Project Management as a profession continues to evolve. The misperception is that consultant project managers are appointed to be the watchmen of projects, the ogres beating team members into submission, or the glorified postmen and email-maniacs chasing after information or actions. However, as we venture forward, project managers are expected to adapt and foster a softer skillset, enabling them to serve as human-centric leaders holding projects together throughout their lifespan. This requires a mental shift from the archaic authoritarian (command-and-control) approach to serving as facilitators, collaborators and change leaders.

The core pillars of project management have not changed much over the years; the PMBOK remains the foundational book of everything project management, and Gantt charts are still the cornerstone of every project; but the future project manager needs to understand that there is more to be considered than the applied processes, tool, techniques, and fundamentals. Although the future project manager needs to be highly systematic and competent in delivering projects, there needs to be proficiency in dealing with people of all levels within a typical project.

Some key soft skills for consultant project managers to develop are:

1. Empathy – Understand the mental position of your team members and assist them in performing at their best by building strong inter-team relationships.
2. Emotional Intelligence – Learn to recognize your own emotions and conflicts and deal with them so that you can recognize and subdue the conflicts in others.
3. Relationship Building – Build strong and purposeful relationships by deeply engaging with team members.
4. Improved Communication – Understand that the people in your team are all different (age, culture etc.) and need to be approached differently.

By fostering the above soft skills, project managers can position themselves as project leaders and not only as project experts, creating strong and cohesive teams with one core vision for project success.

Build your soft skills and become a better project manager and leader.

At AliTalha, we serve as our client’s trusted advisors and representatives, providing autonomy in representing their best interests. We pride ourselves in our leadership, and providing team synergy is one of our core values. We honour our role as project leaders and lead by example and with integrity, respecting and working collaboratively with our teams.