At the time of this blog post was written, our team was in the process of hiring a Construction Manager. Like most businesses, we wrote the job description, envisioned goals for this role, and put together qualities we were looking for in our future employee and teammate.
Project managers can really make or break a project. Nottingham Trent University phrases it this way: “Put simply, the Project Manager (PM) is responsible for the success of a [construction] project. They oversee every aspect, including the planning, execution, monitoring, control and closure. Project Managers ensure timeframe targets and budgets are met.” Project managers play a critical role in the success of their projects, which is why it’s important to hire, train, and invest in strong employees in this role.
Throughout our hiring process for this role, we started thinking about how a project manager can be a successful employee and an impactful leader. What are the things this person does in order to be successful? What soft skills do they possess that make them a strong leader? Here are some of our thoughts and needs from a top-tier Project Manager:
1. Strong Communication
A project manager is responsible for communicating with a lot of different groups of people— clients, trade workers, subcontractors, investors, and more. Strong, effective, and clear communication is key.
2. Time Management
Timelines are critically important in our industry. With any project, there’s a lot of moving parts at one time. A successful project manager must be able to manage time effectively, keep track of each aspect of the job, monitor workflow, and make adjustments to keep the project moving forward in a timely manner. Sometimes this means hiring an alternative solution for a certain aspect of a project— this where the communications skills and time management skills need to come together.
3. Plan Ahead
Project managers should be visionaries— individuals who are able to see a project from start to finish and know what needs to be done when.g. Project managers should also take into account potential problems and come up with back-up plans (for factors such as weather, environmental risks, and more). With a plan set in place, leaders can reduce the number of mistakes, save time, and mitigate risk.
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