How to be perceived as an effective project manager

I was checking out timkress.net's articles page and found a great read for project managers. It discusses percerption versus reality in the project world and how to "take the initiative to control people’s opinion of their abilities". The "problems" and "solutions" outlined are solid and the article is an informative read. Check out the intro from How to be perceived as an effective project manager:

Perception is said to be more important than reality. I’ve always bristled at this cliché. As much as we would like to believe that our work product should be judged on it’s merits, the truth is that perception influences reality. How others see you becomes a major determinant of your effectiveness as a project manager.

That's quite an interesting opening - and it's also quite true! Sad, yes, but true. Kress goes on to outline problem areas that lead to negative perceptions - you are weak, ineffective, unskilled or an over-all poor manager - and then provides solutions, often basic and simple, that will add to your credibility as a do-er, a driver -- an effective project manager!

• Be organized. Keep all project documents in good form. Make sure nothing is sloppy or missing. See to it that distributions get to the appropriate parties and are sent in a timely fashion.
• Master the art of meeting facilitation. The project meeting is your stage. It’s your chance to impress people with a winning performance. You must control the agenda, flow and outcome of your meetings.
• Dress well, at least one notch above the office standard. This is an easy way to build the appearance of professionalism.
• Have facts and figures at your disposal. You’ve heard of "name dropping". Try "number dropping". People will see your use of dollar figures and statistics as proof of competence.
• Don’t be a pushover with project team members. If you let them push back too easily on deliverables they won’t see you as a nice guy, but as a wimp. They will start blowing off your tasks because your projects will be seen as less important than more important work they have to get done for stronger project managers and executives. Your stuff will get back burnered more often than not. Project team members and colleagues will lose respect for you.
• You can stick to aggressive schedules while still being seen as a decent person to work with. Don’t be afraid to be firm but fair. You have every right to insist that people keep their commitments to you.
• Be an aggressive self-promoter and a consistent salesman for your projects. You have to project a sense of believing in the projects you are managing. Even more important, people must see how much you believe in yourself.

Read the complete article How to be perceived as an effective project manager by Tim Kress, PMP to get more great insights. I'd think this list would be particularly useful to less assertive project managers. One of my favorite tips is "Master the art of meeting facilitation", but not for the reasons listed above. I'm not interested in impressing folks (though, on a professional development level, I guess I should, to some degree, care). Rather, I think meetings take up (read: W-A-S-T-E) sooo much time that if you are not a "Master in the Art Of Facilitating Meetings" your project(s) will get lost in vortex. Read the tips above - you know what I'm talking about!

Tags: Project Management, PM Tips, management, Effective Project Management, Project Management Blog