1. The Importance of People Skills
With its methodological approach to planning, Project Management has been mistakenly considered as
a mere guiding hand to a project, one whose role and involvement is critical from start to the end of a
project. This kind of an explanation merely acknowledges the technical acumen that is necessary for the
success of a project, while ignoring an equally crucial factor, People Skills.
A project is conceived by people; they scope it, plan it, allocate resources and responsibilities, and
manage risk and so on. In short, it is people that conceive, plan and execute a project. It is people that
create and measure the deliverables and it is people again that make up the project sponsors and
stakeholders. Thus, a project is about people!
Thus, people skills or soft skills as they are known, have come into focus in modern times. The people
management abilities of a Project Manager are in demand by some of the more successful firms, the
world over. In fact, it is being argued that a project manager cannot be successful without possessing
some essential soft skills training.
The skills and abilities that can be considered as a contributing factor can stretch on to infinity. One
must be savvy enough to balance the political factors that can influence a project. On the other hand,
one must also possess a keen understanding on what motivates the team members who tend to be from
diverse cultures and backgrounds. A grounding in the dynamics of organizational and team behavior are
also considered to be an asset to a successful project manager. This is crucial to coordination of
concepts and ideas, while being able to delegate the responsibilities required for execution and
monitoring their progress. Thus he/ she must be results oriented and have well developed inter-
personal skills. The ability to walk the thin line between commanding authority and inspiring loyalty at
the same time is a huge advantage to a successful leader and project manager. Thus, for a project
manager to be truly effective, one must possess strong leadership skills.
Key skills such as these are a part of the Project Management Courses on offer at the Injazat Institute,
UAE. Aspiring candidates seeking the best of PMP Certifications can learn how to develop their
interpersonal skills at the training programs that the Program Development Centre of the institute has
to offer. The Injazat Institute focuses on the team building skills, development of soft skills and
leadership training of the candidates enrolled at the leadership development programs run by them.
To learn more about the Injazat Institute, UAE; visit us at: http://www.ti2.ae
About the Author
They are providing Program Development Center in UAE and Training Management in UAE - Tobby has
experienced them all in Dubai and in the neighboring states. Through his writings and Institute, he
creates awareness for the different aspects of Dubai that people far and wide come to enjoy.