Advice for new and aspiring PMs

At Take2, we work with hundreds of mid-career professionals from diverse backgrounds who are interested in a career in Project Management.

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One question that constantly pops up is “What are the most useful skills for a PM?” A straightforward and simple enough question for most but deceptively hard to answer given the sheer number of resources and product influencers currently present on the Internet.

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While you can always earn certifications, as a career pivoter the most important skills that you can highlight are communication and clarity of thought. Having great communication skills and clarity of thought implies that:

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• When faced with uncertainty, you can embrace it and break it down into smaller solvable pieces.
• You can navigate vagueness and manage multiple stakeholders.
• You can explain things properly and get everyone aligned. This includes great writing too.
• You can persuade people to deliver.
• You are aware of your deficiencies and always willing to improve. Remember, Always. Be. Learning.

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While in no way this covers all the skills needed to be a PM, you will have a better chance of delivering results if you are adept at communication, both proactive and reactive.

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P.S. If you are currently making a career pivot or plan to do so in the future, one of the most important resources that we advise you try out is Ed Batista’s Self Coaching and Mindset Training course that has been one of the highest rated classes at the prestigious Stanford Graduate School of Business.

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Link to the complete course: https://www.edbatista.com/the-art-of-self-coaching-public-course.html#beginnings

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