Gaining Experience as Both a Project Manager and a People Manager Can Maximize Your Marketability  

As you move through your management career, consider gaining experience by holding different types of management positions. You will find that you naturally develop different, valuable skills when you work in different positions. This strategic plan contributes to transforming you into an effective and well-rounded leader who can successfully relate to, and competently handle, various situations based on the sum total of your now-varied strengths and experience.

What are the different types of management positions, you may ask? Simply put, there are two: people management and project management. Read on to learn about the key skills needed for both and how both can aid you in having a long-lasting career within any industry.

Project Management

In this role, skills learned and exercised on a daily basis consist of planning, collaborating and executing, since you are, as the job title notes, managing projects. One must be very organized and process-oriented to be successful in this position. Although this role can often (but not always) be an individual contributor position – without staff responsibility – it can mistakenly be perceived as easy. That is not necessarily true; instead of the focus being on leading a large staff, the focus is on organizing complex plans, processes and procedures, which can prove to be just as difficult as leading a staff of people. Primary responsibilities include:

• Strategic Planning: Developing and explaining project requirements and what is needed from project participants and stakeholders; creating the over-arching plan to accomplish the project; and organizing, distributing, and presenting the communication plan to keep stakeholders and others continuously informed of the project status, opportunities and needed funding and/or leadership support to ensure the project remains on track.
• Collaboration: Providing direction, making decisions and leading internal and external teams over whom you don’t have direct reporting authority, but they do report to you from a project standpoint; and listening and gathering input from the entire team to make informed decisions to leverage processes, maximize skill sets and keep project participants engaged and involved.
• Execution: Creating multi-faceted project plans and timelines; reminding and enforcing project delivery dates; and gaining influence from project participants by removing barriers, addressing challenges and escalating issues to ensure the project stays on track.

Evaluation in this role centers around the results of the project that drives process change within the organization.

People Management

In this role, you are a leader of people. Skills learned and exercised on a daily basis consist of communicating, coaching and inspiring. One must have an authentic ability to listen, connect and relate to people to be successful in this position. This role is as a leader of leaders – with staff responsibility – and it too can mistakenly be perceived as easy, especially if you are observing an impressive manager in action, seemingly effortless in how he effectively relates to people. But instead of the focus being on developing and executing complex plans, processes and procedures, it is on caring, addressing issues, connecting and effectively communicating with your staff on a daily basis to drive results. Primary responsibilities include:

• Communicating: Articulating the organization’s business, cultural and human resources objectives so they are relatable to the team, with clear understanding; handling and addressing associate relations issues; and building trust by active listening and providing essential feedback.
• Coaching: Addressing behaviors through open, two-way communication and establishing dialogue that results in improved individual and team performance; listening to and addressing concerns to improve performance and team morale; and connecting with your team on a personal level to build influence and trust.
• Inspiring: Recognizing individual and team positive performance and behavior; motivating the team to keep them happy and engaged to promote team harmony and uplift department morale; and offering professional development guidance to foster career growth.

Evaluation in this role centers around output produced by the people directly reporting to you that drives behavior, performance and service within the organization.

Although the above-mentioned list is not all inclusive of the skills exercised in each position, it does provide a general overview of the basic responsibilities. Critical skills are developed in both positions. This is not to say if you haven’t been a project manager or a people manager you will not gain these skills. It simply means that dedicated time in these positions will offer a more in-depth experience within each position that is not attainable when practiced sporadically.

More Resources Regarding Management Skills

After reading this article, what if you realize that you only have experience in one area? Well, get a reputable book and read about it! One of THE best management reference guides that I still use is the Every Manager’s Desk Reference book. It is the best management book on the market, in my opinion, that sheds light on the basic interactions, in both the project manager and people manager positions, which you will encounter throughout your management career. It gives you just enough information to address areas of inexperience, questions or concerns, while pinpointing the areas to dig deeper for more information, if you need to seek more specific knowledge on the topic. And the other option is to accept an assignment in the position you haven’t obtained yet, in order to gain insight into its challenges and duties.

Regardless of how you delve further into thinking about these roles, know that both Project Manager and People Manager positions aren’t as easy as one might imagine; they have their own unique challenges and are very valuable to an organization. And, of course, bringing combined project management and people management experiences to any leadership role is extremely valuable. It brings your leadership skills full circle by combining the ability to connect, coach and inspire a team through positive behavior and performance, along with the understanding of how to strategically plan, collaborate and execute projects that drive positive results. It also helps you become an effective leader who can easily adapt and respond to leadership challenges drawing from past and present experiences. In short, with in-depth skills in both of these powerful positions, you will become a change agent for the organization and improve your marketability within any industry!