Not a Project Manager? You Still Need Project Leadership Skills

Does your job entail taking the lead role in overseeing projects on a day-to-day basis? If so, you're performing project management, even if you -- and your employer -- don't define your role as "project manager."

But whether you have the title or not, even if your technical skills are top-notch, everyone involved in project management roles can benefit from improved leadership skills.

It's not the technical aspects of managing a project that most often cause problems, says Dr. Frank Wayno, a senior lecturer at the prestigious Cornell University College of Engineering. Things most often go awry when you're trying to manage the implementation and human aspects of a project.

That's the premise behind a new online certification in project leadership being offered by eCornell, the online subsidiary of the Ivy League university.

Wayno, who created the certification program, describes the difference between project management and project leadership:

"Project management courses tend to address the technical aspects of project management," he says. "Project leadership addresses the softer people skills needed to successfully lead a team without using hard authority."

Employers consistently list leadership skills among the traits they most desire in employees. If you're looking to advance your current career or get into a new one, having the leadership skills to manage a project team can enhance your value to current and future employers.

Even people who don't have the title "project manager" routinely manage projects within their organization. Project leadership skills can be vital to their success as managers. Online learning, with its flexibility, can be an effective way to obtain or enhance leadership skills.

It's possible to complete your online training in project leadership in as little as 3 months. Wayno stresses that the coursework is not test-prep -- project management courses are usually aimed at helping you pass a certification test. Rather project leadership certification courses emphasize interpersonal skills that can help you tap the collective intelligence of project team members.

Offered through Cornell's College of Engineering, the project leadership certification program includes 6 courses, each lasting about 2 weeks, for a total hour commitment of about 36 hours. Although courses start on set dates, scheduling of coursework is flexible and monthly enrollment dates mean you'll never have to wait to start the course.


Learn how to manage the human elements of a project with a project leadership certificate, go to www.ecornell.com and check out the project leadership certification program. Copyright © 2009, ARAnet, Inc.