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O P I N I O N
Peanut butter and chocolate Don’t expect your PMs to be great leaders just because they are competent professionals. They need training and practice to be effective.
L ike peanut butter and chocolate; peas and carrots; Bert and Ernie. Project management and leadership go hand-in-hand in the AEC industry. A PM without effective leadership skills is like a Tootsie Pop without the Tootsie Roll center – hollow and lacking an essential core.
Bill Murphey CONTINUING ED
magical, innate skill we can just tap into anytime it’s needed. To say we’re born with the ability to lead others is akin to saying we’re born to be professional athletes. The truth is, like great athletes, great leaders have to study and practice. Sure, some of the needed skills should be born into us, such as being nice to everyone and clearly communicating with others, but oftentimes they’re not. “A PM without effective leadership skills is like a Tootsie Pop without the Tootsie Roll center – hollow and lacking an essential core.”
How well an architect, engineer, or consultant performs in a PM role largely depends on how well they can lead and inspire others. Poor leadership directly correlates with late and over-budget projects, something you’ve probably seen. How are your projects doing under the guidance of your lowest performing PMs? I’m sure you know the answer. Promoting or moving someone into a project management position requires more than just a new business card. It requires a proactive effort on the part of the firm’s senior leaders to ensure all PMs are equipped with the skills needed to succeed in completing the firm’s work. I often wonder if people assume we’re all born with the gift of leadership; that we all have this
See BILL MURPHEY, page 4
THE ZWEIG LETTER April 17, 2017, ISSUE 1196
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