Source: nickobec

Some time ago, I remember going to a kickoff meeting for a very high profile project that required different departments in the company to cooperate and work together. Each department had their own agenda and wanted to steer the project towards a direction that benefit them the most, and there were a lot of banter by everyone for the sake of positioning themselves favorably.

At first, the project manager allowed everyone to speak their mind, but after seeing how the direction was not productive, she stepped in and took control of the meeting. It was impressive how she knew how to manage people and to put them in their place. The next set of meetings unraveled in a similar way: individuals trying to push their specific agendas while the project manager steered the meeting in the best overall direction of the project.

At one point, a vice president came in to a meeting to participate and see how the progress was coming along. I forgot the official title of this VP, but basically he was responsible for some of the biggest contracts the company ever sold. He was one of the highest ranking people in the company, but he never told people what to do. He had a certain charisma that inspired people and motivated people to perform. In this meeting, he basically told everyone how important the project was to the company and how it can take the company to another level. He also shared how if the project failed, that the company could be in a very vulnerable position and may not survive. He ended his talk with a positive note by pointing out how each of the departments were in a good position to make the project a success. Everybody was fired up and motivated, and there were no more political maneuvering in the meetings afterward.

Sometimes a situation calls for a manager, and sometimes it calls for a leader. There’s some level of both qualities in all of us, and it’s important to cultivate both within ourselves and to use the role that best suits the need at hand. The project manager in my story was great in managing people, but was not necessarily a good leader. I don’t know for a certain, but I do believe she was the person who asked the VP to help motivate the team. If either the management quality or the leadership quality is not sufficient within us, outsourcing it is always an option.