Presentation given at Project Challenge on October 2015 with fellow author Sarah Coleman using materials from our recently published book with Gower.

1. Copyright © 2015 Team Animation and Business Evolution Slide: 1
Project Leadership
Sarah Coleman and
Donnie MacNicol

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Developing Project Leadership
Leading challenging and increasingly Volatile Uncertain Complex and
Ambiguous (VUCA) projects can leave leaders feeling exposed and
vulnerable. This session will provide you with insights and tools to
help you lead successfully, relying strongly on your business acumen,
interpersonal skills and organisational intelligence.
Specifically:
• Organisational culture – and why this is important to you and your
project
• Project Leader’s Eight Lookings – how to ensure you’re focused on
what’s important
• Planning your career – moving from “managing” to ”leading”
Also receive a discount voucher for “Project Leadership” 3rd Edition
published by Gower from which the materials have been taken

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Agenda
• In a VUCA world - Project Leader
vs. project leadership: why is it
important?
• Organizational culture – and why
this is important to you and your
project
• Project Leader’s Eight Lookings
– how to ensure you’re focused
on what’s important
• Planning your career – moving
from “managing” to ”leading”.

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VUCA
• The VUCA world
• Increasing “projectification” of
organizations
• Part of skill set underpinning project
success
• New reality: moving away from project
planning and control tools as the keys to
success, and towards the management
and leadership of people and their
performance
• Providing leadership capability is not just
left to ‘leaders’
• Every project, programme and portfolio
manager needs elements of leadership
capability to be effective
• A strategic issue for businesses and
government.

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Commitments as a Project Leader. Adapted from The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® model (Kouzes and Posner, 2007)
Project Leader vs project leadership
Role vs capability:
Model the way: Find your natural style & personal values; work with the team to identify a set
of shared values to guide the project
Lead by example, modelling appropriate behaviours
Inspire a shared vision: Develop project vision aligned with the organization & the client
Describe the future: exciting & full of possibility
Use the project team, organization & client by appealing to their aspirations
Challenge the process: Encourage better & innovative ways of working to improve performance
Adapt & modify your own approach: seek feedback & learn
Enable others to act: Build culture of collaboration & trust
Distribute responsibility & decision-making
Deliver value: Action as well as words: deliver what is required, not what you want
Demonstrate & publicize the value the team has achieved, & how it links
to the vision
Encourage the heart: Recognize individual team member’s expertise & contribution
Show appreciation & celebrate success
Build the community spirit.

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The Eight Lookings
• How to deal with the apparent
complexity and multiple expectations
on the role?
• Helpful to categorize and consolidate
into a model which can be easily
understood
• Eight Lookings Model below presents
the idea that you must look in 8
directions in order to identify and
understand the whole picture.

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Eight Lookings overview
Looking outwards – The client
Managing the client, end user and external
stakeholders (including suppliers and
subcontractors) to ensure the project meets
their expectations.
Looking upwards – The Executive Board
Managing your governance team to achieve
organisational commitment and engagement.Wiring into
stakeholders
Looking externally – The client’s vision
Understanding and aligning to the vision and
strategy for the client and their stakeholders.
Looking internally – The organisation’s vision
Understanding and aligning to the vision and
strategy for the organisation and its
stakeholders.
Achieving the
vision
Looking forwards – The future
Planning in order to ensure that the team sets
realistic targets, and obtains appropriate
resources to achieve those targets.
Looking backwards – The past
Monitoring progress with appropriate control
systems, to ensure that the project meets its
targets and the team learns from its mistakes.
Keeping on the
ball
Looking downwards – The team’s performance
Managing the team to maximize their
performance as individuals and collectively.
Managing the visible and invisible, across
disciplines, divisions, countries and cultures.
Looking inwards – My performance
Managing yourself, by reviewing your
performance to ensure that your leadership is a
positive contribution to the project.
Focussing on
results

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LowHighCentralisation
Low Collaboration High
Individual rules
Low level of collaboration and low level of
centralisation. Organisation has:
• Delegated authority and decision-
making to appropriate levels and/or
locations
• Low cross-functional working or
organisational networking opportunities
or facilitation
Process rules
Low level of collaboration and high level of
centralisation. Organisation has:
• Defined structure and hierarchy for
decision-making
• Low cross-functional working or
organisational networking opportunities
or facilitation
Relationships rule
High level of collaboration and low level of
centralisation. Organisation has:
• Delegated authority and decision-making
to appropriate levels and/or locations
• High incidence of cross-functional
working or organisational networking
opportunities or facilitation
Community rules
High level of collaboration and high level of
centralisation. Organisation has:
• Defined structure and hierarchy for
decision-making
• High incidence of cross-functional
working or organisational networking
opportunities or facilitation
Project Culture Matrix™

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Individual rules
Low level of collaboration and low level of centralisation. Organisation has:
• Delegated authority and decision-making to appropriate levels and/or
locations
• Low cross-functional working or organisational networking
opportunities or facilitation.
What type of Project Leader/Leadership thrives in this culture?
• High self-reliance and can develop support networks and relationships
for self, team and project
• Can work with ambiguity and uncertainty
Process rules
Low level of collaboration and high level of centralisation.
Organisation has:
• Defined structure and hierarchy for decision-making
• Low cross-functional working or organisational networking
opportunities or facilitation
What type of Project Leader/Leadership thrives in this culture?
• Highly structured and organised, process driven
• Recognises project governance team and sponsor critical to success
• Feeds up, waits for and accepts decisions from more senior level
• Recognises his/her power may come from the size and status of
the project
• Works well with influence and power based on position, role or title
• Networking and relationship building not as important as
formalised authority
Relationships rule
High level of collaboration and low level of centralisation. Organisation has:
• Delegated authority and decision-making to appropriate levels
and/or locations
• High incidence of cross-functional working or organisational networking
opportunities or facilitation.
What type of Project Leader/Leadership thrives in this culture?
• Organisationally intelligent: understanding power bases, influencers,
able to build strong relationships and networks to own advantage and
the advantage of the project
Community rules
High level of collaboration and high level of centralisation. Organisation has:
• Defined structure and hierarchy for decision-making
• High incidence of cross-functional working or organisational networking
opportunities or facilitation.
What type of Project Leader/Leadership thrives in this culture?
• Able to insert self easily into established processes and structures, and
work well within these parameters
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Organisationally intelligent: understanding power bases, influencers,
able to build strong relationships and networks to own advantage and
the advantage of the project
LowHighLevelofcentralisation
Low Level of collaboration High
The type of Project Leader / Leadership that thrives in
each culture

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Transition Model
Leaving behind the familiar and embracing the new
• Values: on the basis that what you value
is what you focus on, you must change
what you value about your individual
contribution.
• Time: a shift in two dimensions is
needed:
- What you spend your time doing;
- Horizon you are looking over.
• Skills: accept losing familiar skills,
welcome the discomfort of learning new
skills.
New skills
Enhanced
Delegated
Dropped
Existing

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Idealized Individual and Organizational Development
Participant
Training/facilitation
Mentor/Coach
Project Member
Time Year 1 Year 2
Personal
life
Personal
reflection
Project
execution
Local
implementation
groups
Experiential
learning
modules
Community
investment, sharing
and collaboration
Mentoring/Coaching
Key personal milestones
to take account of
Pre work Post work Pre work Post work
Clarity of
Objectives –
Individual and
Organisational
Key project milestones
to plan for

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What individuals and organisations need to know about developing
their project leadership capacity and capability to deliver in challenging
times.
The Project
Leadership
Compass™
The role
of the project
leader during the
key phases of
the project
lifecycle
Project
leadership and
the project
leader
The 3 key
competencies
of a project
leader
Building
personal and
organisational
capability

13. Copyright © 2015 Team Animation and Business Evolution Slide: 13
To celebrate the
publication of “Project
Leadership” 3rd Edition
(Gower Publishing Ltd),
we are offering 40%
discount when you
purchase it from the
Gower stand (68-70).
Please take the voucher
provided with you to
receive this discount.

14. Copyright © 2015 Team Animation and Business Evolution Slide: 14
Contact Donnie MacNicol – Team Animation
• m +44 (0)7799 766238
• e donnie@teamanimation.co.uk
• w www.teamanimation.co.uk
• LinkedIn – http://uk.linkedin.com/in/donniemacnicol
• Twitter – @donniemacnicol
• Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Animation-
Ltd/160769337303100
Contact Sarah Coleman – Business Evolution
• m +44 (0)7999 879870
• e sarah.coleman@businessevolution.co
• w www.businessevolution.co
• LinkedIn – http://uk.linkedin.com/in/sjcoleman
• Twitter – @business_evolve