Project Leadership

Name: Project Leadership
Author: Derrick Walters

Learn to serve as a project manager and a leader.

Preview the first lesson free — get full access to all 5 lessons.

Course: On-Demand

Project leadership is simply having certain leadership traits in order to manage a project effectively. We'll cover topics like communication management, team leadership, emotional intelligence, conflict management, and the importance of collaborating with stakeholders. Let's discuss communication from a leadership standpoint. Project managers are responsible for creating a platform for timely, accurate, and continuing communication to project stakeholders. Author John Maxwell, one of the foremost authorities on leadership, says that "Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less." Whenever there is a breach, a misunderstanding, or a lack of communication related to the project, the project manager must spring into action and address it. Three core communication tools are the communications model, the communications management plan, and project artifacts. The communications model first represents the communication process in a linear format. It's important for a project manager to be aware of this model, so that they can understand basic communication and where breakdowns or breaches in communication can take place. Communication is initiated by a sender who encodes a message and sends it through channels that are subject to noise. Noise can manifest itself in a number of ways. Gender noise means that the dynamic that exists during a communications exchange between men and women can lead to failed communications. Age noise indicates that barriers could be created because of differences in age. Cultural noise occurs when communication breaks down due to cultural differences between people. Physical noise can affect the ability of team members to communicate effectively due to distraction in the work environment. And geographic noise happens when distance and working across different time zones becomes a problem. Once you get past the noise, and continue with the communications model, the person you are communicating with will receive the message, decode it, encode feedback, and send the feedback through similar channels that are subject to the same noise. According to the PMI, a project manager will spend 90% of their time communicating both orally and in writing. In addition, a significant portion of effective communication is non-verbal. So project managers should seek to communicate with stakeholders face to face as much as possible. The second core component of project leadership is a communications management plan which is an output of the process plan communications. The PMI says that the communications management plan describes how project communications will be structured, implemented and monitored for effectiveness. In addition, it can include guidelines and templates for project status meetings, project team meetings, virtual meetings, and email messages. The use of a project website and project management software can also be included if they are used on the project. The final core component of communication is "Project Communications Artifacts." These are conditions or facts observed during the course of a project. In this case, they are an output of managing communications during the execution of a project. Examples of artifacts include performance reports, deliverable status, schedule progress, cost incurred, presentations, and other information required by stakeholders.

Beginner Provider : Derrick Walters 5 Lessons · 16m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

This module discusses how to competently serve as a leader while managing a project. It explores multiple techniques for leadership, including managing teams and communications, capitalizing on emotional intelligence, managing conflict, and promoting team performance.

What You'll Learn

Identify the kinds of "noise" that can occur within project communications
Recognize what constitutes a communication "artifact"
Apply emotional intelligence to manage potential conflicts
Describe the five major competencies of emotional intelligence
Distinguish the different kinds of conflict that can occur during a project
Lead teams and promote team performance while managing a project

Key Takeaways

Serving competently as a leader while managing a project involves managing teams and communications, capitalizing on emotional intelligence, managing conflict, and promoting team performance.
Project communications can be affected by different kinds of "noise" and rely on communication "artifacts."
Emotional intelligence, made up of five major competencies, can be used to manage potential conflicts.
Different kinds of conflict can occur during a project, and the module covers techniques for managing them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Project Leadership module cover?

It discusses how to competently serve as a leader while managing a project, exploring techniques for managing teams and communications, capitalizing on emotional intelligence, managing conflict, and promoting team performance.

What lessons are included in this module?

The module includes lessons on Communications Management, Team Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Conflict Management, and Promoting Team Performance.

What will I learn about emotional intelligence in this course?

You will learn how to use emotional intelligence to manage potential conflicts and learn the five major competencies of emotional intelligence.

Does this module address conflict on projects?

Yes. It covers the different kinds of conflict that can occur during a project and includes a Conflict Management lesson, along with using emotional intelligence to manage potential conflicts.

Professional Certifications and Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

Project Management Institute (PMI®)

Professional Development Units (PDUs): 0.5

Certification Program Categories:

Ways of WorkingPower SkillsBusiness Acumen

KnowledgeCity has been reviewed and approved by the PMI® Authorized Training Partner Program. Users can maintain your PMI credentials by earning PDUs from KnowledgeCity qualified courses in Project Management, Business Management, Leadership and many others.