Project Management: Leadership and Communications

Effective project management has clearly become a key contributor to elevated Total Customer Experience (TCE) metrics. Conversely, ineffective project management often has a negative impact on overall TCE metrics. Formal project management disciplines are designed for efficient delivery of customer solutions.

These traditional disciplines are well documented, have a global presence, and are proven to be effective. Technology companies often require project managers to gain specific and detailed technology certifications believed to enhance project management effectiveness and overall TCE metrics. However, focusing solely on technical aptitude training and project management disciplines will typically not enhance an overall TCE metric and can, in some cases, actually reduce the metric. In this Knowledge Sharing article, Mark Herzog focuses on the “secret sauce” that bridges traditional project management training with TCE.

The more a customer “relates to” and “likes” a project manager, the more positive the impact on the TCE metric. The same applies to how a project manager “relates to” the project delivery team and the customer. Project managers that can recognize a customer’s personality trait(s) can better understand both what drives the customer’s decision making process and how to influence or handle the customer. In other words, the TCE metric is positively influenced when a project manager speaks to the customer in the “customer’s language” while paying attention to what drives the customer’s needs.

Mark details why leadership and interpersonal communications are critical skills required to positively impact TCE. He breaks down leadership techniques used in effective project management. In addition, his article will reveal and discuss the different human personality traits (Shark, Urchin, Whale, and Dolphin) and the respective relevance each has to the relationship building process.

The article also reveals why project management training focused purely on technologies can have an overall negative impact on the TCE metric. While project managers with “technical speak” sound impressive within a technology-focused company and customer environment, Mark presents a strong case that a project delivered efficiently within an environment where the project manager invests in the customer interpersonally and creates a customer/vendor partnership philosophy can result in years of repeat technology and services sales while completely insulating the account from competition. The project management “secret sauce” contains leadership and interpersonal communications skills, without which, project management is merely generic.

Read the full article.