Leadership in program
management
Solid leadership is the foundation to building
an effective team and delivering an effective
program
bpc.oppco.org
It’s about you
• Are you a leader?
• Leadership is a skill, what are you doing to
improve?
• What do you feel are the best traits of an
effective leader?
Keys to successful program leadership
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Understanding your role as leader
Understanding the work
Build a team, co-accountability
Developing key staff
Create an enjoyable work environment
Supportive personnel practices
Tracking progress at the program level
Emphasis on quality and customer satisfaction
Planning, planning, planning
Leadership
lead·er·ship n
1. the office or position of the head of a political party or
other body of people
2. the ability to guide, direct, or influence people
3. guidance or direction
4. a group of leaders (takes a singular or plural verb)
Leading a team
• Successful leadership is maximizing the talent and
resources available within the team to meet common
goals that align with the teams values and vision.
QuickTi me™ a nd a
TIFF (Uncompre ssed ) decomp resso r
are need ed to se e th is p icture.
Building a Team
• Part of being a team is being able to trust and
rely on your teammates. Once that trust is
broken you cease to be a team, each team
member walking through the motions of their
own responsibility without taking advantage of
the efforts and talents of the others.
Leadership responsibilities
• Guidance
Mentoring
• Clear expectations
Roles and responsibilities of the team and individual
• Planning
Long term
Short term
Manpower planning
• Implementation
Appropriate delegation
Creating shared vision
Evaluation
Leadership styles
1.
2.
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6.
7.
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10.
Autocratic leadership “dictator”
Bureaucratic leadership “by the book”
Charismatic leadership “follow me”
Democratic leadership “participative”
Laissez-faire leadership “let it be”
People-oriented leadership “relations-oriented”
Servant leadership “supports everyone”
Task-oriented leadership “get it done”
Transactional leadership “ carrot and stick”
Transformational leadership “inspiring, communicative”
• http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/ne
wLDR_84.htm
Finding your leadership style
• Acknowledging your current primary
leadership style and working on other styles
will help you develop a situational
leadership style.
Situational Leadership
• There is no one right way to lead or manage that
suits all situations.
• To choose the most effective approach for you,
you must consider
• The skill levels and experience of the members of
your team
• The work involved (routine or new and creative)
• The organizational environment (stable or
radically changing, conservative or adventurous).
• Your own preferred or natural style.
Your style
• A good leader will find him or herself
switching instinctively between styles
according to the people and work they are
dealing with. This is often referred to as
situational leadership
Embracing your role as leader
• Establish order and routine on the job so all workers
know where they stand and what is expected of them.
The discipline makes the staff feel they’re in capable
hands.
• Always keep the door open to your staff members, and
be generous with information that affects them. Wellinformed employees are more eager and better
prepared to participate.
Shared vision
• Sustainable organizations rely on leadership that can
create systems and lines of communication that allow
for the continual adjustment of course to achieve
established goals created by the the team out of shared
vision.
Shared vision is created through
conversation
•
con·ver·sa·tion n
1.
an informal talk with somebody, especially about opinions, ideas,
feelings, or everyday matters
2.
the activity of talking to somebody informally
3.
an informal talk about something involving representatives from
various interested groups
4.
an interaction with a computer carried on in real time
Role = responsibility
defined
• role or rôle n
1. an individual part in a play, movie, opera, or other
performance played by an actor, singer, or other
performer
2. the usual or expected function of somebody or
something, or the part somebody or something plays in
a particular action or event
3. the part played by somebody in a given social context,
with any characteristic or expected pattern of behavior
that it entails
Understanding the work
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Get into the field
Observe staff in action
Have contact with clients
Review projects with staff
Knowledge of program policies and specification
Be involved in your state network
Developing key staff
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Emphasis on learning
Meaningful evaluation
Involve them in planning
Provide them with the information they need to make
decisions
Give them the authority equal to the responsibility
Utilize and further develop their strengths
Support them in areas where they need improvement
Get to know them, find out what gets them excited
Key
• Your No.2 is your most important hire. Pick one who
complements your management style, shows loyalty
without being a yes-man, and has a talent for working
with others.
Shackleton
John Davies
Building Performance Center, Director
Create an enjoyable work
environment
• Surround yourself with cheerful, optimistic
people. They will reward you with the loyalty
and camaraderie vital for success.
• Do your part to help create an upbeat
environment at work. A positive and cheerful
workplace is important to productivity.
Personnel management
• Good hiring practices (hire based on values
and then experience)
• Compensation
• Evaluation
• Professional development
• Mentoring
• Praise
• Creating the culture
Good Read
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Shackleton’s Way
on hiring
• Be a creative, unconventional interviewer if you seek
creative, unconventional people. Go deeper than job
experience and expertise. Ask questions that reveal a
candidate’s personality, values, and perspective on
work and life.
• Hire those who share your vision. Someone who
clashes with your personality or the corporate culture
will hinder your work.
Supporting staff
• To help your staff do top-notch work, give them the
best equipment and training you can afford. Working
with outdated, unreliable tools creates an unnecessary
burden.
• Always keep the door open to your staff members, and
be generous with information that affects them. Wellinformed employees are more eager and better
prepared to participate.
Shackleton
Implementation
the responsibility of program leadership
• The single biggest barrier to program
development or its success is the lack of
effective implementation.
Implement - defined
1. to put something into effect or action
2. to provide or equip somebody with the
tools or other means to do something
(formal)
Tracking progress at the
program level
• Make roles and responsibilities clear to all team
members.
• Provide staff with reports that make sense to them
• Meet with staff and review progress
• Don’t depend on grant/fund accounting to run your
business
• Take the time to analyze the data
Emphasis on quality
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Make your standards clear
Identify quality when you see it, praise it
Perform in-progress inspections
Involve staff in resolving quality issues
Create feedback loops
Solutions through systems
thinking
• Document individual roles and responsibilities
• Consolidate contacts with clients (project coordinators
and lead technicians)
• Develop a timeline for expected project closure
• Establish annual and monthly production goals, review
monthly
• Meet monthly and review every “open” project as a
group
• Track program expenses at the program level, “real
time accounting”
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