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7 Project Management Skills Any Business Person Should Have

7 Project Management Skills Any Business Person Should Have
It doesn’t matter which profession you choose to enter; you will need a specific set of skills if you want to be good at your job.
When you start out, you might not have all the necessary skills you require, but as you progress and gain experience, these skills will become evident. 
If you are in tune with your own strengths and shortcomings, you will quickly realize where you lack and where you excel. This is why the importance of training and higher education cannot be stressed enough. Project management is no different. 
There are a number of skills that you will need to develop and stay on top of if you were to succeed and keep your clients happy. 
Here are 7 essential project management skills every manager should master. 

• Leadership skills

It goes without saying that project managers need to have exceptional leadership skills. Their whole job description involves working with people and getting the best out of them. 
Proper leadership skills enable a project manager to appoint the right people with the right strengths and then motivating them to do their best. When conflict arises, these skills will allow the manager to defuse the situation and mend bridges. 
Being a leader means that you know how to make the tough decisions and guide the flock under you to reach the goal. These skills will allow the manager to prevent certain unpleasant situations from ever occurring. It allows them to have the foresight to see when things are going to go pear-shaped. 
Being a leader is not easy and you sometimes have to make tough calls, but if you have adequate leadership skills, you will also be able to bear the burden of your decisions. Everyone makes mistakes, but a leader knows how to learn from them and be the example that the employees can follow. 

• Communication

Being able to communicate effectively doesn’t mean that you have the loudest voice and you can ensure that everyone hears you. 
Communication is not only about getting your message across but also about decoding the responses that you get and interpreting those messages. That being said, as a project manager, your primary role is to make sure that everyone is constantly in the loop and knows what is expected of them. 
Today, communication has become both easier and harder at the same time due to technology. With the help of a smartphone, we can send messages and emails at any time of the day and get into contact with all of your employees at any time. 
Although this is very convenient, it also creates the problem where accountability has all but disappeared and people who you depend on can make alternate arrangements at the drop of a hat. If you can communicate effectively, you will be able to prevent much of these instances and be on time with your projects. 

• Risk management

With every project comes a great deal of risk as well. Taking risks is not the same as gambling where you play the odds. A project manager who gambles will likely land in some unpleasant situation due to a bad gamble. 
When you know how to manage risk, you are less likely to find yourself in sticky situations because when you take risks, they are calculated. 
Risk management skills allow a project manager to take calculated risks and make contingency plans at the same time. They don’t just have a plan B, but a host of bailouts if things go sour. 
That being said, when you know how to manage risk, you will also know when the odds are stacked against you and you will be able to make better judgment calls. Risk management allows you to read the game and base your decisions on credible facts and not odds. 

• Time management

When you go into project management, you know that you are entering a career where you are always working against the clock. Murphy’s law is always at play and if something can go wrong, it usually will. 
Keeping that in mind, a project manager who has adequate time management skills will also make time for the unforeseen. If you have the necessary time management skills, you will also know how to prioritize the more important and time-consuming tasks and weigh them up against each other. 
It requires you to have a clear overview of a project and know the domino effect that certain stages in a project has. From outsourcing your personal work like resume writing to a resume help or the office PPT’s and business research papers to a writing service, it’s all about how smartly you free up yourself for more productive work. 
The thing about time management is that it comes with experience and the longer you manage certain types of projects, you will also know how to plan and manage your time and your teams better. Experience is the best teacher.

• Problem-solving

The longer you are in the game, the more you will realize that no single project I the same and has the same challenges. Being a project manager means that you need to be an expert in solving problems. Every project has its own set of problems and your ability to think on your feet will help you reach your goals. 
Before you take on a project, though, experience will teach you to look out for certain pitfalls and nip the problem in the bud. There are certain things that will always play a role in your projects, but the way in which a problem manifests itself might be different. You will be able to sniff out the problem before the project even begins.
If you take the low sales volume for example, it always poses a problem, but if you have proper problem-solving skills, you will be able to come up with a solution before the rest of the team realizes that there was something brewing.

• Negotiation

Project managers need to be expert negotiators. Whether you are negotiating with vendors, suppliers or even your own staff, it is an imperative skill that will help you finish your project in time and also under budget. 
This means that your people skills need to be at the next level so that you can read both people and situations and get the best out of them. Of course, you want to sell or your negotiations as a win-win and that is ultimately what you need to aim for every time. 

• Planning and adaptability

Planning is at the core of your job description and although proper planning is essential, you also need to plan for the unexpected and leave room for adaptability and change. Decent project managers need to be able to work within a detailed framework and also design their frameworks to adapt according to what different situations call for. 

Conclusion

Project management is a thrilling career to move into if you like living on the edge and need some excitement in your job. You will always be faced with uncertainty and there will never be a dull moment. Your ability to adapt and make plans will ensure that you finish the jobs you start. If you love working and managing people, then this career is right up your alley. 
Author Bio:
Michael Gorman is a freelance writer and proofreader from the UK who currently works for top resume writing services and a paper writing service that deals in academic assignments for college and university students. He holds great expertise in his line of work and keeps himself abreast of the latest developments through books and magazines. You can contact him via Facebook or check his Twitter.

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