A project manager is expected to don many roles – as an executor, he is responsible for the completion of tasks by his team within the stipulated limits, as a customer aid executive, he needs to understand and service the business needs of the different stakeholders and as a team leader, he is expected to lead and mentor his team members towards continuous development. It is this last act that is the point of focus for this piece.
To start with, I cannot help but note the dilemma that all managers face at some point or the other – that of choosing between their own career advancement and the greater good of their team members. The bare truth is that even a manager is a working professional, who wants to do his job and in so doing climb the rungs of the corporate ladder. A lot of times, this may translate to towing an official line, acceding to an organizational policy that may make him look good & advance his chances but may not exactly be the best alternative for the development of the team members. At times, one may even find it difficult and unfair to think of someone else’s interests when one’s own interests are going nowhere near fulfillment. As an intelligent, ambitious individual, the easier and more lucrative choice would be to do whatever it takes to further his prospects and leave the team members to look out for themselves.
But as a learned reader of this blog (why else would you be here!), you already know that the easiest option is not always the best. And in this case, it is certainly the worst way to go. Nobody ever said that being a project manager was easy. One of the many things that makes it a difficult job is the fact that as a manager, you have the trust of all your team members riding on you. They look upon you as their leader and mentor, but most importantly as an individual who holds their confidence and best interests. By ignoring their needs or acting in a manner that undermines their interests without an excellent reason undermines this very faith of many fellow individuals, something that may not be very comfortable or easy to live with. And the sad part? Despite knowing and understanding all this, there are managers who slip into this morass. Frustrated by their inability to advance their own careers or simply desperate to get ahead at any costs, there are individuals in the best of organizations who fail to make the right choice in such situations.
I believe that there are steps that both the managers and the organizations can take up to avert this unpleasant and undesirable circumstance. As individual managers, the first thing to do is to take an informed decision based on all facts. Remember, simply agreeing to a superior decree without seeking out the necessary reasons is nothing short of an insult to your intelligence. Assertiveness is a trait and an indispensable skill that every project manager should possess. Analyze and understand the impact of your decision on the interests of your team and then take a firm stand based on what seems right to you. Open and honest communication with the team personnel to the extent possible demonstrates integrity and leadership and builds credibility in the eyes of the members.
When choosing managers, organizations should not only check for technical and managerial skills, but also evaluate individuals on their maturity of thought and actions. They need to verify that the candidate will be able to dissociate his self interests from those of the team and be mature enough to take steps that will aid in the development of those that report to him. Measures like “number of people groomed for next role” or tools like 360 degree feedback can serve as effective tools to appraise the true leadership abilities of the manager.
