3 skills to become a ‘Future-Proof’ Project Manager

Its the holiday season. It is that time of the year when people start to plan for the next year. How do you grow in your current role is something many people do plan or should I say must plan! How do we realize our potential? How do we become more valuable to our organization? Basically, how do we stay ahead in the game!

We covered a PMI report called The Project Manager of the Future and below are the 3 skills that you must hone to become a future proof Project Manager,

1. Strategize

More than ever, Project Managers today are helping out with setting up the strategic direction of organizations. Delivering projects that converge to the strategic goals. Doing that requires an understanding of the bigger picture. As a Project Manager, you must be strong enough to take tough decisions on project delivery, halting the ones that aren’t suitable and advocating the ones that meet the organization’s strategic goal.

2. Communication skills

Communication isn’t a skill that is going away anytime soon. With the ever increasing set of communication tools, it is one area that the Project Managers must excel at. Long gone are the days when communication was just in person or over formal emails, today you must understand how to communicate online on your company’s social media platform too! Be it up and down the organizational hierarchy and inside or outside the organization, communication is the king.

3. Ability to sell

Taken, your organization is not going to ask you to sell but sales is not just selling a product. How would you advocate for the resources that your project needs without being able to sell the importance of your project? Consider the first point about strategizing and think again, how are you going to achieve that without sales skills?

What are some of the skills you would add to this list? What do you think the Project Managers need to become future proof?

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