Tag: Project Leader

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Jesus Christ as a Project Leader

You’re the Project Leader,  congrats. However, have you ever asked yourself, “Am I a good Project Leader?”  and felt unsure of the answer? or what makes a project leader great? Are you a truly amazing project leader or just a mediocre  one?

But what can project leaders learn about project management from Jesus of Nazareth?

In the four gospels describing the life and work of Jesus, one sees that his life was to spark widespread interest in the goal of both personal and social transformation.

When given very difficult questions – even questions designed to make him look bad – he finds a way to express the truth so that even his enemies respect him.

Being a project leader is hard. People don’t naturally wish to have one.  And not everyone wants  to be one.  But most people are anxious to follow a good leader, and all projects  live or  die on the quality of the leaders who run them.

“It’s not a stretch at all to say that Jesus was the greatest leader the world has ever seen. There’s a reason why you see all those churches in your town.”

Surely  by adopting the habits of Jesus and shunning the sins of bad project leaders, anyone can do a better job of managing projects. Just as  long as the leader has  a growth mindset.

Not sure how you stack up? Here are some  key beliefs that are held by the best Christ-like project leaders, but that is often  rejected by the worst.

  1. You treat others the same way you want them to treat you.
  2. You  put the human before the project and understand that life sometimes gets in the way.
  3. The  success of the project  depends largely on you being the master of obvious and mundane things, not  obscure, or breakthrough ideas or methods.
  4. People  you manage  feel comfortable bouncing ideas off you, sharing  feedback, saying ‘I don’t know’ and admitting mistakes.
  5. You are  aware of what motivates you  and your  decision-making.
  6. You  strive to be confident enough to convince people that you are the project leader, but humble enough to realize that you  are  often going to be wrong.
  7. You always  roll up your  sleeves and pitch in when needed right alongside your team.
  8. You  give feedback — “the good, the bad and the ugly”.
  9. You  shepherd your people through every hard turn.
  10. Your rewards for success are keeping your job and receiving, even more, responsibilities and challenges.
  11. You are  aware of your  own blind spots and challenge  yourself  to step out of your  comfort zone in order to build trust and motivate  the team.
  12. You realize that  most difficult part of  being a project leader is striking the balance between being too assertive and not assertive enough.
  13. You leave your ego at the door and are  able to surround yourself  with people that are more knowledgeable and more skilled than  you  are to complete the project tasks.
  14. You are  transparent.
  15. You  inspire.
  16. You  aim to fight as if you  are  right, but  listen as if you  are wrong.
  17. You admit to having a inaccurate understanding of what it feels like to work for you.
  18. You understand that how you  do things is as important as what you  do.
  19. You understand that because you  wield power over others, you  are at great risk of being  insensitive and not knowing  it.
  20. You  create clear structures for each team member  and ensure  that they know what their responsibilities are.
  21. You are  approachable and show real  concern to the issues facing  the people on your team.
  22. You use your  status for the greater good of the company and treat the team members  with respect.

In God’s project of reconciling man with God, Jesus Christ is the “man in charge”. He kept the elements of God’s Salvation project together and as the project leader, worked within the elements of scope (reconciliation of all mankind unto God; 2 Peter 3:9),  time (when the fullness of time has come, God sent forth Jesus, his Son to be born of a woman to redeem and Save all mankind who were under the law; Galatians 4:4-5) and cost (willingly laying down his very own life; John 10:18).

Learn to inspire, teach, protect, remove obstacles  and be human and you’ll become the unforgettable project leader  that your people will remember for the rest of their life’s.

 

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7 Simple Ideas to Become a Better Leader

Successful leaders are hard to find. The culprit behind this enormous change is our increasingly selfish, self-centred, self-absorbed “Me” culture courtesy of our growing obsession with personal branding and social media.

While that’s unfortunate, there is an unforeseen silver lining. If you have a burning desire to accomplish great things and be a successful project leader, you’ve got less opposition than ever before. All you’ve got to do is break from the regular crowd and embrace the seven simply traits that I believe make great project leaders, well, great.

1. Successful Leaders are Highly Authentic

“I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I’ve become. If I had, I’d have done it a lot earlier.” Oprah Winfrey.  It’s true; you can make it big with an enormous ego and an imposing personality. How else do you explain Donald Trump, with all due respect, of course? Customers, employees, and media all want to help authentic people to succeed.  Leaders never try to be something they aren’t. I’d like to think of it as standing in your own truth. If you don’t know something, admit it. This is not just an endearing quality; it’s an extremely underrated and powerful leadership trait, as well.  If you don’t agree with a statement someone else has made, don’t grin and bare it. Instead, honestly admit that you don’t see it the same way as the other person. Tomorrow’s leaders are transparent about who they are online, merging their personal and professional lives together. Warren Bennis had a knack for making stellar leadership seem both rare and attainable. “Becoming a leader,” he wrote, “is synonymous with becoming yourself. As a leader, you have no greater leverage than the truth.

2. Good Leaders Never Stop Learning

Are leaders born or made? The answer is both. Some amazing people enter the world with a natural ability to lead and attract followers, while other leaders are nurtured. However, I’ve never known a successful leader who lacked intelligence, critical-thinking skills, and an honest thirst for more knowledge. The key is to be curious.  If you can master this you will be in good company. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying  “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”  Curiosity makes you want to figure out why things happen and why people react in certain ways. It makes you want to read and write and talk to others about topics that interest you.

3. Successful Leaders are ultra-Likable

Most people have succumb to an incorrect belief that being likeable comes from natural, unteachable qualities that belong only to a lucky few—the good looking, socialites, and the astonishingly talented. However, I’d like to remind you that social skills, like any skills, are completely learn-able and will help you in your job and life. We often lose sight of the simple things – things that not only make us human, but can actually help us become more successful. Making a better impression on those around you and developing a stronger reputation can go a long way. The art of touch is equally important if you want to become more likeable. Touching eliminates the physical barrier of distance, and so it eliminates the emotional barrier that the distance represents.

4. Successful Leaders are Emotionally Secure

Insecurity runs through leadership in epic proportions.   The trick is to discover and intercept the warning signs of insecurity within yourself. Successful leader’s don’t come from a place of insecurity. If  you want to lead for the long haul, you need to be an emotionally secure person. You need to understood who you are, where you are from and where you are going and have an incredible clarity of mission and purpose. Start from a positive place and others will notice. Our insecurities kill our confidence. Learn how to recognize them within yourself, so you can eliminate them.

5. Successful Leaders are Fearless

I’m considered a very “safe” person. I tend to be very risk averse and only take a chance on something when I’ve analysed and calculated it to the extent that it is no longer a risk. Demonstrating leadership courage  – whether it’s having  an uncomfortable  conversation, communicating when you don’t have all the answers,  or making a decision to move ahead on a new project – can be scary.

However, I’ve never known a great project leader to back down from a challenge on an issue he or she felt strongly about.    It’s time to ditch the rose-coloured glasses and face the facts.  Real  conversations may be awkward and uncomfortable, especially if conflict is involved. Expect people to perform and deliver on their commitments, and have courage to call them out when they don’t follow through. Remember that accountability begins with you so model the behaviours you expect of others.

6. Successful Leaders are Positive

“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change by merely changing his attitude.”  – Oprah Winfrey

Positive leaders have a natural tendency to look at the cup as half full, not half empty and focus on what they can do, not what they can’t do. Positive people also have a high degree of self-respect, but refuse to take themselves too seriously! They realize that assertive, confident  communication  is the only way to connect with others in everyday life.   They avoid judgmental, angry interchanges, and do not let someone else’s  blow up  give them a reason to react in kind. Positive people seek the help and support of others who are supportive and  safe. Isn’t it enough that we have persistent negativity in news, on our homepages, and on social media. Be a light in a world. Being positive will make you a pleasure to talk to and more people will want be around you.

“Leaders are called to believe and see a beautiful, bright and expansive future for those who can’t see one for themselves.” Dean Jones

7. The Best Leaders Know How to Listen

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” – Ernest Hemingway

Listening is a leadership responsibility that never appears in the job description. The workplace is fuelled with the stress and pressure of each day so when employees say they want their voices to be heard, they are really saying they want leaders who will not just hear them, but really listen to them. Great leaders listen to people and are open to new ideas. They know how to balance the head and the heart.  If you are an old-school leader, don’t be afraid to express sentiment or feel that it will weaken your stature or authority as a leader. Ronald Reagan was a master of showing empathy towards others.

If you foster the above qualities, you’ll join the ranks of those who spend their holidays with friends, their sunsets at dinner parties, and their workdays surrounded by people that love and respect them for who they are, not what title or position they hold.

“As a leader, you have no greater leverage than the truth.” – John Whittier

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