Finding a great manufacturing project manager is like finding gold – rare. But it’s hopeless. At least ten essential attributes could be needed to accomplish the job, but limiting it to three will help you to narrow your search and crop your shortlist.
When a project fails, the blame is seldom the project itself. Projects are just a series of sequential events that reach a final goal. The usual culprit for a failed project is poor management.
What then is the lynchpin for success in manufacturing projects? You got it! A talented manager.
It is said they are in short supply, but that need not be the case in your company.
A great manager does not always come along with a degree saying so. Management is innate, You either have the ‘commander’ factor or you don’t. Sounding bossy, name dropping, and slamming your fist on the table to give percussion to stating your authority is a sure sign of a wannabe manager.
How can you be sure you get the real deal, a great manufacturing project manager to lead your team?
Key Quality No 1 – Time Management
Why does this quality come before leadership? Because time management goes hand in hand with personal mastery. Someone who manages time is already disciplined, displays a sound work ethic, knows what it takes to deliver, and is consistent.
Someone who is routinely punctual is also an organised person, as well as one who understands everyone else’s role and how to help them get done on time. Someone good at time management maximises productivity and minimises distractions.
Key Quality No 2 – Leadership
You can’t fake leadership. It’s not the same as being loud or outgoing or the life and soul of the party. Leadership must be a natural attribute and there are a few tells to help you figure this one out.
A natural leader will also be a natural problem solver rather than a blamer or an abdicator. Leaders command because they have the necessary knowledge and understand the skills involved.
Leadership harnesses the conceptual and technical aspects of a project, gets the diagnostic right, and brings the team through the process. The personality needs to display a mixture of critical thinking, innovation, and motivational capability.
Leaders are your decision-maker fraternity. They react instinctively and calling the right shot at the right moment from the right person is a hallmark.
Key Quality No 3 – Communication
The above two qualities are not exclusive to your search for a competent manufacturing project manager. Many qualified people have time management and leadership attributes but if they don’t have interpersonal skills, how will they communicate all their wisdom to their subordinates?
Communication is more than just barking orders. A good project manager also knows how to listen. Just as much as a great pilot knows how to use the information fed to him by his co-pilot and his flight instruments, so the person you’re looking for, male or female, knows how to glean useful information from his team.
When you find a great manufacturing project manager, hang on to that person. They are indeed a rare breed.
Contact us at Steelmor, to speak to our competent project managers assigned to your case.
