Project Stakeholder Management

We work in a discipline called “Project Management”, which seems to imply that it only takes ‘management’ and processes in order to ensure a positive outcome to our projects. However, it seems that every time I go to the bookstore I see yet another book telling us that Project Managers need to be ‘Leaders’.

Whilst I do believe it is possible to learn some tools and techniques that enable Project Managers to employ leadership skills for team building and project stakeholder interaction, I’m not sure that ‘leadership’ can actually be taught. The books and training courses help us to define what leadership is, and the essential differences between leadership and management, but how do we become leaders?

Here’s a resource to help with the definition of leaders and managers that you can use when asked to define the differences.

I feel that Project Managers must be also be able to lead, motivate and inspire others, coupled with a solid understanding of the processes and mechanics of running projects.

One of the eternal questions about leadership is whether it’s better for leaders to be loved (by using soft-powers based on persuasion and influence) or feared (using coercion and force). I certainly use both hard and soft skills with my kids, so was interested to see a new book that discusses the relationship between power and leadership:

The Powers to Lead, by Joseph S. Nye, Oxford University Press.

The author concludes that a combination of hard and soft power is the best approach to leadership - a combination he calls ’smart power’. Apparently, different sorts of leaders are required in different circumstances, and leaders who succeed in one particular environment might struggle in another.

There are no clear answers to the questions about leadership and management but I’m glad to see that there are now many resources available to help us. Lessons learned for project stakeholder management:

1. Learn both management and leadership skills.
2. Balance the use of soft leadership using persuasion and influence, with the hard skills of coercion and force.
   
3. Be aware that you will need to change your approach based on the circumstances.