In the latest version of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) V7, released by the Project Management Institute on 1 August 2021, there are 12 Principles. Did you know that “Demonstrate Leadership Behaviours” is one of the principles that the standard is based on?

The PMBOK Guide has moved away from the traditional focus on processes, inputs and outputs, and what you find now is an emphasis on Principles, Performance Domains, Models, Methods and Artifacts, and Standards. In other words, there is a shift from process-based standards to standards based on principles; from Knowledge Areas to Project Performance Domains with the focus on outcomes rather than outputs / deliverables.

The purpose of this article is to delve a bit deeper into the Principle of Demonstrating Leadership Behaviour. Since Leadership is a project management skill that has received increasing focus over the years, I wanted to understand how it is positioned as a principle.

Leadership to support individual and team needs

Leadership traits exhibited by people in the project environments include establishing and maintaining a vision, critical thinking and creativity, motivation, encouragement and empathy.

The PMBOK Guide provides an interesting perspective on leadership by stating that leadership is not exclusive to any specific role. It states that high-performing projects feature multiple people exhibiting effective leadership skills, traits and styles to help the team perform and to deliver the required results.

It continues to say that it takes leadership to motivate a group towards a common goal, influence them to align their individual interests in favour of the collective effort and to achieve success as a team.

The Guide makes an important point in favour of situational leadership, which means to tailor the style to meet needs of the team. Therefore, effective leadership is shown when it best fits a given situation. A few examples are given to explain.

• When chaos exists, directive action will create more clarity than collaborative problem solving.
• In environments with competent and engaged teams, empowered delegation is better than centralized coordination.
• When there’s conflict over priorities, neutral facilitation helps more than detailed recommendations.

Something that I definitely agree with, is the Guide’s statement that ‘effective leadership skill is grown’. It is something that can be learned and developed so that it becomes a professional asset to the individual.

Of course, leaders need to be a role model in areas of honesty, integrity and ethical conduct. According to the Guide projects work best when leaders understand what motivates people. Motivators include autonomy, recognition, purpose, growth opportunities and personal contribution.

A last point made as part of the principle to demonstrate leadership behaviour, is that by blending styles, growing skills and leveraging motivators, any team member or stakeholder can motivate, influence, coach and grow the project team, regardless of their role.

Which Leadership skills to develop

Your leadership acumen can be developed by practicing a combination of various skills and techniques. Project managers will recognize this as part of the many activities they perform every day on projects.

Ensure the vision for the project outcomes is well understood and that the team is focused on the agreed goals. Seek resources and support for the project and overcome obstacles to progress.

Negotiate and resolve conflict within the project team and between the team and other stakeholders. Adapt your communication style and messaging to be relevant to the audience.

Coaching and mentoring fellow project team members will take much of your time. Appreciate and reward contributions made and provide opportunities for growth and development. Do this by delegating responsibilities to team members and empowering them for high performance.

Facilitate collaborative decision making and practice active listening. Show empathy for project team and stakeholder perspectives. Practice self-awareness of your own bias and behaviours.

Manage and adapt to change during the project life cycle and facilitate a mindset of learning quickly by acknowledging mistakes.

Interpersonal skills will include many soft skills, like emotional intelligence, recognising our own and others’ emotions, to guide thinking and behaviour. This includes self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and social skill.

Continue to practice all the above while you role model the desired behaviours. As you can see, this is quite a tall order for any project manager, but at the same time, leading is what keeps the role interesting, challenging and contributes to personal growth on every project. The perspective of the Guide is that on high-performing projects many members portray effective leadership skills.

Leadership development

In conclusion, there is no one behavioural or leadership style that will make for success. Rather a flexible and adaptive approach needs to be adopted so that the most appropriate style is used for any given situation. To know the appropriate style to use, comes with practice, years of experience, observing great leaders and a growth mindset for continuous learning.

More information

If you’d like to obtain your own copy of the latest PMBOK Guide v7, you will find it on the Project Management Institute’s website. It is pricey, but a 50% discount is available for PMI members. For a frank overview of the PMBOK Guide v7, you will find the article by Dr Mike Clayton refreshing.