Being a purpose- driven and result-oriented kind of person, I pay attention to the stories of successful people. What they did, how they did it, the obstacles and draw-backs they experienced. I for one, believe that man primarily learns through experience; not necessarily his own. The funny thing about successful people is that they usually have a lot of things in common. When I say a lot of things, I am not speaking as regards personal interests. “A lot of things” in this context would mean their attitude or disposition towards what they do. One very good example to consider is the trend of successful project managers.
A project manager is hooked with the responsibility of overseeing a project, ensuring all needs are met during the project, and delivering optimum results. The failure or success of a project is highly dependent on the project manager and the influence he has on his team members. Being a project manager does not mean that every project would be successful. This is not to say that success on every project is an unachievable feat, as successful managers have a storyline of consecutive success.
Success has common traits, especially among those who bear the ‘successful’ title. If you were to ask a successful project manager how he did it, he’d probably say; “I just followed the advice of other successful project managers.” , and he’s most likely saying the truth.
If you are to list the names of very successful project managers, you will most likely notice these traits in most or all of them.
- Discipline: They believe that discipline is foundational to any success, so they imbibe the culture of discipline and encourage their team members to do the same.
- Leadership: They are good leaders, and they understand the importance of leading by example
- Organization: They know what next to do, because they have a laid out plan and a backup plan in case things go south.
- Communication: These successful people know the impact communication has on the effectiveness of the team, so they are deliberate about passing clear information, delegating tasks, and carrying team members along.
- Commitment: You will never take anything you do not commit to seriously.
- Team Spirit: They see no superior, only a team that has come together as one to produce great results
- Accountability: They are very accountable to their team and contractors.
- Focus: Their eyes are set on the goal and they would move mountains to achieve it.
It is important to note that there’s no new route to success, it is an already threaded part, so your own method may differ but as long as you’re in line then everything is fine.