Lastly, be consistent. Outside of being dishonest, the item that can do the most to erode the reputation of a project manager is being inconsistent or unpredictable. Setting expectations, including the basics of establishing roles and assignments to the format of reports, establishing when and how situations are communicated to you as the project manager, and when and how you interact with your customers is pivotal to the success of the project manager. Instances where reports from the project team are not provided on a fixed schedule or contain inconsistencies in references (i.e.. What exactly constitutes a status of green, yellow or red?) can quickly erode your perception as a person who is "in control". Tools like project glossaries can come in handy to ensure the project team and the customer use the same terms in a consistent fashion, avoiding embarrassing and costly misinterpretations. Focusing on consistency can benefit the project manager, contributing to your perception for both the short and long term.

Performance Management

Are you "transparent" when communicating your perception of your team member's performance? Being transparent in this case means that anything you would say to a manager you would (and hopefully have!!!) said to the team member directly. Although you might decide to be more careful in choosing your words or take a coaching approach in how you communicate your perceptions when talking directly to the team member, ultimately stating the same thing you convey to any manager or sponsor to the employee as well is paramount to maintaining your integrity. Furthermore, receiving ongoing trust and support from team members - for this project and the next - requires open and frequent feedback that is consistent with actual performance. Spending time on this is something that many PM's overlook. Accurately assessing individual performance not only provides a means to improve individual performance, but it also indirectly helps other team members develop trust in your leadership. Addressing sub-par performance helps the team be more effective, and eases the burden on well performing employees to "make up" for the deficiency of the non-performer. Neglecting to address these performance issues invoke a "triple threat" - the current project suffers, the dedication of your team members on future projects will not be forthcoming, and your perception as a project manager will deteriorate quickly. Focus on your team and their performance, and your integrity is more likely to be a positive one.

Bob McGannon is Vice-president and cofounder of Mindavation. Mindavation provides project management training and consulting, team building, leadership and creativity workshops to improve team productivity. Mindavation can be reached via the web at www.mindavation.com or by calling 1-866-888-MIND.

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