Soft Skills That Drive Project Success
Eric Bloom
President, Manager Mechanics
[email protected]
@EricPBloom
(c) Manager Mechanics LLC, All Rights Reserved
www,ManagerMechanics.com
Presentation Agenda
You!
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Common Soft Skills Types
1. Interpersonal Communication
2. Leadership Characteristics
3. Analytical Skills
4. Business Skills
5. Management Tasks
6. Business Knowledge
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Soft Skills Types
1. Interpersonal Communication
 Emotional intelligence
 Body language
Understanding of others builds
relationships and influence
 Asking purposeful questions
 Active listening
Fact finding ability, build
interpersonal rapport
 Conflict resolution
 Difficult conversations
Reduces stress, enhances
productivity, facilitates
teamwork and lowers attrition
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Enhances your visibility,
influence and upward mobility
Public speaking
Business acumen
Facilitation
Written communication
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Soft Skills Types
2. Leadership Characteristics
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Confidence
Trustworthiness
Respectful and humble
Optimistic
Open mindedness
Builds a professional brand of
integrity, trust and respect
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Influence
Vision
Motivation
Proactive
Opportunistic
Creates your reputation as a
change-agent
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Commitment
Flexibility
Determination
Accountability
Helps you get the job done
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Soft Skills Types
3. Analytical Skills
 Brainstorming
 Creative thinking
 Strategic thinking
Theorizing what can be done
 Root cause analysis
 Problem solving
 Decision making
Defining what must done and how
to do it
 Innovation
Facilitates the conception, design,
creation and implementation of new
products, technologies, processes,
revenue streams and markets
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Soft Skills Types
4. Business Skills
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Teambuilding
Running meeting
Building diversity
Vendor management
Helps build your team
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Consultative approach
Negotiation
Strategic planning
Goal setting
Time management
Maximizes your personal
productivity and effectiveness
 Interviewing/Hiring
 Mentoring
 Staff reviews
Enhances one-on-one staff
interaction
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Soft Skills Types
5. Management Tasks
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Delegation
Giving constructive feedback
Difficult conversations
Giving constructive feedback
Builds management skill
 Risk reduction
 Managing change
 Stress reduction
Helps deal with staff, user
and stakeholders issues
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Soft Skills Types
6. Business Knowledge
 Business models and structures
 Competitive analysis
 Customer relationship and
satisfaction
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Industry knowledge and standards
Legal and regulatory compliance
Market awareness and conditions
Operational functions (finance,
marketing, etc.)
Helps drive project and
professional success
Helps maximize project
value to stakeholders
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Key Certifications and Methodologies
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PMI Triangle
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PMI Triangle
Leadership
Business Skills
 Brainstorming
 Coaching and mentoring
 Negotiation
 Problem solving
 Team building
These are the leadership skills
specifically listed in the
leadership leg of the PMI
Triangle.
Interpersonal Communication
 Conflict management
 Emotional Intelligence
 Influencing
 Listening
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PMI Triangle
Strategic and Business Management
Business Skills
These are the leadership
 Benefits management and realization
skills specifically listed in the
Strategic and Business
 Business acumen
Management leg of the PMI
 Business models and structures
Triangle.
 Competitive analysis
 Customer relationship and satisfaction
 Industry knowledge and standards
 Legal and regulatory compliance
 Market awareness and conditions
 Operational functions (finance, marketing, etc.)
 Strategic planning, analysis, alignment
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Agile/Scrum
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Agile/Scrum
All Team Members
Primary communication skills
 Interpersonal communication
 Being an agent of change
 Leadership without authority (influence)
Optional business skills (based on team need)
 Problem solving
 Decision making
 Working on a virtual team
 Internal client service
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Agile/Scrum
Scrum Masters
All primary core skills plus business and communication skills
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Running effective meetings
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Conflict resolution
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Negotiation skills
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Fostering innovation
Plus leadership skills
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Leading virtual teams
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Leadership concepts
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Accelerated team building
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Agile/Scrum
Product Owners
All primary core skills plus business and communication skills
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Running effective meetings
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Conflict resolution
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Negotiation skills
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Fostering innovation
Plus strategic and consulting skills
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Strategic thinking
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Strategic planning
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Consulting skills
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IIBA BABOK
Business Analysts
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IIBA BABOK
Underlying Soft Skills Competencies
Analytical thinking and problem solving
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Creative thinking
Decision making
Learning
Problem solving
Visual thinking
Behavioral characteristics
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Ethics
Personal accountability
Trustworthiness
Organization and time management
Adaptability
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IIBA BABOK
Underlying Soft Skills Competencies
Business knowledge
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Business acumen
Industry knowledge
Organizational knowledge
Solution knowledge
Methodological knowledge
Communication skills
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Verbal communication
Non-verbal communication
Written communication
Listening
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IIBA BABOK
Underlying Soft Skills Competencies
Interaction skills
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Facilitation
Leadership and influencing
Teamwork
Negotiation and conflict resolution
Teaching
Tools and technology
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Office productivity tools and technology
Business analysis tools and technology
Communication tools and technology
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Now Let’s Talk About You!
You!
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What Leadership and Soft Skill Do You Need?
I
C
S P
M O
P
M
Y
o
u
B
A
Current
Ability
1-5
Enhance
Priority
1–5
Interpersonal Communication
Leadership Characteristics
Analytical Skills
Business Skills
Management Tasks
Business Knowledge
IC = Individual Contributor
SM = Scrum Master
PO = Product Owner
PM = Project Manager
BA = Business Analyst
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Specific Action to Enhance
Your Skills
Exercise
Personal
Growth
Assessment
Worksheet
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Group Discussion
Are there any volunteers who would be willing to discuss
what item they would like to enhance and why?
For me, it’s:
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Industry knowledge
Creative thinking and Innovation
Written communication
Public speaking
Negotiation
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Use These Skills to Your Advantage!
 Enhance your current job performance
 Position yourself for promotion
 Pivot into a new role
 Business skills in the office are life skills at home
You!
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Example #1
Enhance Your Current Job Performance
As Project Manager
 Negotiation skills help reduce scope creep
 Mentoring your staff builds loyalty and enhance team skills
 Influence skills help you lead without authority and gain the
support of business partners
 Conflict management reduces team stress
As a Business Analyst
 Questioning techniques enhance requirements
 Business knowledge enhances requirements
 Enhanced listening increase understating
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You!
Example #2
Enhance Your Current Job Performance
As a Scrum Master
 Meeting skills enhances quality of daily scrum meetings
 Fostering innovation enhances product quality
 Teambuilding skills enhances productivity and creativity
As a Product Owner
 Negotiation will assist in dealings with stakeholders
 Strategic thinking helps get a seat at the business table
 Consulting skills enhances client interaction
 Managing change eases implementation
You!
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Example #3
Position You for Promotion or New Role
1. Define your wanted promotion
2. Observe those currently in the role
3. Observe their business knowledge, leadership ability,
interpersonal business skills and business skills
4. Define the skills required to achieve that position
5. Perform a gap analysis (needed skills vs. your skills)
6. Build needed skills through training, mentoring, observation and
practice
You!
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Final Thoughts
Your business and technical
knowledge combined with
leadership, interpersonal
and business skills . . .
. . . perfectly position you for
future professional growth
and opportunity . . .
. . . so take full advantage!
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Thank you and Questions?
Eric Bloom
President, Manager Mechanics
[email protected]
@EricPBloom
www.ManagerMechanics.com
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Thank you and Questions
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