How to be a Great Project Leader

Being a fantastic leader is all about the way you motivate and inspire your team. Take these five tips to boost your leadership skills:

1: Set Clear Goals
Whether it's building the pyramids, landing on the moon or winning the NBA final, every great Project Leader in history has set very clear goals for their team.

 Keep your goals "smart" (i.e. specific, measurable, action oriented, realistic and time bound). Only set 2-3 goals. Keep them short, punchy and meaningful. The key is that everyone in your team must be able to remember the goals set, without writing them down. If you can do that, then you're already on the road to success.

 2. Motivate Individually

Find out exactly what it is that motivates every person in your team. For some it's money, for others it's doing work that they enjoy and for others it's working with a great team.

 If you know what it is that motivates every individual in your team, then you can do what it takes to keep them motivated throughout the project. Implementing just one approach to motivating your team (e.g. team building exercises) is not enough. You need to mix it up. That way you can match everyone's individual needs, to keep them pumped and working as hard as possible towards the project goals.

 3. Track Progress Clearly

As well as setting goals and motivating your team to achieve them, you need to monitor progress each week to make sure you're on track. Make sure you tell your team every week-what they've achieved and what they haven't. Talk through the wins and losses, the challenges and issues. Get their feedback to ensure buy-in.

 4. Reward Good Performance

Great Project Leaders always reward and recognize great performance in the team. You need to constantly think of new ways of rewarding your team for the right behaviour.

Implement two types of reward systems. The first are rewards that are provided when the team achieves certain targets. For instance you might hold a team dinner or social function if the team completes Phase 1 of the project delivery on time.

The second type of reward system is more personal. For those team members that perform at exceptionally high levels, offer them special rewards for good performance. Remember that rewards don't have to be expensive. It's usually the thought that counts and the recognition that goes with it.

 5. Professional Development

Great Project Leaders are constantly looking for ways to improve how they lead the team. So keep working on your presentation, communication and documentation skills each week by taking time out to learn on the web, watch videos and taking training courses.

If you improve your professional skills every week, then so will those within your team-boosting your chances of success.

So that's it. If you can set clear goals, track progress, reward and recognize your team and improve your professional skills-then you're sure to become a Great Project Leader!