Mastering the Leadership Role in Project Management: Practices That Deliver Remarkable Results

“Alexander Laufer is one of the world’s wisest authorities on projects and how they work.”
–From the Foreword by Larry Prusak, Founder and Former Executive Director, Institute for Knowledge Management (IKM)

“I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The stories bring home the essence of what good projects need–good leadership. They present real women and men in very difficult situations, who succeed by doing what is right for the project and end up bringing the project team together to believe in the project.”
–Charlene (“Chuck”) Walrad, Managing Director, Davenport Consulting, Inc.; Vice President, Standards Activities, Board of Governors, IEEE Computer Society

“Alexander Laufer and his colleagues have captured the essence of what project managers must do to deliver remarkable results–no matter where they work–by leading, not following, a scripted checklist.”
–W. Scott Cameron, Global Project Management Technology Process Owner, Procter & Gamble Company

“Mastering the Leadership Role in Project Management is required reading for project managers who would like insights on how to improve their skills and get better project results.”
–Nadine Chin-Santos, Senior Project Manager, Assistant Vice President, Parsons Brinckerhoff

“Stories help us to learn, and Alexander Laufer’s book contains wonderful stories about leadership by great leaders. If you want to lead projects, as opposed to administer them, then read these fascinating stories.”
–Jim Highsmith, Executive Consultant, ThoughtWorks; Author, Agile Project Management

“In Mastering the Leadership Role in Project Management, Alexander Laufer introduces us to exceptional project leaders, the best of the best, and allows us to observe, in riveting narratives, how they plan, problem solve, and inspire
their teams to deliver remarkable results.”
–Hugh Woodward, Former Chair, Project Management Institute

Through eight remarkable case studies, Mastering the Leadership Role in Project Management presents a start-to-finish framework for managing projects of all sizes–even the largest and most challenging projects. World-renowned expert in project management, Alexander Laufer, demonstrates both how to become a great project leader and how to lead your teams in applying the specific project practices that impact success. Laufer and his extraordinary team of contributors focus on “take-home practices” you can use right away, whether you’re planning a new project or revitalizing a project that’s already in trouble.

You’ll discover better and faster ways to adapt to change, learn how to “give up” control without “losing” control, use face-to-face interaction to maximize alignment, manage “no fun” missions in hostile environments, and learn more from your ongoing experience as a project manager. Perhaps most important of all, this book will help you unlearn widespread project management assumptions that prevent success instead of promoting it.

The world’s best project leaders show how to:

• Master the power of autonomy and learning
• Manage creativity through action
• Soar higher by combining spirit and systems
• Deliver on bold ideas through meticulous preparation and quick response
• Accomplish unpleasant tasks by developing a culture of trust and responsibility
• Successfully execute multiple interrelated projects by leading upward
• Shape culture by exploiting location
• Accelerate delivery by “splitting” and “harmonizing“