Leadership Skills : An important skill for a successful Manager

Companies direct expectation on managers is to deliver a project within the scope, schedule, cost and effort. A manager is rated as good, if he/she has the knowledge and capability to deliver the project with the above said parameters. Many a times, an individual strive hard to equip themselves with knowledge either through various courses available in market or being associated with another successful manager. The person tries to emulate the learning in a project but might have limited success, as I believe obtaining/possessing of these skills doesn’t make a person good manager. Apart from the skills, you need to know how to effectively lead people.

You as a manager may or may not possess skills, time required to complete a project and hence your organization assembles a team. Most of the time, you don’t get to choose the team that you end up working with.

This post of mine, discuss certain points on how to lead a team which may or may not share the same vision as you in a project. How you get them to work within the defined boundaries of the project will determine the success of you as manager, who is fondly remembered by your team.

There is a famous saying in Tamil

“Aadura Maata, Aadi than karakonam, Paadura Maata Paadithan karakonam”

This means a restless cow must be milked by force and a gentle cow must be milked with kindness.

Similarly, in a project, you would have people with different characteristics, different skills. Knowing what is required to get the best out of them is the foremost point to be focused. There aren’t one size fits all leadership method. Knowing each associate at the early stage of the project allows you to tailor your approach.  If you are required to manage a large team, it is impossible to know each associate inside out, hence it is essential to know your direct reports thoroughly and through them get to know the team.



Plan time for familiarization: Most organization/Manager during estimation for a project don’t factor time for familiarization and later struggle to find time. It is highly important to budget for time during the planning stages. Each Manager has his/her method of knowing the team. Some use formal scientific method whereas some prefer probing talks. Based on the method, budget the time. The most important thing to remember is to utilize this time effectively and not to consume this time for other project related activity.

Context setting of Project:

“Than Ratathin Oru Pathi Paalaka Piripathu Pasumatin Vellaiyappa” – a line from song from a super hit Tamil film “Annamalai”


Similar to this the project team mates put their heart and soul into the project, spend blood, sweat and tears in delivering the project. While doing this, what frustrate them the most is the feeling of working without understanding the context of the project. As their leader, it becomes your duty to give them the better understanding of the overall project purpose and objective.

Kick-off meeting shouldn’t be done just to tick the checkbox in the project management documents, but should be effectively used to detail out the plan for the project. Whenever there is change in the project or new team member is added to the project, the objective should be reiterated. An organization takes up a project with certain overarching objectives and if you are able to connect that with the team, then your job in making the project successful is half done.



There are other wise people in Project: Most manager behave as the sole custodian of the project and end up complicating and creating burdens for themselves and others in the project. Organizations hire/train people and place them in project and it will be beneficial for managers to remember that the team given to you is not completely novice at work. They might have experience in working in similar type of engagement or bring to table experience which need to be utilized. Involving them in various stages and soliciting their feedback at regular interval could help in making things better in a project.



Don’t Micromanage the team: According to me, lack of trust in team makes you to micro manage things and making it a living hell for the team to work. Trust the team in executing the plan laid out with their own judgement could augur well for the project and the team. You shouldn’t be cut off from the team and shouldn’t be seen as someone who tracks the project in systems or excels. By just having periodic check-in meeting to be aware of progress, in which you ask questions to know the health and give valuable feedback could mushroom future leaders for your organization.

You are a LEADER:

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more “– Jim Rohn

By virtue of leading/managing a project wherein the team spends considerable duration of their career, they look up to you for many things. Team members look up to for Inspiration, Motivation, Constructive feedback, guidance and some see a role model in you. Just like how your association with a successful manager shaped your career, many in your team would like to associate with you. It becomes your moral responsibility to provide them with their requirement. In course of the project, you too can be benefitted with constructive feedback which you should be glad to be receiving.



A manager’s success is dependent on the success of the team. I believe by looking and applying these points while managing a project, you could be viewed as a leader by your organization. I am in this constant endeavour to be recognized as a leader, How about you?