- The Task-Master. Everyone knows a task-master when they see one. This is the project manager who rides herd on his team to the point of exhaustion. While it can be tough working on a task-master’s project, they can be very effective at getting project team members to prioritize the work they need completed, even if it’s just to get them off their back. Task-masters thrive in executing a clearly defined plan but they often struggle defining that plan. They like things to be black and white and gain satisfaction from the number of boxes they can check off their list each day.
- The Architects. This type of project manager is very strategic and calculating in everything they do. They are thinkers who are constantly looking at the big picture and the details at the same time. This is a very rare breed and perform best in enterprise platform projects that are very complex and touch many parts of the business. They are also very effective at managing vendor selections and negotiations due to their strategic thinking and calculated maneuvering. This type of project manager is not typically happy managing projects of a repetitive nature (example: a deployment managing the same 15 tasks 200 times).
- The Innovator. When there’s a project that explores new territory for the company/organization and there isn’t a clear path to the finish line, you want this type of project manager in charge. They can comfortably deal with ambiguity and a lack of clarity on what to do next. This type of project manager has extreme confidence and people tend to follow them without question even when the project manager clearly doesn’t know how to get to the finish line. They excel at creating momentum in a direction and constantly surveying the landscape and adjusting course as new information becomes available. The Innovator gets easily bored with projects of very little risk and a clear plan or methodology to completion.
- The Hero. If you have ever head a Hero work for you, you know this type of project manager well. They are the ones who complain about how bad everything is and then proceed to tell you how they saved the day. I have even seen them go so far as to manufacture an issue only to demonstrate their ability to save the day. This is the project manager who wears the pager and works all weekend but won’t let anyone take the pager to give them a much deserved and needed break. They work on vacation even when you tell them not to, that is if you can convince them to take a vacation. This type of project manager thrives in an operations type of environment where Service Level Agreements (SLA) are critical. They are not as happy in a scenario where they’re managing a sub-project under another project manager as it’s more difficult to be the hero in that arrangement.
- The Diplomat. This type of project manager thrives in a politically charged environment with many competing stakeholders with giant egos. They read between the lines and see things others can’t see. They understand how to get things done in a company’s culture. They network tirelessly with internal and external stakeholders of a project and cultivate strong relationships. You know you’re dealing with a Diplomat when meetings are formalities because they have already briefed everyone prior to the meeting to understand and address issues in advance. This type of project manager struggles with virtual teams and projects that need extreme focus on details. Their strength is in getting things done through other people and letting them handle the details.
- The Friend. Some people have a way of connecting with everyone they come in contact with. When these connectors become project managers, they influence through friendships. Since people like them, they want to help them succeed. Project managers who rely primarily on being nice often struggle with tough deadlines where someone needs to crack the whip to get people moving. Their niceness can also be taken advantage of. Their strength can be managing projects that require bringing multiple organizations and stakeholders together where creating a team atmosphere is required.
- The Planner. The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is the Planner’s best friend. This type of project manager can create the most well thought out plans. They often thrive in creating methodologies in a Project Management Office (PMO). The challenge with this type of project manager is that they can spend too much time planning the project and take too long to start executing the plan. They’re striving to create the perfect plan. For this reason, they are not typically strong in executing a project. Best to have this type of project manager specialize in the planning phase only, working under another project manager that will be responsible for executing on their plan.
- The General. Think executive when you think of this type of project manager. They are true leaders who can orchestrate large enterprise-level programs consisting of many projects and project managers. Therefore, they usually have a significant amount of experience delivering projects and programs. They are also able to adapt their style to use whatever project manager type above is needed for a given project or program. While this type of project manager thrives on the large enterprise-level programs, they are not happy or fully utilized in managing small projects that need the project manager to roll up their sleeves and perform some of the project work. They’re happy to lead by example on a large project but not in operating on a small capacity.
What type project managers do you have in your organization? It is a common management objective to put the right people in the right jobs where they can thrive. So what type of project manager does well for a given type of project?
The project manager in the personal example above was a Task-Master and Hero type of project manager and the project called for an Architect or Innovator type of project manager. This experience helped me learn this lesson and led me to consider the various types of project managers in future project manager assignment decisions.
So now it’s your turn. If you’re an executive, what types of project managers would be best for the projects in your 2-year roadmap and how does that map to your current cast of project managers? If you’re a project manager, what types above describe you and how can you use that information to pursue the right types of projects for your type as well as to develop your capabilities in the other project manager types?