Who Is a Project Manager?
A project manager is responsible for planning, coordinating, and overseeing to completion of various projects under their care. They consider several things, such as funds allocated, projects schedules and deadlines, etc. They usually do not work alone and work in teams of fellow professionals, headed by a project management team lead who ensures there is no default with deadlines and tasks are effectively and efficiently executed.

What Are Soft Skills?

Soft Skills can be simply put as people skills. This refers to your relationship with people at work, how you communicate, and how you remain professional while relating with your workmates. This includes leadership abilities, vocabulary reasoning, creative and critical thinking, conflict resolution, etc. They are not profession-specific and are valuable skills desirable across various professions.

To be a successful project manager, you need to have some soft skills that are non-negotiable, especially if you’re aiming to stand out. These soft skills help build a proactive and collaborative environment for the team and eventually contribute to the project’s success. The good news is that these soft skills are easy to learn, and you need no technical training. Here are 5 essential soft skills to be a successful project manager:

1. Communication

Communication is vital in team building. There are two aspects of communication: verbal and written. A Project Manager is usually in regular contact with team members and clients, via emails, phone/conference calls, video meetings and in-person, etc., so he must be a sound communicator. Remember that effective communication is a two-way thing, and as a product manager, you must be a good listener. This could promote trust among the parties involved.

2. Time Management

Projects usually have a timeline for execution, so time management is an essential soft skill to have as a project manager. Putting milestones and schedules in place will help keep you and your teammates on track. If any of them is not getting up to speed with the deadlines, implement strategies to get everybody updated.

3. Leadership Ability

Every project management team needs a leader, but not everybody can adequately lead a team and carry them along to progress. A good leader is selfless and takes responsibility for both the team members’ successes and failures. A leader knows the dynamics of his team members and maximizes their strengths to achieve the set goal.

4. Motivation

To get results, you need to keep the morale of your teammates high. Motivation is about inspiring your team to give their best work, especially when deadlines are fast approaching. Positive remarks and acknowledgment can also be the boost they need.

5. Adaptability

A good project manager should be flexible and know how to adjust to situations quickly. With projects, unplanned things could come up at times. It is the responsibility of the project manager to deal with those unprecedented issues and direct their team members to success.