“The way in which projects are coordinated and handled affects the success of innovation and organisational change and is crucial for the strategic development of society.” – Jesus Almela, International Project Management Association President
As CEOs of complex organisations – with multiple functions, teams, departments and sites to lead – the task of keeping oversight and ensuring momentum across all of them all can at times appear mammoth. In making the transition to CEO, successful organisational leadership is as much about creating the conditions that enable delivery and improvement at scale as it is about forging the strategy that defines it. This defines CEOs’ tenures, as the best leaders are able to set strategic direction and also follow through with the necessary systems, capacity and culture that ensures delivery is an organisational habit. It follows that effective project management must start with effective leadership. Being able to deliver on vision and ambitions as leaders is the ultimate test – ensuring we earn credibility and trust, and achieve impact, over the long-term. In this article, we look at the idea of project leadership and the components needed to secure success.