The Project Book

CHAPTER 7 BEHAVE IN THE RIGHT WAY

The biggest challenges you’ll have in becoming a project leader are in dropping poor behaviours, adopting those expected of you and helping others to do likewise.

Your emotional intelligence (EQ) affects the way you behave. Project managers with low EQ don’t understand the consequence of the way they behave, while those with high EQ are aware of how their behaviours affect individuals and situations, and adjust them accordingly.

Behaviours and skills are often used interchangeably, which is confusing and a mistake. A behaviour is something you ‘are’. It’s the way you respond to a situation or the way you function under stress (for example, Jenny dealt with that issue calmly, or Jenny supported our approach on this). A skill is something you ‘have’. It’s your ability to do something well (for example, Jenny builds great teams, or Jenny is an excellent speaker). The former affects the latter, not the other way around. Skills will always be enhanced by behaviours (for example, Jenny is funny, which aids the planning process, rather than Jenny is a great planner and that’s what makes her funny).

Your behaviours are the things about you (both positive and negative) that make you memorable. When you’re being the best version of yourself, you encourage others to do likewise. Sadly, the opposite is also true.

Think about the best person you’ve ever worked for. It’s likely they were memorable for one or more of the following qualities: caring, empathetic, ...