Every project leader has needs that are not yet satisfied. Every project leader has problems that are not yet solved. Every project represents an opportunity for you to be a successful project team member. In many cases, project leaders will actually create a position for a project member who can help satisfy needs and solve problems.
Every project leader has had a certain amount of experience with both good and bad project members. For this reason every project leader has a pretty good idea of what he or she wants more of. Here are the big seven:
1. The first quality that project leaders look for is intelligence. In every study, it has been found that fully 76 percent of the productivity and contribution of a project member will be determined by his or her level of intelligence. Intelligence in this sense means the ability to plan, to organize, to set priorities, to solve problems, and to get the job done. Intelligence refers to your level of common sense and your practical ability to deal with the day-to-day challenges of the job. The key to demonstrating your intelligence is for you to ask intelligent questions. One of the hallmarks of intelligence that is immediately evident is curiosity. The more you ask good questions and listen to the answers, the smarter you appear.
2. The second quality sought by project leaders is leadership ability. Leadership is the willingness and the desire to accept responsibility for results. It’s the ability to take charge, to volunteer for assignments, and to accept accountability for achieving the required results of those assignments.
The mark of the leader is that he or she does not make excuses. You demonstrate your willingness to be a leader in the organization by offering to take charge of achieving company goals and then committing yourself to performing at high levels.
3. Integrity is the third quality sought by project leaders. It’s probably the most important single quality for success on a project team. Integrity begins by being true to yourself. This means that you are perfectly honest with yourself and in your relationships with others. You are willing to admit your strengths and limitations. You are willing to admit where you have made mistakes in the past. Especially, you demonstrate loyalty. You never say anything negative about a previous employer or a person whom you have worked with or for.
4. The fourth quality that project leaders look for is likability. Project leaders like team members who are warm, friendly, easygoing, and cooperative with others. Project leaders are looking for team members who can join the team and be part of the project family.
Teamwork is the key to project success. Your experience in working as part of a team in the past and your willingness to work as part of a team in the future can be among the most attractive things about you in becoming a successful project team member.
5. Competence is the fifth quality sought by project leaders. Competence is terribly important to your success. It is really the foundation of everything that happens to you on your project and in your career.
In its simplest terms, competence is the ability to get the job done. It is the ability to set priorities, to separate the relevant from the irrelevant tasks, and then to concentrate single-mindedly until the job is complete.
6. Courage is the sixth quality that project leaders look for. This is the willingness to take risks. Courage also means the willingness to accept challenges, the willingness to take on big jobs or even new jobs where there is a high degree of uncertainty and the possibility of failure.
Courage also means the willingness to speak up and say exactly what you think and feel in a difficult situation. Project leaders admire team mates who are not afraid to speak their minds. And you demonstrate this in project meetings when you ask frank and direct questions about the project, your role, and the future that you might have with the project team.
7. The final quality project leaders look for is inner strength. Inner strength means that you have the determination and the ability to persevere in the face of adversity. Inner strength means that you have the quality of persistence when the going gets rough. You demonstrate inner strength when you remain calm, cool, and relaxed during system testing time.
Above all, it is your character, which is the sum total of all your positive qualities, that will have the greatest impact on whether you are successful on the project team. You can continue working on your character by practicing the behaviors of top project leaders.
This blog is adapted from an excerpt from the book Earn What You’re Really Worth: Maximize Your Income at Any Time in Any Market by Brian Tracy.
