Best Project Leadership Books
As more work is being carried out remotely, we’re traveling less here at Ten Six HQ and that has meant a little bit of time to catch up with what project leadership books the team have been meaning to read.
Here’s our pick of the best project leadership books from what we found on the home office desks of some of the team. Which of these have you read?
1. Virtual Leadership
Penny Pullan (Kogan Page, 2016)
This book might be a couple of years old, but it still feels very relevant (and we know there is a second edition in the works)! The title isn’t specific to project management but the author is well-versed in project management and business analysis.
We like it because it’s packed with practical strategies, ideas and solutions to the questions you’ve been asking about how to lead ‘through the screen’. When your project team looks like they live inside your computer, how do you make meetings engaging and check in with everyone without creating Zoom fatigue? This book has the answers.
2. The Power of Project Leadership
Susanne Madsen (Kogan Page, 2019)
This award-winning book, in its second edition, is a guide to the people skills required to excel in project leadership. It will help you shift your mindset from management to leadership so it’s a perfect fit for anyone stepping up into a senior project manager or program manager role or into the PMO.
There’s a significant focus on empowering the team with lots on the psychology of high performing teams, adapting a coaching style (project coaching being something else the author is expert in), facilitating and the trickier skills like resolving conflict.
The book majors on attitudes and behaviors and will help you develop a confident leadership style that your team will appreciate.
3. Project Leadership
Sarah Coleman and Donnie MacNichol (Routledge, 2016)
Now in it’s third edition, this is a classic book about project leadership. The book covers the ‘why’ of leadership and how leaders can shape the success of a project. There’s a lot in here about setting the vision for a project and the connection between projects and strategy.
The common theme in all these leadership books is engagement, and this one is no different. The theory and practice of engagement is covered as well as building key relationships across the business and communication skills.
The final section of this book is all about building capability, both in yourself, your team and the organization.
There are plenty of examples and experiences shared in the book, from a range of organizations around the world. It’s a readable addition to your shelf (or e-reader), packed with a range of models and perspectives drawn from experts in the field.
4. Leading Complex Projects
Edward W. Merrow and Neeraj Nandurdikar (Wiley, 2018)
Subtitled “A Data-Driven Approach to Mastering the Human Side of Project Management,” this book is a research-based guide to what it takes to lead a project successfully.
The authors have carried out extensive research including analyzing the backgrounds and characteristics of over 100 directors. Those leadership profiles, combined with a quantitative assessment of project performance outcomes in complex industrial projects, presents a fascinating data set. Take what’s in the book and compare it to your own situation to see what aspects are going to present a challenge and what is gearing you up for success.
It’s hard to find data that helps you shape how to run your own projects and learn from the experiences of others, so if you are starting a complex project and want to see what definitely works and what to avoid, this is the book to get.
Even if you aren’t working on industrial projects, we believe a lot of the lessons in here will be applicable to other industries and you’ll still get something out of it. It’s also interesting reading for people responsible for assigning leaders to projects, as the book begins with an assessment of why the resource allocation process for complex projects is not as good as it could be.
The book isn’t the easiest read – it’s no business fable – but the conclusions are helpful if you can stick with it.
5. Project: Leadership
Haukur Ingi Jonasson and Helgi Thor Ingason (Routledge, 2019)
This book is an up-to-date take on what it means to be a modern project leader: engaging business partners and developing an authentic, transparent style designed to bring out the best in the people around you (and yourself).
The book delves deep into what it means to lead and what personal growth comes with developing the appropriate skills. It sets the leader’s role in the context of management in general and specifically project management so it feels very relevant for people transitioning into a leadership role or who want to specifically shift their mindset to a ‘leader-first’ position.
There’s a lot of brain science in here as the book covers the fundamentals of cognitive-behavioural psychology and theories of personal growth. It’s interesting – especially the sections on creative thinking and ethics, which are essential to anyone in a leadership position today. There are some practical takeaways but the book is grounded in psychology which makes it an excellent pairing to some of the more practical books mentioned above.
The PMO should be a source of inspiration and education to the project organization within your business and one of the ways you can do that is by creating a library of books and resources that encourage everyone to broaden their skills. Whether that’s a physical shelf in the office or a subscription to an ebook service is up to you. What will you pick next to read?