Overview
Understanding the people side of project management can be challenging for a project manager who is either assigned to a new project or taking on leadership of an existing one. It is expected that this project manager knows how to effectively manage a team, understands stakeholder expectations, and manages conflict. A project may be going well technically, but team members are at each other’s throats, customers are complaining that they don’t know what is going on, and resources are not available. It is enough to make the project manager just want to scream – HELP! How to have difficult conversations, select the right conflict resolution strategy, and build a framework for resolving performance issues are key components of this advanced leadership course. This course is a how-to on effectively managing the people side of projects.
Participants will learn practical approaches to focus on the “soft skill” side of leading projects, both in the face-to-face and the virtual environments. The instructor will guide participants through self-assessment instruments to identify their leadership style, then use that assessment information to better manage conflict, stakeholders, communication, and difficult people management situations. The course provides participants with techniques to improve upon their existing leadership style – making tweaks that can be applied immediately.
- Course Length:
- Virtual: Four 3.5-hour sessions
- Onsite: 2 days
- Professional Development Units (PDUs): 14 (14 Power Skills)
- Program Knowledge Level: Basic
- Field of Study: Business Management & Organization
- Prerequisites: Basic leadership knowledge
- Advance Preparation: None
- Benefits: Effectively manage a team, stakeholder
expectations, and conflict
Key Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
Assess your leadership style and how to apply other styles when required
Assess team performance and identify ways to resolve team performance issues
Describe conflict resolution techniques and when they should be used
Develop a plan for coping with difficult stakeholders
Create plans for better communication
Recognize ways to adjourn a high-performing team
Course Outline
Relationship Awareness Theory® and Strength Deployment Inventory®
- Define what effective leaders do in contrast to what poor leaders do
- Gain a working knowledge of Relationship Awareness Theory
- Validate your motivational value system, and recognize the associated behaviors
- Assess your leadership style
- Identify the types of leadership styles
Conflict Management
- Identify when personal strengths become weaknesses
- Identify behaviors under conditions of conflict
- Identify conflict resolution techniques and when to use them
- Identify difficult stakeholders
- Develop a strategy for coping with difficult stakeholders
- Create a plan for coping with difficult stakeholders
Evaluate and Manage Teams
- Determine the best way to motivate the team based on the Motivational Value System
- Define the evaluation points to use when evaluating team effectiveness
- Develop a template to use to conduct a team performance evaluation
Understanding Communication
- Identify guidelines for meetings – before, during, and after
- Identify ways of managing dysfunctional meeting behaviors
- Determine when it is necessary to hold a difficult conversation
- Develop a plan for managing a difficult conversation
- Understand how to interpret and use body language
Embracing Project Closeout
- Identify how to collect lessons learned
- Discuss process to adjourn the team