Communication skill: more or better?

CommunicationWe are all aware of crucial role communication skills play in any endeavor; they can bring back a failing project from ashes and make a successful one sink like Titanic in a blink of an eye.

There are numerous training resources out there that call for communicating more, trying to break down into bits and pieces what communication is and how it should be done properly. So why do we still struggle so much in conveying our messages when we want others to do something for us or, at least, to understand what we’re talking about? Continue reading

8 Myths on Project Manager vs. the “Real” Manager, Part 2

Myth

5. “Soft skills are for goofs such as the Project Manager because he doesn’t know how it all works”

It’s not smart to allow your level of technical knowledge to cloud the perception of human relationships. Continue reading

8 Myths on Project Manager vs. the “Real” Manager, Part 1

MythAs I promised, in this post I’ll discuss eight main misconceptions about the status of Project Manager as a “Real” Manager. There are probably more, but these are the ones I’ve encountered the most during my experience in different organizations. Take a look at them, and it might facilitate your work tremendously. Continue reading

Project Manager vs. the “Real” Manager

Aside

Project Manager

Project Manager vs. the “Real” Manager?

One can ask: what do I mean by this title? Is there even a distinction? Are Project Managers not considered “Real” Managers?

Well, theoretically, there supposed to be a perfect synergy between the Project Manager and the different Functional Managers in the organization. FM’s manage the organization and PM’s manage the projects inside the organization. The problem is that as Project Manager usually comes from outside the organization, he’s naturally treated as outsider and could be even perceived as a threat to “local” managers. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that there are significant differences in the skill sets of PM’s and FM’s, so they are not always speaking the same language about similar subjects. This lack of communication and trust between the two critical Management branches of the organization can seriously disrupt the working process, so I find it advisable to mitigate the conflict in order to reduce possible losses.

Trust is best built by understanding the other side, so in my next post I’ll try to reverse some existing myths about Project Manager not being a “Real” Manager.