Posted by It’s never easy to be the one in charge. And not everyone gets to be in that position. It takes more than courage and confidence to be good at taking care of people, projects and events. This is why project managers are never hired by accident. It’s the result of them having suitable skills, necessary knowledge, and great habits.Â
Every good project manager needs to have a set of habits rooted in his work ethic. These habits are like rules he needs to stick to be efficient and successful. They are acquired in time, with experience, but they are nurtured throughout the entire career.
Take a look at the 4 essential habits of a great project manager.
Team management
A project manager isn’t supposed to do everything on his own. He is, however, supposed to create the perfect team which can achieve the desired results.
Therefore, the first crucial habit of a great project manager is to smoothly coordinate the team and be the leader they need.
Let’s break this down a little bit. He needs to:
- Know the team
By knowing everyone’s strengths, weaknesses, skills and personality traits, a project manager can assign the right tasks to the right people. This increases team efficiency and leads to achieving all the goals.
- Trust the team
It’s impossible (and unnecessary) for the project manager to be present in every segment of the project development and keep an eye on everything all the time. This is why he has the team.
This means that he isn’t ashamed to :
- ask questions
- listen to the team’s advice and suggestions
- admit a mistake
- praise a good idea
There is no project without the team. And, there is no team without someone who puts it together.
Dealing with the unexpected
 Have you ever made a plan that went 100% the way you imagined it would? We thought so.
When you’re dealing with any type of project, but especially those which include a lot of people and different stages- something is bound to go wrong.
When it does, a good project manager needs to be ready for it.
The second highly appreciated habit of a great project manager is to always be one step ahead of the problem. That means that he:
- predicts the problem could potentially happen
- has a solution planned out
- comes up with a new solution if the previous one fails
- makes decisions in stressful situationsÂ
- makes changes and adaptations according to the newest occurrences
Issues and drawback are perfectly normal for projects of any kind. The important thing is that the person in charge is ready to step up and make the right calls.
Keeping track of things
One of the biggest mistakes a project manager can make is to believe he has the brain capacity to memorize all most important information and keep it all in his head.
That’s not how things work.
Every responsible and well-prepared project manager will tell you that you need to document everything. This is the third golden habit of the best project manager.
We’re talking about writing down everything that has to do with the project:
- meeting reports
- expenses
- daily targets
- milestones
- important contacts
- major issues
- task completion
- reminders
This habit is one of the building blocks of great organization and trustworthiness. It helps the project manager stay on top of his game and not let anything slip his mind.
In addition, writing everything down is crucial when submitting a report to the superiors. All facts need to be visible and nothing can be left out.
Designing a productive environment
A project manager is in charge of everyone else being productive and efficient. To do this, he needs to put in the extra effort to create the perfect work conditions for everyone.
The habit we’re wrapping this up with is the habit of taking care of the team.
This implies taking care of several factors influencing the team member’s work experience:
- the tools:Â The project manager needs to make sure that every department has all the necessary tools for properly carrying out all the tasks.
- the motivation: Creating a positive atmosphere means being able to motivate your team members to work hard and do their best. However, this also implies making them feel comfortable, energized and satisfied.
- the feedback:Â When a phase of the project is finished successfully, the team members deserve a praise and a mini-celebration. If something went wrong and some bad moves have been made, constructive criticism is highly recommended and welcome. The project manager needs to have the team as one of his primary concerns and creating a habit of taking care of them is essential.
Final Thoughts
Even though being a project manager means working hard, having a lot of responsibilities and often feeling stressed out or anxious, it doesn’t have to be that hard. With the right kind of mindset and adopting crucial habits, this job can be a lot less stressful and a lot more enjoyable.
Every project manager should work on establishing his habits and creating a unique work ethic. However, the essential habits discussed above are a must for being successful at it. Make sure to have them under your belt if you’re striving to become a successful project manager.
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Dominic Beaulieu is an expert writer who specializes in creating various training and professional upgrade courses, materials and manuals. He mainly writes on development, digital marketing, design, business strategies, etc. This breadth of specialization allows him to write expert columns on the most pressing topics in today’s society and to specialize in creating reviews in Writing Judge and Pick The Writer.