Leadership Skills Training for Project Managers

Project managers face the unique challenge of leading people who are not directly under their disciplinary authority. Many employees report to both a line manager and a project manager.

To lead successfully in this complex environment requires specific skills: clear communication, trust, the ability to exert influence, and the ability to rally people around shared goals.

Leadership without direct authority to issue instructions relies primarily on clarity, trust, and communication.

You communicate the goal and purpose of a task, explain your expectations, and work with the employee to agree on the desired outcome. You then stay in touch to discuss progress and results, and take corrective action if the agreed-upon expectations are not met.

The most important question is often not, “How do I motivate my employees?” but rather, “Why might they not be motivated?”

Think about this:

• What are employees missing?
• What is your opinion of the project?
• What personal benefit or purpose do you see in this task?

If you understand these questions, you’ll often find the right starting points for fostering motivation and engagement.

In situational leadership, you focus primarily on two factors: an employee’s competence and motivation.

Depending on how experienced and motivated someone is for a particular task, a more directive or a more supportive leadership style may be appropriate.

In agile projects, the focus is particularly on a supportive leadership style. Agile teams should be able to draw on their expertise, make decisions independently, and take responsibility.

Effective leadership develops through experience, feedback, and continuous growth.

In our seminars, you’ll receive feedback on your leadership behavior, learn about different leadership methods, and develop your skills step by step. This will help you increasingly find the right leadership style for different situations.

Effective delegation begins with a shared understanding between you and the employee.

In doing so, you will clarify:

• What is the goal?
• What is the expected outcome?
• By when should the task be completed?
• What resources and conditions are available?

On this basis, a clear agreement is established that fosters personal responsibility while also providing guidance.

Yes. Project management is always a leadership role as well.

Even if you don’t have formal disciplinary authority, you still need to coordinate people, influence decisions, clarify expectations, and align a team toward a common goal. That’s why leadership skills are among the most important competencies for successful project managers.

Yes. Please feel free to bring your specific and challenging leadership situations to the seminar.

Together, we’ll take a look at your situation, offer suggestions on how to deal with this person, and show you approaches that can also be applied to similar leadership situations. The goal is to expand your range of options and enable you to develop appropriate leadership strategies for different types of employees.