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Above and Beyond the PMP: The Strategic Project Leader: Mastering Service- Based Project Leadership
In section two of his book, Mr. Ferraro writes:
In project management, leadership is desperately needed; leadership that is adaptable, perceptive, timely, meaningful, authentic, and unselfish.
This one sentence sums up the core of The Strategic Project Leader's message: Project leaders, not project processes, are the future for project management. As the first section carefully lays out, the codification and standardization of project management knowledge has created a commoditized service that can be bought and sold like any other product. However, project managers can resist the force of commoditization by adding personal value to their organizations through leadership.
Ferraro defines a new role for the project manager seeking to be the spearhead of change - the service-based project leader. As the book points out, this role of 'Project Leader' is an area of untapped potential in project management. This kind of leadership requires a project manager to provide service not only to a sponsor but to all the projectís stakeholders. By truly serving the needs of organizations and individuals, project leaders find themselves doing meaningful work, a factor that is linked to personal growth and great job satisfaction. Due to the highly personal and individual nature of leadership, it cannot be codified and standardized into a 'methodology.'
The first section of the book is devoted to this idea of leadership in project management and provides guidance as to how to step up into a leadership role. However, Ferraro also introduces several critical topics not usually found in project management books. He discusses the importance of establishing trust-based relationships with clients, and putting the needs of the client first, ideas that are central to high-level project leadership.
The second section of the book provides more concrete information in the form of a "leadership competency framework" that is comprised of five "core competencies". This competency framework is presented in the form of a pyramid:
Project & Program Management Knowledge, Skill & Experience
Subject Matter Expertise
Trust-based Relationships
Consultative Leadership
Courage
While knowledge of project management processes is necessary as the base of this pyramid, project leaders must move beyond this to become true consultative leaders.
The third section helps the reader create practical self-development plans - a step-by-step guide to improving leadership skills. The final section, written by Roberta Hill, provides a detailed overview of a variety of assessment methods.
Smoothly written and easy to read, The Strategic Project Leader is an indispensable guide to anyone looking to be a leader among project managers.
Jack Ferraro is the creator and president of MyProjectAdvisor, a company that strives to increase the value of project management through the development of individuals' leadership skills and personal competencies.
Eric D. Brown, MBA, MSEE, PMP
Eric is a consultant, entrepreneur and author living in the Dallas Fort Worth area. Eric has over 15 years experience in technology management, project management, information technology and leadership.
Eric holds the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and is currently working on a Doctor of Science in Information Systems degree from Dakota State University. Eric has previously earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Dallas, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree from Oklahoma State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
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