How Does Personality Play a Role in Hiring a PM?

Hiring a PM is somewhat of a challenge for most companies. The end result that must be achieved is the project completeness. This involves many aspects of the project, however maintaining the scope and achieving the time and budget is priority. Companies like to hire experienced PMs as it increase the probability of a project being successful.

But why do experienced PM’s sometime fail?

Human understanding is complicated and when a team is formed the PM has to play the quarterback position to achieve the goals of the project. The PM needs to make sure all team members are working toward the end goal within that scope of the project set out by the stakeholders.

Picking a PM therefore must be thought out and not a swing decision made over night. Many times we hear of PMs who have joined an organization and were replaced rather quickly as they were not a good fit. Other times, due to contracts, they can’t be removed.

How does personality play a role in the success of a PM?

Personality plays a big role in the PM career. Many have made it through with a rigid personality and others with adaptable characteristics. In my experience personality will make or break a project, keep team members loyal, and elevate or hinder career growth.

Personality should encompass a “go getter” attitude. This being an inclusive characteristic that empowers their team to reach their goals in the time set out. The PM doesn’t need to have full understanding of the technical details per say, but rather understand what the technical details require in order for the team member to complete the task.

A supportive personality that is able to hone in on the skill sets that each team member has and encourage the growth and development through the process will generally yield a better environment to see success which will translate in better final results.