Business
Leadership
Personal Development
Business Management
Management
Communication Skills
Positive Leadership
Project managers love their plans.
But their projects still fail.
Learn to love these 11 soft skills instead:
But their projects still fail.
Learn to love these 11 soft skills instead:
Communication
• Clear > clever.
• Learn to tell stories.
• Find your voice - authenticity matters.
• Pursue extreme transparency and document everything.
• Clear > clever.
• Learn to tell stories.
• Find your voice - authenticity matters.
• Pursue extreme transparency and document everything.
Positive energy
• Smile more.
• Be an optimistic realist.
• Never complain or gossip.
• If you're low on energy, your team is too.
• Smile more.
• Be an optimistic realist.
• Never complain or gossip.
• If you're low on energy, your team is too.
Curiosity
• Seek contradicting views.
• Bring the curiosity of a child.
• Take an outsider's perspective: what would X do?
• Remember that toddler that asked why 5 times? Do that.
• Seek contradicting views.
• Bring the curiosity of a child.
• Take an outsider's perspective: what would X do?
• Remember that toddler that asked why 5 times? Do that.
Compassion
• Be genuinely nice.
• Check in with your team.
• Be generous with your time and attention.
• Always seek to understand why you get a certain reaction.
• Be genuinely nice.
• Check in with your team.
• Be generous with your time and attention.
• Always seek to understand why you get a certain reaction.
Complex problem solving
• Think from first principles.
• Find ways to inverse the problem.
• Look for relations, patterns & outliers.
• Reduce complexity and break things down.
• Think from first principles.
• Find ways to inverse the problem.
• Look for relations, patterns & outliers.
• Reduce complexity and break things down.
Decision making
• Decide on facts & data, not opinions.
• Their information is still your decision.
• Accept you'll never have enough information.
• Expect things to be wrong. Own it, learn, adjust and move on.
• Decide on facts & data, not opinions.
• Their information is still your decision.
• Accept you'll never have enough information.
• Expect things to be wrong. Own it, learn, adjust and move on.
Listening
• Always speak last.
• Learn to ask better questions.
• Listen to understand, not to reply.
• Pay attention to body language, especially online.
• Always speak last.
• Learn to ask better questions.
• Listen to understand, not to reply.
• Pay attention to body language, especially online.
Negotiating
• Be willing to walk away.
• Don't negotiate against the clock.
• Be soft on the person, but hard on the problem.
• The other party is your partner, not your opponent.
• Be willing to walk away.
• Don't negotiate against the clock.
• Be soft on the person, but hard on the problem.
• The other party is your partner, not your opponent.
Vulnerability
• Say "I don't know".
• Be approachable and human.
• Own all mistakes. You lose, they win.
• Create a safe space that encourages healthy debate.
• Say "I don't know".
• Be approachable and human.
• Own all mistakes. You lose, they win.
• Create a safe space that encourages healthy debate.
Trust
• Trust creates the "we".
• Ethics and trust go hand in hand.
• Deep trust is the basis for your team culture.
• Build trust through intimacy, credibility, and reliability.
• Trust creates the "we".
• Ethics and trust go hand in hand.
• Deep trust is the basis for your team culture.
• Build trust through intimacy, credibility, and reliability.
Consistency
• Be the stability.
• Emphasize the process.
• Break tasks down small and stack the wins.
• Show consistent behavior, especially under stress.
• Be the stability.
• Emphasize the process.
• Break tasks down small and stack the wins.
• Show consistent behavior, especially under stress.
Become the orchestrator; set the drumbeat.
Lead with intent, and set an example.
Help others grow through feedback.
Make it about them.
Win together.
Lead with intent, and set an example.
Help others grow through feedback.
Make it about them.
Win together.
Thanks for reading!
If you liked that, you'll love what's up next.
I'm on a mission to make one person a better project manager every day.
Follow me @polak_jasper and never miss a thread about project management or leadership.
Comment below: which soft skill would you add?
If you liked that, you'll love what's up next.
I'm on a mission to make one person a better project manager every day.
Follow me @polak_jasper and never miss a thread about project management or leadership.
Comment below: which soft skill would you add?
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