Be The Leader Your Team Needs
You’re more than just one aspect of your marketing team: you’re the one who’s in charge. While the success of your marketing project will be determined by the efforts of all involved, it’ll ultimately be on your shoulders that the glory or failure falls. That’s why you need to be the absolute best leader you can be to ensure the people on your team are able to deliver their best work. But if you’ve never really led a project before, then where do you start?
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Be a Team Player
You’re in charge of a project: you are not suddenly the most important person in the building, so don’t let your new position go to your head. Instead, act as if your new role simple requires you to do what you’ve always done before, but with a few other tasks thrown in on top. If you would get involved with team conversations and tasks before, then you should continue to get involved. You won’t have time to do everything you did before (maybe somebody else will make the coffee…), but showing a willingness to pitch in will be appreciated by your team.
But Also A Leading Voice
That being said, remember that you have been put in charge for a particular task. The role of project manager is more than just a name: you’ve got to lead the project through to completion. And that means sometimes making difficult choices and being a problem solver. During these times, you’ll be shirking your responsibility if all decisions are put to the team. You may also need to play ‘the bad cop’ from time to time, especially as the project deadline nears. There are, after all, pros and cons to being in charge, so make sure you’re up to face the challenges!
You’re Not Alone
While you’re a leader, you won’t have to see through everything all on your own. There may be a hierarchy within the team, with you simply at the top, so make the most of your support as and when it’s needed. On a logistical front, you can make the most of the software that’s available to you. Take a look at the management tools found here and you’ll have the technological support you need to both keep track of the tasks you’ve assigned out, and also access to the need to know data that tells you your project is running as it should. Between a strong staff, your leadership skills, and the software that brings it all together, you’ll be in a strong position to succeed.
Bring a Human Element
Finally, being a leader isn’t just about staying on top of how everyone else is working, it’s about bringing the human element to your team. Some project leaders act as a dictator, and the work suffers because of it. Be understanding, learn to read the mood of your workforce (are they stressed? Too relaxed? Unmotivated?), and an overall approachable project leader and you’ll find that you can solve many problems before they’re even problems.
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