In the August issue of PM Network, an interview with Colin Powell starts on page 58. Many of the questions and responses are pertinent to project managers, and there are some good pieces of wisdom. There were a few important questions I would have asked that were not part of the article, however.
Here's the pmStudent.com breakdown:
Likes:
- Open communication channels
- Methods for creating trust
- Confronting problems openly
- Contingency planning
- Decision-making process
- Consistency of leadership principles over time
- Focus only on "the big picture" for motivational purposes, and not the WIIFM (What's in it for me?)
- Implicit assumption of a direct reporting relationship between leader and team throughout - I would have liked to see a question where "positional" authority was not available, and Colin had to use other forms of influence and leadership to get the job done. (Because I think this situation applies to most project managers!)
Please comment on this post and let me know what you thought of the article!
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