ect. Initially they may be consumers of the information rather than contributors to the process, but this insight into the true business drivers behind the project is invaluable; it will guide a project manager when making decisions far downstream in the project.

Additionally, it won’t take long for the PM to start contributing to the discussion. After all, they are the people who work with the project teams day in and day out, they have an understanding of what can be accomplished and generally don’t have a politically motivated agenda to influence them. This is true whether the PM has aspirations to progress or not.

Conclusion
There is no silver bullet that will identify the perfect leader and point them the right way to get them to the top, nor should leaders be considered from just one part of an organization. The successful organizations will look for top talent wherever it can be found and look for ways to leverage that talent.

All I am suggesting is that PMs have many of the skills that are sought out in the business leaders of today (and tomorrow), but sometimes organizations need some help in realizing that the skills are transferable beyond projects and (ultimately) into the boardroom.

If you are a PM with aspirations to go further, think about the skills that you have, think about how they can be adapted to other roles and think about where you need to develop further skills. If you are a business leader, take a good look at your project managers--you may be pleasantly surprised.

Andy Jordan has 16 years of experience covering practical project management, project methodology development and delivery, and PMO leadership in both Europe and North America. He is currently a Senior Consultant with R3D Information and Technology Consultants in Toronto. Andy welcomes comment and debate on his articles and can be reached at andy.jordan@r3d.com.

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