Successful project managers possess a specific combination of professional hard and soft skills that garner the respect of their employees and encourage them to be as productive as possible. While industry-related technical skills and knowledge are crucial to any project manager’s job, inspiring leadership and an excellent work ethic is an admirable quality that comes from within.
Project management soft skills are personal and interpersonal qualities that allow you to build and maintain strong connections and a rapport with your team while also encouraging your employees to do the same with their coworkers. It’s all about creating a sense of harmony amongst your team members and empowering them to become active participants in the trajectory of the projects you’re working on.
Top Soft Skills for Project Managers
Soft skills training for project managers typically focuses on the following points:
Project Planning and Goal Setting
Every project should start with a detailed blueprint to help you stay organized and communicate your objectives to your team clearly and concisely so that they all understand. Setting small and realistically achievable goals every step of the way helps your team stay focused as they work toward completing the bigger picture.
Communication Soft Skills
As a project manager, you will have to work with a team of people to achieve the goals that you set out. This requires a great deal of verbal and written communication on a group and individual basis. Clear and concise professional communication skills are an asset to every project manager. Enroll in a communication skills workshop to brush up on your interpersonal competencies.
Management Soft Skills
A project manager’s job isn’t to micromanage their employees. It’s to secure various client projects, outline details and initiatives of those projects, and assign employees with the right skills to perform specific functions, all while listening to others’ feedback and ideas. Moreover, project managers are responsible for overseeing their employees’ progress and providing additional support and access to resources as needed.
Conflict Management Skills
With so many creative minds and personalities working together on a single project or competing for highly coveted positions, it’s only natural that some people will butt heads or disagree on things from time to time. A good project manager knows how to artfully mediate disputes and workplace conflicts amongst their employees without allowing them to escalate to unprofessional levels.
Organization and Time Management Skills
Chances are that you’re working on multiple projects simultaneously. The key to managing them is to avoid spreading yourself too thin and using the resources at your disposal. Good organization and time management skills stem from creating a cohesive and clear-cut plan for every project to help your team stay on track throughout every step of the process.
Team-Building Skills
Inspire confidence and respect in your team by giving them the tools, equipment, resources, and support they need to complete their part of the project successfully.
Decision-Making Skills
Taking on a leadership role means your employees will look to you for guidance when a decision needs to be made. A strong leader takes the initiative, faces adversity head-on, and can make difficult decisions even when their backs are against the wall. Don’t take this responsibility lightly, as it impacts the success of your project and the careers of your entire team.
Business Writing Skills
Business writing is a form of written communication used in professional settings to express project-related messages clearly and concisely. This can be in the form of emails, memos, or even speeches. Effective business writing should be well organized, purposeful, and to the point. A business writing skills workshop can help you fine-tune your professional writing abilities.
Project Management Skills Training in Canada
Whether you’re a newly appointed project manager or you have many years of experience, The Soft Skills Group is here to help you hone your basic leadership skills to create a sense of harmony between you and your employees. We offer a variety of online and in-person soft skills training and workshops for project managers. Contact us today to learn more.
