MyProjectAdvisor Newsletter

December, 2008

In an interview with Businessweek.com, Lydia Heyman, director of MBA admissions at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, was asked what she looks for in an applicant’s essay. She answered:

“We're looking for a number of qualities, in particular for past leadership and future leadership potential in management….We're looking to see whether or not this candidate shows the potential to be a real contributor in the business world and give back to the community…”[1]

Before we consider the implications of this statement, let’s take a look at the results of a study conducted by the Harvard Kennedy School and the Merriman River Group:

(Those of you receiving the text version of this newletter can view the graphic here: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1022/p09s02-coop.html) 

This graphic[2] provides an approximation of American citizens’ confidence in the leadership of a wide variety of sectors; in every single sector being tracked, the overall trend since 2005 has been a downward one. According to the survey, at this time only military and medical leadership enjoy even a moderate level of confidence from the American people. And while we didn’t need this survey to tell us about a general lack of trust in the current US government, it is perhaps shocking to see how much even charitable organizations, local and state governments, and religious authority have suffered in terms of contemporary regard.

Here’s the kicker: look closely, and you will see that in just the last year, confidence in business leadership has suffered by far the sharpest decline.  

Americans have lost confidence in their leaders, and Project Management represents just another microcosm of this trend. As a profession whose primary responsibility is to lead, loss of confidence puts us on very treacherous ground. We must begin and the journey of earning back the trust we have lost, and we must begin with our everyday interactions with individuals.

We will have to show them that we are willing to sacrifice our own interests for the sake of theirs. We will have to be relentlessly and gently honest in our communications, reliable in tasks great and small, and accountable for all our actions. Bit by bit, we can generate trust, and this trust will empower us to lead. As good leaders, we will enable people of diverse backgrounds to sacrifice their interests for the sake of a common goal.

For better or worse, dependable leadership requires trust before it can grow strong. Without trust, it dies out and entire systems collapse. The admissions directors at UCLA realize the sacrificial nature of leadership, and have shifted their focus from academic records to leadership records accordingly. Intelligence alone will not keep Project Management thriving; we need strong leaders who put the team first.  

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Links of Interest

Interview with the Project Management Podcast (TM) on what it takes to be a successful project leader - give it a listen!

http://www.thepmpodcast.com/

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Great things come to those who serve!

Sincerely

Jack Ferraro PMP

President MyProjectAdvisor

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