Historically, project managers have focussed mainly on the hard (technical) skills such as scheduling, planning, budget management, resource management etc. But despite the use of various structured methodologies and processes, high percentages of projects continue to fail costing organisations millions of pounds.

Research has shown that hard skills alone are not enough to run projects successfully. Experts argue that gaps in soft skills account for a high proportion of project failures. Soft skills (also referred to as interpersonal or people skills) focus on behavioural competencies such as Leadership, Team building, Stakeholder relations, Personal effectiveness, Motivation, Communication, Influencing, Decision making, Negotiating etc. Some find developing these skills quite challenging no wonder they are also referred to as ‘tough’ skills!

Project Management associations have recognised the value of soft skills in the delivery of successful projects. The Association for Project Management (APM) competence framework contains 9 behavioural competence elements. Similarly, the International Project Management Association (IPMA) includes 15 behavioural competence elements in its competence baseline. The Project Management Institute (PMI) has added an appendix on interpersonal skills in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide.

The challenge is how to develop/improve soft skills within programmes and projects. Developing soft skills could take time, so training programmes alone are unlikely to achieve significant benefits. The ideal intervention for achieving long term sustainable improvements is through coaching.

Project Coaching facilitates learning and development within project organisations. Coaching programmes are tailored to project needs and provide the ideal framework for project managers, teams and stakeholders to develop their soft skills. The resultant effects are improved project performance.

What are the ‘soft’ issues impacting your project?

A survey by the Institute of Directors (IoD) found that almost 90% of directors reported that their organisations were planning to maintain or to increase their training investment. According to the IoD report Training in the recession: winner or loser, “Many directors participating in the survey warned about the dangers of ‘shorttermism’ and false economy when it came to training investment”.  Others argued that “a continued focus on training and skills was crucial in positioning their organisations for the upturn, when it came”. The survey of over 900 directors confirmed that investment in training is an essential part of their recession recovery plan.

But what training programmes are important in these challenging times?

Various surveys have found Leadership Development to be top on the priority list.

Research carried out by Deloitte found that nearly three-quarters of surveyed executives believe that leadership development was either critically important (27 percent) or very important (45 percent) at their companies. Jeff Schwartz, co-leader of Human Capital for Deloitte Consulting said “Our research shows that companies committed to world class leadership programs maintained their focus during the recession and are continuing to invest in developing new career paths for their top performers and to cherry-pick the best talent available in the marketplace”.

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As we transition from downturn to upturn, the key priority for organisations is to move from survival mode to performing mode as quickly as possible. In order to achieve this, managers need to adopt a management style that will enable them to overcome the challenges associated with the recession particularly in the areas of staff morale, retention and performance. The question is which management style is best suited to boost performance in these difficult times?

There are quite a number of leadership styles. The classic leadership styles are particularly well known; these include autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire.

Coaching is increasingly gaining in popularity in the workplace; this has given birth to the coaching management style. The coaching management style is at the other end of the spectrum, instead of controlling and ‘telling’ (autocratic style), the manager uses coaching skills which includes exploratory questions and active listening. Here the manager encourages their staff to find their own solutions to problems; and supports them in decision making. The coaching management style is non judgmental, supportive and empowering which is conducive to staff development.

It should be noted that the coaching style is different from laissez-faire where the manager takes a ‘hands off’ approach giving staff complete freedom. In the coaching style, the manager and employee agree actions, responsibilities and timelines. The employee is accountable and is expected to feedback progress to the manager.

The coaching management style offers various benefits to the individual and to the organisation including:

• improved morale, motivation and commitment
• increased self confidence
• improved problem solving and decision making skills
• greater sense of responsibility
• greater self awareness
• improved ability to handle change
• enhanced employee engagement
• improved individual performance

There are no right or wrong management styles. Managers tend to use a range of styles depending on their own personal preferences, the situation, employee’s attitude, employee’s competency level and the culture of the organisation. The coaching management style provides the approach required to create a high performing and motivated workforce – which is ideally what is required for recession recovery.

Managers interested in developing the coaching management style are advised to start by engaging a coach. This will give the manager first hand experience of the value of coaching. He/she will also experience different coaching tools and methods. The manager can then attend a coaching skills training programme.

What are your views on coaching as a management style?