Am I Good Enough As A Project Manager

As a project leadership coach I often come across project managers who feel that they are not good enough at what they do. Feeling that they will be “found out”, that the project will fail and that they will be fired because of incompetence is – unfortunately – more common than you might think.

There is nothing wrong with being aware of risks and being concerned about the delivery of the project. But it’s unhealthy to worry to the point where it affects our confidence.

More often than not the project manager’s feeling of inadequacy isn’t rooted in incompetence. It’s linked to an underlying lack of self-esteem.

Of course, there will always be certain PM techniques that we can get better at, but without a strong self-belief project managers will have a tendency to doubt their professional abilities.

But how can you begin to strengthen your belief in yourself and your project?

Review your project

At a practical level it’s important that your project is properly defined, that your team in motivated and that your project plans are adequate. Don’t feel that it’s your role to have all the answers.

Your team members are there to support you. Discuss with them how you will be working together to deliver the project. Make reference to deliverables, procedures, roles and responsibilities and to team behaviors.

Similarly, don’t set out to plan the project all on your own. 

I’ve talked and written about the benefits of collaborative planning for a long time. Collaboration creates buy-in and commitment from the team and produces a better plan than if you were to create it on your own.

You should also run regular risk management workshops where the team shares their concerns and puts in place mitigating actions.

If you’re still worried that you have missed something out, ask one of your peers to review your are facts and to sit in on some of your meetings.

You might also benefit from regular conversations with a mentor. Choose someone who works in the same organization, or industry, and who has more experience than you.

A mentor should be calm and measured. She should be able to listen to your concerns and give you advice in areas where you are unsure how to progress.

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