Essential qualities required in the leadership role

Organizations require a variety of leadership roles and different leadership positions to emphasize different competences depending on the situation. In challenging circumstances, specific leadership qualities become crucial for achieving the set goals.

I have had the privilege of working in various leadership positions in project management, change management and interim executive roles for almost five decades. Additionally, I’ve designed and delivered development programs for over 22,000 participants. Based on my experience, I will now briefly point out some essential characteristics of leadership roles.

Change and interim leadership

Organizations are often faced with an urgent need for changed - driven by factors such as growth, renewal, a significant strategic shift or even a financial crisis. These background factors are identified and a change leader is brought in to guide the organizational transformation and/or to clarify a goal that needs to be reached.

Qualities required of a change leader

1. Strategic thinking - understanding the organization’s goals and having the ability to see the big picture.

2. Ability and willingness to take leadership and make bold decisions to navigate the change towards the set goals.

3. Adaptability to different situations and the ability to react quickly.

4. Excellent communication skills to ensure that the purpose, benefits and roadmap clarifying the change to all stakeholders.

Additionally as an interim leader, you must have

1. Ability to understand organization’s current state, take responsibility and act immediately.

2. Experience and relevant expertise to select appropriate solution for each situation.

Project manager

Project management is a profession and its leadership competency elements are described well in the IPMA Individual Competence Baseline (ICB 4.0) standard.

However, there are certain qualities that can generally be expected of project managers:

• A project manager must be well-organized, systematic and able to manage complex tasks and schedules.

• A good project manager communicates clearly and effectively with the team and stakeholders.

• A project manager should be able to identify and solve emerging problems as well as make quick decisions—even with incomplete information.

Based on the findings of Project Management Status 2021, there are several commonly identified skill gaps. Improving these greatly increases the chances of success:

• Conflict and crisis management

• Negotiation skills

• Self-awareness and self-leadership

• Willingness and ability to take leadership

• People leadership

• Change leadership

  
  

Naturally, the leadership requirements and expectations of a project manager depend heavily on the project's content, complexity and scope. The emphasis of the competencies listed above may vary from project to project, but their importance remains constant in the skillset of a successful project manager.

Artificial intelligence as a leader

I asked the Copilot AI: What are the leadership qualities of artificial intelligence? The response was quite interesting. Here are a few highlights:

1. Data Analysis and Decision Support – AI can analyze data from the work environment, tasks and employees. This helps optimize scheduling and task allocation and anticipate workplace safety risks.

2. Prediction and Forecasting – AI can help predict service needs and upcoming challenges, which supports leadership and business development.

3. Conversational AI – Conversational AI increases work efficiency and enables real-time support for employees and customers. It can also automate routine tasks, freeing up human resources for more meaningful work.

   
   

It is important to understand how AI works and to give employees a say in its usage. This allows us to harness its potential while avoiding possible risks.

Leadership – skills make the difference

Practicing leadership skills is a lifelong journey. While personality characteristics cannot be changed, becoming aware of them increases one’s ability to lead more effectively. So how can one continue to grow as a better leader? Here are a few concrete and immediately applicable ways to develop oneself:

1. Find a sparring partner - this is often someone from your own organization as long as both are open to feedback and genuine conversations about leadership.

2. Use coaching skills - coaching helps generate insights and discover effective solutions.

3. Create opportunities for observation - observe different leadership, communication and dialogue styles and their effectiveness.

4. Join peer or diverse training groups - these broaden perspectives and enhance understanding of how others experience challenging situations.

5. Participate in a well-designed training programs - these offer valuable opportunities and help develop the organization’s leadership culture.

6. A well designed training program provides opportunities for these and offers the organization excellent coaching impact, advancing the leadership culture.

Jori Kosonen CEO, Talent Network

Certified Executive Consultant and Coach IPMA A-level

IPMA Project Excellence Award Assessor and Judge

This article was first published in Projektimaailma magazine, issue 1/2024

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