Formal project management training equips you with valuable hard skills, but real-world success hinges on mastering a few more skills. These interpersonal and team-oriented abilities are often learned through experience. Here are five key areas to focus on if you want to get your career off to a great start:
1. Understanding Workplace Dynamics
Project management involves navigating diverse personalities and company cultures. Beyond technical expertise, excelling in communication, teamwork, and interpersonal skills is also important. These are the skills that come with practical exposure, and many of them relate to how you work with other people. Familiarize yourself with the organization's work style and unwritten rules of who really holds power in the office.
Be the best project manager you can be. If you act with integrity and view your colleagues as allies rather than enemies, you will stand out as the project manager who gets things done.
2. Effectively Handling Feedback
Feedback comes in many forms, not all of them pleasant. You may deliver your first project plan to a steering committee and have it torn to shreds because it hasn’t considered some factor you are not even aware of. Positive or negative, feedback is an opportunity for growth. When receiving criticism, avoid defensiveness. Seek clarification and learn from the experience. Identify mentors who can provide constructive feedback to hone your skills and gain valuable insights within the organization.
3. Building a Professional Image
Project managers represent themselves and their projects. Cultivate a professional image by dressing appropriately for the specific work environment, demonstrating a positive attitude, and taking ownership of your work. Maintain a professional social media presence that aligns with your career goals. Project confidence by proactively exceeding expectations and under-promising while over-delivering.
While image management is important, try not to overdo it. Going all out on aggressive self-promotion is the workplace equivalent of online spam. People may initially find your attempts at being noticed interesting but keep it up long enough and decision makers will start to zone out when you speak.
4. Self-Management and Stress Mitigation
You are your own first line of management. Self-management is about who you are and what you promise yourself you’ll do. As an effective project manager, you will learn to prioritize tasks, manage time efficiently, and independently meet deadlines. All of this can be stressful. Recognize the signs of stress and develop coping mechanisms to maintain composure and make sound decisions. Embrace conflict resolution techniques to navigate inevitable project disagreements.
5. Adapting to the Office Environment
Every organization has its unique work style, unwritten rules, and social rhythms. Learn the office's communication channels, informal routines, and break schedules. Network with well-connected colleagues to gain valuable insider knowledge and identify opportunities for informal stakeholder interaction. Participating in office social events fosters team spirit and strengthens relationships, ultimately contributing to project success.
By mastering these essential skills and adapting them to your workplace environment, you'll position yourself for a thriving career in project management.
