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Leadership Principles for Project Success

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Review - Leadership Principles for Project Success

"It’s misleading to define project success in static terms, focusing only on the final delivery," writes Thomas Juli in his book, Leadership Principles for Project Success. In this book, he sets out a broader definition of success, although you have to wait until page 84 to get to it.

Leadership Principles for Project SuccessProject leadership is a hot topic at the moment and this book is part of the cultural evolution about what a project manger does. It’s peppered with examples and Juli’s personal experiences. Everyone loves a good story, and there are plenty in here. The Leadership Principles referred to in the title are:

  • Build vision
  • Nurture collaboration
  • Promote performance
  • Cultivate learning
  • Ensure results

The book has two major parts: the first explains and discusses these principles, and the second shows how to apply them at various stages throughout the project. There’s a lot of common sense stuff, but then, if we all did what was common sense projects wouldn’t have half the problems they do. Juli admits that common sense is a key factor in project success, but also says that it alone is not sufficient and that "it takes at least one person to lead the pack."

But what if you aren’t in a leadership role? Juli has taken this into account too, and there is a good section with practical advice on what to do when you are not in charge and don’t, for example, have the influence to build the vision.

Being a lover of all things practical, I found the appendices to be the best bit. There are sample documents and templates for you to use, all in the name of clear communication and setting a common level of understanding amongst the project stakeholders.

I did think that there are some paragraphs that could have been more tightly edited, and the book could have been 20 pages shorter with less waffle, but that’s not a serious criticism and you’ll still enjoy reading it. You never know – we all might become project leaders with this sort of guidance, and that would be no bad thing.

ABOUT OUR REVIEWER: Elizabeth Harrin has over a decade of experience managing projects. She's a member of PMI's New Media Council, and alsp heads The Otobos Group, which publishes her award-winning blog, A Girl’s Guide to Project Management. She is also the author of Social Media for Project Managers (PMI, 2010) and Project Management in the Real World (BCS, 2006). With regard to The Otobos Group, it is a business writing consultancy specialising in project management and topics related to women in business. It was set up to provide a professional but accessible type of business writing for corporate and trade blogs, newsletters, websites and magazines. We do business writing with personality. Our expertise comes from working with businesses who are flexible, agile, innovative and who want their customers (and staff) to have a great experience.