Hi George,

To be a successful Project Manager one needs a combination of technical and soft/interpersonal skills. Every person is, obviously, different, and will have his or her own recipe for success.

In general a Project Manager should have enough technical competence to understand all areas of the project and utilize required tools (be it for project management, communication or follow up). That would set her / him up for successful management of the project.

As for soft/interpersonal skills, I would split them into 2 main categories:
- Organizational skills, like time management, budgeting, critical thinking, planning, coordination, risk management, cost control
- Communication skills, like argumentation, negotiation, change management, leadership, presentation and public speaking skills

My personal bonus tip: at Nokia we are focused on delivering the highest quality to our customers - both externally and internally. That means having an innovative mindset, looking for even marginal improvements and going the extra mile to ensure the highest possible quality in any area is, kind of, an additional 'secret' skill that will be really useful.

What's important is that everyone's level of skill will be different. Some may be more experienced in one skill, but need improvement or training in another. So, don't worry about not having the right mix - at Nokia once a colleague joins he or she undergoes a training program to learn our ways of working and culture, as well as develop additional skills and technical expertise.

31 July, 2019 12:12