Our first main conference day at the 2011 ProjectWorld® & World Congress for Business Analysts® kicked off with Chuck Millhollan identifying himself with one word (Geek, rather than the string of letters that follow his name MBA, MPM, PMP, PgMP, CBAP) and then identifying some of the characteristics that make a good Project Manager.
What does leadership seek when hiring a Project Manager:
Problem solving skills
Communications
- writing skills
- presentation skills
Interpersonal Skills
Team Building Skills
Professional Discipline
Many of these terms are only glancingly mentioned in the PMBoK ad BABoK, yet these are the soft skills that hiring managers are looking for most. Hard skills (or certification for that matter) are implied or expected, but soft skills will set you apart. According to Millhollan, the continued value of a project manager is more about critical judgement then simply maturing processes and technologies.
Key takeaway: don't learn the body of knowledge to make yourself more marketable, learn the foundations to make yourself a great PM or BA.
Soft skills, professional acumen and then lastly business acumen mare the recipe for a great PM or BA.
The most memorable quote for me from this session was the following: "Knowledge is not power, knowledge is potential, how you apply the knowledge is power"
Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA and the voice behind the @Project_World twitter. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com.
