I believe the most critical skill for a project manager to possess is effective communication. This is imperative not only when working with the members of the PM’s team, but also to ensure effective cooperation between teams (managed by other PM’s or individuals). I think it is also of benefit because it is a rarity that a single person will possess all of the technical knowledge required for a team to meet its goals. Individual employees and team members may not be aware of the technical expertise other team members possess. An effective PM will not only know the strengths of their team members, but will be able to coordinate these strengths to effectively supplement any one individual’s deficiencies.

The ability to communicate effectively arise from having high emotional intelligence. All five aspects of EI (Awareness, Empathy, Regulation, Motivation, Social Skills) play into being able to coordinate and communicate between individuals of various technical, social, and experiential backgrounds.

The ability to communicate effectively is something that I find lacking in my current manager. While he is highly aware of situations the team is experiencing, he does not possess the empathy or ability to motivate individuals effectively. This is demonstrated by the need for team members to communicate regularly with each other outside of regularly scheduled meetings with the PM. I believe better communication from the PM to his employees would result in greater productivity, timeliness, and efficiency.