March 2008

Welcome to the EQ Monthly Newsletter for Project Managers.  This month's newsletter is focused on the emotional and leadership competencies that are most important to project managers.  I hope you enjoy it!

Emotional Intelligence for Project Management Success

In the process of developing a new workshop for project managers, I have been researching the question of what makes project managers successful.  You may have heard about recent PMI-sponsored research in this area by Ralf Müller and J. Rodney Turner.  This research was published in their book called Choosing Appropriate Project Managers.  In their book, Müller and Turner concluded that:

"Project Managers Must Be Emotionally Intelligent"

I have been systematically analyzing the research by Müller and Turner to better understand exactly what they meant by that statement and how others can leverage their research to improve their performance.  What I have learned so far is very intriguing! 

The Leadership Dimensions Questionnaire

The work of Müller and Turner is based in part on a leadership assessment instrument developed by Victor Dulewicz and Malcolm Higgs called the Leadership Dimensions Questionnaire or LDQ.  The LDQ measures 15 individual leadership competencies that Dulewicz and Higgs have found to be linked to high leadership performance.  These 15 leadership competencies are grouped into the following three categories:  intellectual competencies, managerial competencies, and emotional competencies as shown in the following table.

Which Competencies are Important to Project Managers?

Müller and Turner studied over 400 projects to determine which of these 15 leadership competencies are important to project manager performance.  Interestingly enough, not all of the 15 leadership competencies measured by the LDQ were linked to project success.  In fact, some were actually linked to failure; that is, a project manager having a particular competency would be more likely to fail.

Müller and Turner showed that the following eight leadership competencies are most important to all project managers, in approximately decreasing order.  Note that the emotional intelligence competencies, as indicated by the *, made up 6 of the 8 competencies linked to project management performance.  I would encourage project managers to invest in improving their skills in these competencies. 

• Engaging Communications
• Motivation*
• Interpersonal Sensitivity*
• Conscientiousness*
• Self-Awareness*
• Developing Others
• Emotional Resilience*
• Influence* 

As noted above, there are some competencies that are negatively correlated to project management success; that is, project managers strong in these competencies are more likely to fail.  I would encourage you to watch your performance in these areas.

• Vision and Imagination
• Strategic Perspective
• Empowering 

The four remaining competencies are not on either of the first two lists and I would recommend that you simply ignore this group because they have little bearing on your performance as a project manager.

• Resource Management
• Achieving
• Intuitiveness
• Critical Analysis and Judgment 

Competencies Vary By Project Type 

Müller and Turner evaluated whether the competencies would be different for success on different types of projects.  They evaluated Information and Communications Technology Projects, Engineering Projects, and Business Projects.  The three project types are shown below along with the most important leadership competencies for each of these three types.

Actions Steps: 

You can take immediate action to put this information to work for you by taking one of the following action steps:

1. Self-Assessment – Do a quick self-evaluation.  Do you have strengths in those competencies most important to project managers?  Are there specific competencies that you need to improve?
2. Start a Conversation - Share the list of competencies and descriptions with a fellow PM and ask them to give you feedback on your strengths and weaknesses.
3. Review the Watch Lists – Do you have a strength in an area that could actually hurt your performance as a project manager?  Do you need to raise your awareness in that area?
4. Make an Investment - For those of you ready to make an investment in those competencies most important to project managers, I recommend that you join my upcoming workshop called “Leading Teams with Emotional Intelligence”.  This workshop is being delivered in partnership with the Chicagoland PMI Chapter.

I hope you find this information helpful.  Please feel free to send me a note with your reactions and feedback.

Summary of the 8 Competencies Important to PMs

Engaging Communication	A lively and enthusiastic communicator, engages others and wins support.  Clearly communicates instructions and vision to staff.  Communications are tailored to the audience’s interests and focused.  Communication style inspires staff and audiences, conveys approachability and accessibility.
Motivation	Drive and energy to achieve clear results and make an impact.  Balances short- and long-term goals with a capability to pursue demanding goals in the face of rejection or questioning.
Interpersonal Sensitivity	Is aware of, and takes account of, the needs and perceptions of others in arriving at decisions and proposing solutions to problems and challenges.  Builds from this awareness and achieves the commitment of others to decisions and action.  A willingness to keep open one’s thoughts on possible solutions to problems and to actively listen to, and reflect on, the reactions and inputs from others.
Conscientiousness	Displays clear commitment to a course of action in the face of challenge and to match “words and deeds” in encouraging others to support the chosen direction.  Shows personal commitment to pursuing an ethical solution to a difficult business issue or problem.
Self-awareness	Awareness of one’s own feelings and the capability to recognise and manage them in a way that one feels the one can control.  A degree of self-belief in one’s capability to manage one’s emotions and to control their impact in a work environment.
Developing Others	Believes others have potential to take on ever more-demanding tasks and roles, encourages them to do so.  Ensures direct reports have adequate support.  Develops their competencies, and invests time and effort in coaching them so they contribute effectively and develop themselves.  Identifies new tasks and roles to develop others.  Believes that critical feedback and challenge are important.
Emotional Resilience	Performs consistently in a range of situations under pressure and adapts behaviour appropriately.  Balances the needs of the situation and task with the needs and concerns of the individuals involved.  Retains focus on a course of action or need for results in the face of personal challenge or criticism.
Influence	Persuades others to change views based on an understanding of their position and a recognition of the need to listen to this perspective and provide a rationale for change.

Recent Posts from the EQ4PM Blog

• Workplace Stressors - What Stresses You Out?
• Working With Difficult People #3
• Nobody Really Manages Projects, Not Even You

Contents

• Emotional Intelligence for PM Success
• Which Competencies are Important to PMs?
• Action Steps
• Summary of the 8 Competencies
• Recent Posts from EQ4PM Blog

Buy the Book

Already own a copy?  Send one to your mom like I did.  Buy now

Join a Workshop

You can read all you want about emotional intelligence but you'll gain the most by attending a workshop.  

• Intro to EQ for Project Managers - April 25 & 26, Chicago IL
• Leading Teams with Emotional Intelligence - April 21 and 22
• Intro to EQ for Project Managers - June 26 & 27