Martin Training Associates

Principles of Project Leadership

by Paula K. Martin, Executive Consultant
Martin Training Associates

Principles serve as guideposts or beacons that help you stay on course with your project. Let's review seven principles of project leadership.


Principle number 1:
People own what they participate in creating.

When team members work together to create a project plan and then monitor and control the project, they take ownership not only for their own work, but also for the project as a whole. Some projects leaders fear losing control of the project if the team participates. Actually the opposite is true - the project is under more control because teams make better decisions and are more committed to carrying them out.

Principle number 2:
People are inspired by what is meaningful to them.

To make a project meaningful to the team, you need to connect the project to the strategic goals of the organization. When people on a team understand the project – why it’s being done, what they are supposed to do, how what they do affects others and fits into the whole picture, they are more effective as individuals and more effective as a team.

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