leadership Archives - RMC Learning Solutions

Posted on March 5, 2023June 6, 2025 by RMC Learning Solutions

Project Manager vs. Project Leader: Which Are You?

Two project managers at table discussing a project

As a professional in project management, you don’t only manage projects, you also lead teams. So, being able to work as both a manager and a leader can help you excel and really stand out in the workplace.

It’s worth taking some time to uncover the things that differentiate a manager from a leader. After all, some people who are leaders might not make the best managers, and vice versa. But if you’re determined to be both, you can hone your skills to manage and lead more effectively.

Take a look at the information below on managers vs. leaders to figure out which one you are, and to gain a clearer picture of what you might need to do to advance your career.

Project Managers: Experts at Planning and Executing Projects

Outstanding project managers are capable of thinking strategically and solving problems creatively. And, as a manager, you need to be able to plan ahead, while also adapting quickly to changes that might occur throughout the duration of a project.

Managers are responsible for delegating tasks and responsibilities to those on their team. So they need strong interpersonal skills and communication skills to be able to get their message across, motivate others, and provide extra guidance to those who need it.

Put simply, the top managers have what it takes to get things done right. They know how to plan and organize a project, as well as how to control every part of a project until it’s completed according to stakeholders’ expectations.

Project Leaders: Experts at Inspiring and Motivating Others

Project leaders have a vision that they want to achieve. And they know how to motivate, encourage, and inspire others so that they, too, will want to bring that vision to life.

If you want to be a standout leader, others need to view you as responsible and trustworthy. Leadership goes beyond developing a plan, delegating tasks, and coming up with creative solutions to problems that might arise.

As a leader, you also need to be a good communicator and listener who takes feedback seriously. And if you can master the art of remaining positive even when things aren’t going according to plan, you can keep the members of your team going strong as well.

Key Differences Between Project Managers and Leaders

Even though they might seek the same end result, managers and leaders tend to take different approaches when working on a project.

Managers are known for:

Directing and instructing their team members
Being driven by the tasks that need to get done in order to finish a project
Being more controlling and rule oriented when working with others
Working towards minimizing and controlling risks
Thinking about the short-term
Planning details and then telling others about them
Having objectives that need to be met
Using control and consequences to get team members to complete tasks

Leaders are known for:

Coaching and encouraging their team members
Driving their overall mission and the purpose of a project
Being more inspirational and innovative when working with others
Willingness to take risks
Thinking about the long run
Setting a direction for a project and selling others on it
Having a vision that needs to be fulfilled
Trusting others to get the job done right

So, Which One Are You? And Are You Ready to Improve?

Whether you currently identify as a project manager or a leader, you can improve your skill set or change course completely when you pursue the right education and certification in the world of project management. It’s entirely up to you to decide which classes you want to take, but know that RMC Learning Solutions is there for you at every step.

The bottom line is this: managers and leaders play integral roles in business. And they do share many of the same qualities. After all, the goal of any solid manager or leader is to work effectively with others. They both strive to complete projects on time and according to expectations, and keep stakeholders and customers happy. They just happen to employ differing methods, but one type of professional isn’t necessarily better than the other, as they both hold value.

RMC offers virtual classes, along with eLearning courses and self-study products, that can help you become a more effective manager and leader. Whether you want to become certified in project management or you want to improve your skills in leading others, there’s a class for you!

Sources:

https://www.projectmanager.com/leadership-in-project-management

https://fairygodboss.com/career-topics/leadership-vs-management

https://www.resourcefulmanager.com/leaders-vs-managers/

Posted on March 15, 2022June 6, 2025 by RMC Learning Solutions

Three Ways to Lead with Emotional Intelligence

Young woman smiling over shoulder using emotional intelligence

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is your ability to identify and control your emotions to be a successful leader. Emotional intelligence is an awareness of emotions in yourself and in others. It is the ability to develop and manage strong relationships. Emotional intelligence uses reason to identify, understand and effectively deal with emotions. Studies show EI is a skill linked to success at all levels. Project managers with high EI are better equipped to deal with, handle and resolve conflict and change.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Author and social scientist, Daniel Goleman identified five categories within emotional intelligence. They are: self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, motivation and social skills. These 5 categories define the ability to understand the needs and feelings of oneself and other people, manage one’s feelings, and to respond to others appropriately. Let’s walk through each competency.

1. Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is a pivotal component of emotional intelligence. When you are self-aware, you have the ability to identify and name your emotions. It means you have the ability to honestly recognize your emotions and the effect of your emotions. It also includes the ability to know your strengths and limitations and having self-confidence in your capabilities and worth.

2. Self-Regulation

Regulation is the ability to manage emotions, which includes both regulating your own emotions, and when necessary and helping others to do the same. Other aspects of self-regulation include trustworthiness, the flexibility to adapt to change and having high integrity. Being open to new ideas and information is also a key trait of self-regulation.

3. Social Awareness

Another component of EI is social awareness. Social awareness is mainly about empathy. Empathy is our ability to feel what the other person is feeling. We often describe it as the ability to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Social awareness also includes organizational awareness. This is the ability to anticipate and recognize customer needs, an ability to read the politics and understand the power dynamics in your organization. Finally, social awareness includes sensing what others need to grow and develop.

4. Self-Motivation

Also called self-management, it describes your ability to demonstrate emotional self-control. You may experience impulses or be in a bad mood, but you control those emotions. As a person, you are interested in moving forward towards a goal or strategy. You are also self-motivated and don’t let setbacks control the outcome. Finally, you are able to stay calm under pressure and don’t panic in the face of a crisis.

5. Social Skills

The core to social skills is relationship management. It covers abilities such as influence, conflict management, teamwork and leadership. You use emotional intelligence to create and nurture relationships. Your ability to influence comes from a strong ability to communicate clearly and persuasively.

Benefits of Using Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is important as our teams are more global. It is also important as more of our work is online. Our environments are more intense, but they’re also more distributed and remote. This means we have fewer opportunities for in person understanding. We all have emotional intelligence skills. The big benefits come from understanding, managing and using EI competencies to perform our work. The benefits of emotional intelligence are far reaching:

Ability to actively listen and restate what you have heard . This helps you clearly understand expectations and builds trust. You’ll find you are better aligned to the goals of the organization.
Improve the ability to develop ourselves and develop others. You are able to provide feedback effectively and are comfortable building the skills and abilities of others.
Helps with managing and resolving conflict. You need to be in touch with your emotions and to see another’s point of view to get to resolution.
Builds appropriate reactions within the context of your organization.
Helps you tailor your communications to influence stakeholders in our work environment, projects and day to day work.

Three Emotional Intelligence Techniques

By increasing your emotional intelligence, you can better connect and collaborate with others. You become more resilient and help motivate and lead others. There are many things you can do to increase your emotional intelligence. Here are three ways to lead with emotional intelligence:

1. Practice Recognition

Analyze your interaction daily.
Journal or note emotions as they arise.
Watch response in others. Notice body language. Notice when people are not engaged.

2. Use Empathy

Identify the emotion you are feeling, or the emotions others are exhibiting. Identify when you have experienced similar.
Note differences in how others respond. Your emotions may be different than others and that is good information to have in order to read the situation.
Tailor your responses by being aware of yourself and others. Then, adjust appropriately to the situation and respond intentionally. This will prevent you from trying to tell another person what they should be feeling or to dictate a response.

3. Respond Intentionally

Stop reacting immediately. Not every thought in your head needs to be shared.
Ask yourself if this is the right time to respond? Or do you need to take more time to think through your response?
Ask yourself what is the appropriate response and how much information do I need to share?

Final Thoughts

As a project professional, applying your emotional intelligence skills to increase your organizational awareness, identify opportunities to use the appropriate level of empathy, and enhance your self-awareness of your emotions helps you be an effective leader. You’ll be better able to deliver project objectives and deliverables with less conflict and a more cohesive team.

Posted on August 14, 2021June 9, 2025 by RMC Learning Solutions

Leadership in Project Management

For mid-level project managers, the leap from managing schedules and deliverables to truly leading a team is both subtle and profound. Leadership in project management isn’t just about being the most organized person in the room. It’s about influence, trust, vision, and the ability to align diverse people toward a shared outcome—especially when the path is unclear.

In today’s project environments—where teams are cross-functional, often remote, and moving at speed—effective leadership is the cornerstone of sustainable delivery. This isn’t about command and control. It’s about clarity, confidence, and emotional intelligence.

From Project Coordinator to Project Leader

Many project managers reach mid-level after proving they can plan and execute reliably. They’ve learned how to build schedules, manage risk logs, facilitate meetings, and chase down blockers. But leadership begins when the PM moves beyond being the hub of communication and becomes the enabler of outcomes.

Project leaders don’t just keep the trains running. They:

Inspire accountability without micromanagement
Navigate uncertainty with calm and clarity
Make space for team members to step up
Translate vision into shared purpose

And perhaps most critically, they earn trust. In project settings, where authority is often borrowed rather than formal, trust is currency.

Leading without direct authority

Most project managers don’t manage their teams in a traditional sense. Developers, analysts, designers, and business stakeholders often report elsewhere. So how do you lead when no one has to follow you?

The answer is relational leadership. That means:

Building credibility by delivering consistently
Listening more than directing
Understanding what motivates each contributor
Adapting your communication style to your audience

Influence is built day by day, not declared. When people feel heard, respected, and supported, they begin to lean in—and that’s when leadership sticks.

Vision and Alignment in the Project Context

One of the key differences between a manager and a leader is the ability to connect the dots between tasks and meaning. As a project manager, you may not be setting the overall business vision—but you are responsible for helping your team understand how their work contributes to it.

This looks like:

Framing deliverables in the context of organizational goals
Translating complex objectives into day-to-day priorities
Reinforcing the “why” behind the “what”

When teams understand the purpose behind their work, motivation increases, silos dissolve, and decision-making improves.

Handling conflict and change like a leader

Projects bring people together—and sometimes, people clash. Competing priorities, shifting requirements, and tight timelines can fray nerves. Leadership means staying grounded when the room gets tense.

Good project leaders:

Address conflict early, without defensiveness
Create psychological safety for dissenting views
Focus on solutions, not blame

Change management is another test of leadership. When a scope shift or resource change hits, the best PMs don’t just update the Gantt chart. They re-orient the team with empathy and decisiveness.

Leadership in Agile and Hybrid environments

Leadership doesn’t look the same in every methodology. In Agile or hybrid settings, servant leadership is often the most effective model. Servant leaders:

Remove obstacles
Champion team autonomy
Coach instead of control

In these environments, your leadership might be less about command and more about facilitation—guiding the team through uncertainty and iteration while maintaining alignment with broader goals.

The Emotional Intelligence Edge

Technical proficiency will get you in the door. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is what helps you lead. Project managers with high EQ:

Read the room
Regulate their own stress
Respond with empathy
De-escalate tension before it derails progress

For mid-level PMs looking to step into more senior roles, developing emotional intelligence is one of the most valuable long-term investments.

Final Thoughts: Leading Through Delivery

Leadership in project management isn’t a separate skill set from delivery—it is delivery. Because great plans don’t execute themselves. Great teams do. And great teams thrive under leaders who:

Set direction without rigidity
Foster trust without ego
Communicate with clarity and consistency

As a mid-level project manager, the invitation is clear: go beyond managing timelines and become a catalyst for high-performing teams. The best project leaders aren’t just taskmasters—they’re motivators, connectors, and calm voices in complexity. Leadership is not about having all the answers. It’s about creating the conditions where the best answers can emerge. Lead forward.

Posted on February 10, 2021June 6, 2025 by RMC Learning Solutions

Manager vs. Leader: Which Are You?

Take a look at the information below on managers vs. leaders to figure out which one you are, and to gain a clearer picture of what you might need to do to advance your career. Continue reading Manager vs. Leader: Which Are You?