As we kick off 2010, it seems appropriate to consider how to “start on the right foot”. After all, in 2009, many businesses were suffering in the recession and searching for cash flow; thus, many projects went on hold. However, in order to thrive in 2010, it will become critical to get in front of the competition and put in extra effort on key business projects. One fail-proof way to achieve these goals is to ensure the best project leaders are focused on the core projects.

In my experience in working across multiple industries and with many different Executives, leadership is the number one key to project success. I’ve seen mediocre projects succeed with excellent leadership while sure-to-succeed projects fail due to a lack of leadership. Thus, finding and keeping the best project leaders is critical. What are the top traits of successful project leaders? Project leaders do the following:

    1. Set Direction. As with all leaders, it is vital for project leaders to set direction. It is the leader’s responsibility to develop the strategy and communicate it clearly and repeatedly to the project team and throughout the organization.

Read more at Project Times.