In this article Douglas Ross talks about applying the principles of effective leadership as defined by Stephen Covey to the realm of project management. These principles focus on three main stages in the development of any successful leader. Independence, that is moving away from being dictated to by events and relationships and instead taking charge of them. Interdependence, which involves obtaining the maximum possible utility out of your team through ensuring their effective function and communication, and finally committing to a continuing emphasis on this improvement through training, mentorship, and a renewed focus on mental improvement.
One of the main suggestions put forward by Covey is the importance of proactivity, which is as much a state of mind as a strategy. This mindset applied to project management encourages a constant attempt by managers to add value to a firm’s operations rather than becoming bogged down by its weaknesses. Every decision is an opportunity to exercise control over your environment.
Therefore, a project manager must be decisive, and in order to do this they must have a complete view of the risks and benefits associated with undertaking a project, the environment it operates within as well as taking into account any specific considerations it poses. It is only through gaining the proper perspective that effective decisions can be made.
A forward thinking focus employed by the project manager is shown as necessary in the article. With a need for constant improvement - adding value to a project’s operations. This proactivity extends to problem-solving, one cannot blame the failure of a project or its shortcomings on events outside of their control. Instead any available means of influencing the course of events must be pursued.
The article also places a focus on some important classifications made by Covey in relation to project management. These include, Habit which is the method, motivation and technique associated with a project, these may be defined externally by statutory and business requirements as well as technological constraints. Or internally generated through past experiences and the attitude a manager takes. Effectiveness, is achieving the right balance between input capacity and the output desired, whilst there are many ways to measure the achievement of these goals, in Ross emphasizes consistency of achieving required results as the main standard.
The maturity continuum is a very important concept this article emphasizes, that is the step-by-step effect of undertaking the changes proposed by Covey. Becoming independent and maximizing your network of relationships inside and outside your team. The continuum allows a manager to chart their progress against benchmarks and work towards the ideal of continuous improvement.
Covey states that any effective leader must be able to visualize the result of their goals before implementing them. For project management this translates to an objectives based approach to undertaking any task, there must be a clear idea in a manager’s mind as to the purpose they hope to achieve through specific activities and how each will contribute to the needs of the objective. This places an increased importance on the concept and development stages of a product’s lifecycle, without a plan that communicates the requirements of a project clearly across all levels of the team, the project will not be successful.
In implementing this plan, once again the idea of effectiveness if brought to the forefront. An effective manager must be able to identify the critical factors to the achievement of their objectives, and dedicate the majority of their time to guaranteeing their success. A manager has only a limited amount of time, it is one of the main constraints in any project, with every task a manager must assess its level of importance and urgency as well as what expending time on that particular task is taking away from other areas which may be critical. By ranking the functions of a project in this way, a manager ensures that the number of key decisions they make is reduced.
Ross uses Covey’s propagation of the “win-win” strategy, involving consensus building and democratic team-led decision making. Alongside the Tuckman model identifying the habits of an effective team, i.e uninhibited communication, shared responsibility and accountability, and collaboration (Bonebright 20). With these in mind he proposes that effective project management involves understanding and resolving the conflicts caused by stakeholders and individual team members, only after which can the consensus based approach be used.
Communication plays a big part in ensuring that objectives meet with not only the standards set by the team, but with those of the business at large and any clients the project hopes to deliver to. Managers must be focused on understand the needs of a client in the context of their team’s skills and knowledge, rather than strictly applying their stated requirements. It is the manager’s job to employ the principles of active listening to provide context and clarity to a client’s communications.
Finally, the effective manager must ensure that the lessons learned from any particular project are not in isolation. They must be brought forward and applied to future decisions and teams the manager will take control of. Improvement has to be a continuous process, applied not only to the functions of an individual project but to the manager himself, training and updating of skills as well as a commitment to the mentorship of team members is a necessary commitment.
Works Cited
Bonebright, Denise A. '40 Years Of Storming: A Historical Review Of Tuckman's Model Of Small Group Development'. Human Resource Development International 13.1 (2010): 111-120. Web.
Ross, Douglas. 'Applying Covey's Seven Habits To A Project Management Career'. Project Management Institute (1996): 26 - 30. Print.
