Three Reasons Why Great Athletes Also Make Superior Project Managers

During a recent team meeting, one of our project managers had a brilliant thought; “Being a good Project Manager is a lot like being a great athlete.”

This got us thinking, if conducting superior project management was akin to good sportsmanship, the EPS PM network could benefit from some great advice from leading athletes and thinkers – but applied to project management.

Below are our top three quotes from some of the world’s best athletes and thinkers, who would likely also make excellent project managers.

This visionary, was not an athlete by profession, but had a true-to-life take on what was important on the playing field and in the boardroom as the 34th President of the United States:

“The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower

To conduct project management activities that directly benefit key stakeholders, the PM must exercise transparent communication at all times. Being an integral partner from the pre-planning to the post analysis stages of a project shows the PM’s responsibility and accountability in the overall success. The client and other important bodies should have a consistent stream of projections and updates from the project management office that ensure the project’s scope is realistic and on track. When unforeseen scheduling or budgeting issues do arise, key stakeholders can attest that it was not the sole fault of the project managers.

 

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”

Babe Ruth

A good PM should always act as the ultimate team player in any project. Project managers have capabilities that other key stakeholders on the project are not able to do, making them invaluable partners in the project execution process. While a PM may believe his or her work plan is the best way to execute the project, the client and other key stakeholders may not agree. A good project manager realizes that they are simply partners in the project & construction management process and should be adaptable to any situation and always be ready to find innovative solutions for even the most unexpected issues.

 

“A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.”

Wayne Gretzky

A superior project manager should be a forward thinker. A PM must be on the lookout for potential problems, in order to mitigate and manage organizational and monetary risks before they become an issue. This can be tough work! A PMs must be hyper-organized and aware of prime areas for scope creep to ensure project objectives are maintained. Below is a great personal checklist from the Project Management Institute for project managers to keep in their back pocket to ensure a project is completed on time and on schedule:

1. Where do you stand now and where do you want to go?
2. What will you need to do to get there?
3. Which stakeholders and organisations have interests and positions along this route?
4. What role can available tools play to achieve your goals? Which tools need to be developed for you to reach your aim?
5. How will you learn from your experiences en route?

 

At EPS, we believe that taking an innovative and creative approach to project management activities keep our PMs and our clients engaged. EPS community involvement in sports can be seen through our sponsorship of the Milton Youth Cricket Club here.

 

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