Every excuse I made sounded reasonable at the time...
TOP 10 Soft Skills for Successful PMs
Hey, I’m Gabor and welcome to the Agile Admiral weekly newsletter. Your Essential Resource for Project Management Excellence.
Each week I tackle reader questions about PMP preparation, how to implement PMP into real-life projects, and Senior Project manager career
For more: Key to Success in Cloud Migration Projects | PMP Passing Rate | Power of Lessons Learned | Agile Paradox |
What's Inside This Edition:
⌚ Every excuse I made……………. PMP Prep is not a Weight Loss Program
📌 10 Essential Soft Skills for Successful Project Managers
The purpose of this survey is to better understand what type of lessons learned you had on your most recent project. By participating, you will help to enable more focused articles to be created for the project management community.
Fill out the survey here: Survey
Every PMP Certified Project Manager’s day should have:
✅ Move your body – A quick workout = a sharper mind.
☕ Two (not five) cups of coffee – Enough fuel, not a caffeine crash.
📖 Read a few pages – Because great PMs never stop learning.
🤝 Meet your stakeholders – Conversations > emails.
🕒 Max 3 hours of meetings – Anything more? You’re managing chaos, not projects.
🥗 Lunch with your team – A culture is built at the table, not in a PowerPoint
🎯 Give back – Mentor, share, contribute. The best PMs build the community.
Do this daily, and you’ll be ahead of 90% of project managers.
To Pass PMP
-> We need a strong foundation - 35 hours of training
-> Foundation needs to be robust - end-to-end understanding of Agile-Scrum-Waterfall
-> Degree of flexibility - study plan which specifies the "what to study"/"how to study"/"when to study"
-> Adaptability is critical - we target "just" 80% passing, the question will surface the gap in your knowledge
Here’s the truth:
You won’t master all of them in 6 months… or even 6 years.
But you can pick one to focus on this year.
Effective communication
Efficient time management
Analytical problem-solving
Emotional awareness
Continuous learning
Innovative thinking
Adaptability
Building resilience
Cultural sensitivity
Leadership
My favorite skill is Analytical problem-solving.
Why?
Problem-solving is not just about finding quick fixes; it involves analytical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and decision-making.
Effective problem-solving can lead to business success, innovation, and productivity.
How?
By, Developing a Problem-Solving Mindset.
Beyond following a structured approach, adopting the right mindset can significantly enhance your problem-solving abilities. Here’s how:
✔️ Stay Curious: Approach every problem with a learning attitude rather than frustration.
✔️ Embrace Challenges: View obstacles as opportunities to grow rather than as setbacks.
✔️ Practice Patience: Complex problems often require time to resolve—don’t rush to conclusions.
✔️ Seek Feedback: Engage with colleagues or mentors to gain different perspectives.
✔️ Develop a Growth Mindset: Believe that you can improve problem-solving skills with effort and practice.
To deep dive even more into leadership, here are a few more “extra” thoughts which can help you to be a better leader:
1. Integrity Is Their North Star
They do what's right, even when no one's watching.
As Bill Campbell, the "Trillion Dollar Coach," once said: "It's not about what you say. It's about what you do."
A great leader walks their talk.
2. They Care About The Small Things
When they ask you: “How was your day?”
They genuinely wait and care what you have to say.
It’s not just a question for small talk.
3. Active Listeners
They don't just wait for their turn to speak.
They ask thoughtful questions. They lean in when you talk.
Real leaders listen twice as much as they speak.
4. Take Full Responsibility
No excuses. No blame games.
When things go wrong, they own it.
When things go right, they give credit to the team.
The buck always stops with them.
5. Lead By Example
They never ask someone to do something they wouldn't do themselves.
A leader shows, not just tells. They're in the trenches with you.
source: Matt Gray LinkedIn Post
Thank you for reading. Appreciate you!
Do you want to pass PMP?
👉🏼Do it together - join the PMP Operation System
https://gaborstramb.com/
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