supports his group members would be incredibly helpful and would help to increase productivity.
Would you be capable of dealing with other project managers in the workplace?
The primary aim of this question is to identify if an individual may perform his or her tasks efficiently if multiple professionals in this area are present. Moreover, it is imperative to note that one should understand that possible conflicts and disagreements should be avoided because it may decrease the efficiency of operations and may lead to other severe complications (Desmond 2014).
Do you think that it is important to trust other members of the group when it comes to tasks and other activities? (Humanmetrics Inc. n.d.)
This question has been chosen because every project manager should understand that the role of delegation should not be disregarded, and it helps to increase the experience and skills of others.
Do you prefer prompt decisions or do you think that it is necessary to review all possible outcomes or complications that may occur? (Humanmetrics Inc. n.d.)
This question is important because an individual should understand that the same approach should not be applied to all situations, and it must change depending on the circumstances.
Are you capable of resolving issues related to ethics in the workplace and do you think that your knowledge is sufficient in this area?
This question is vital because the role of ethics in organizations has been increasing over the years, and many leaders do not have an understanding of what course of action must be taken in a particular situation and how issues can be addressed. Moreover, transparency is viewed as the most problematic, and this factor must be taken into account (Muller et al. 2014).
Are you afraid of voicing your opinions and suggestions to stakeholders?
This question is also imperative because an individual should understand that communication is vital in this case (Pritchard 2013). Moreover, the management of stakeholders is viewed as one of the core responsibilities of a project manager (Beringer, Jonas, & Kock 2013). Also, it is necessary to report any issues that occur and participate in discussions if one thinks that some processes may be improved (Ziek & Anderson 2015).
Do you keep track of the latest trends in the industry and do you have an understanding of software programs that are commonly used during the process of development?
It is paramount to mention that such knowledge is critical for every single leader in an organization because the role of IT has been increasing over the years, and one must understand that access to such information is vital is one wants to stay competent
Are you able to collaborate with specialists in other areas?
Every leader should acknowledge the fact that many activities are related to collaboration, and it is necessary to maximize the level of efficiency of operations (Wysocki 2010). Moreover, it is imperative to note that a focus on collaboration is critical for this job, and one may have to improve this aspect.
Are you capable of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of members of your team and do you think that you can assign tasks based on their competency?
It is imperative to note that this skill is essential for every leader, and one must understand that it is important to use resources efficiently (Tomczyk 2015). Moreover, the ability to analyze the behaviour and actions of others is also critical and can be highly valued (Fisher 2011).
In conclusion, it is necessary to mention that a broad range of leadership styles may be incredibly useful, and a project manager must be capable of utilizing his or her strengths to their full potential. Also, suggested questions can be used to identify the weaknesses of a particular project manager, and one may understand what needs to be done to address them. Overall, most attention should be devoted to skills that would help to increase the efficiency of all operations.
Reference List
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Betz, F 2011, Managing technological innovation: Competitive advantage from change, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ. Web.
Cherry, K n.d., What’s your leadership style?. Web.
Desmond, C 2014, ‘Multiple project managers’, IEEE Engineering Management Review, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 12. Web.
Englund, RL & Bucero, A 2012, The complete project manager’s toolkit, Management Concepts Inc., Vienna, VA. Web.
Fisher, E 2011, ‘What practitioners consider to be the skills and behaviours of an effective people project manager’, International Journal of Project Management, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 994-1002. Web.
Galford, RM & Maruca, RF n.d., The leadership legacy assessment: Identifying your instinctive leadership style, Your Leadership Legacy. Web.
Humanmetrics Inc. n.d., Jung typology test, HumanMetrics. Web.
Muller, R, Turner, R, Andersen, ES, Shao, J & Kvalnes, O 2014, ‘Ethics, trust, and governance in temporary organizations’, Project Management Journal, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 39-54. Web.
Pritchard, C 2013, The project management communications toolkit, 2nd edn, Artech House, Norwood, MA. Web.
Sugerman, J, Skullard, M & Wilhelm, E n.d., The 8 dimensions of leadership, The 8 Dimensions of Leadership. Web.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills & Caret Consulting Group n.d., Inspirational leadership: Insight to action, Inspired Leadership. Web.
Tomczyk, CA 2015, Project manager’s spotlight on planning, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ. Web.
Wysocki, RK 2010, The business analyst/project manager: A new partnership for managing complexity and uncertainty, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ. Web.
Ziek, P & Anderson, DJ 2015, ‘Communication, dialogue and project management’, International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 788-803. Web.