Powerful Project Leadership

Rating:
Summary: Powerful Project Participation
Review: I feel that this book could have just as easily been titled "Powerful Project Participation" or "Followership". It really addressed many issues about just plain working together.

The entire book is excellent! The "When you know something is wrong" chapter helped me understand many situations that I've encountered in the past couple of years -- and I believe will assist me in handling them better in the future.

Rating:
Summary: If you read only 1 book on project leadership - read this!
Review: I ordered this book right after it came out based on the recommendation of some colleagues I deeply respect. As I read thru it, the things in the book deeply resonated with me. It really "hit home" on all the points regarding people issues and communication, especially managing relationships to set reasonable expectations and build trust and credibility with customers, stakeholders, peer managers, and others in the project's "community."

Afterward reading thru the book, I felt so frustrated because if I'd only known this stuff two years earlier, the previous project I'd been on might have been moderately successful (even though I wasn't the project manager). Instead, that project was the most miserable, infuriating, and betraying experience of my adult life. If only I had know all this back then [sigh]... I was utterly clueless about the communication dimension of project leadership until I read this book.

I have since been able to apply the wisdom of "Powerful Project Leadership" to subsequent projects with much success. I consider it required reading for any project leader, including technical leaders as well as project managers (especially brand new ones)

Rating:
Summary: Powerful Project Participation
Review: Wayne Strider's book provides words for and recognizable characteristics of many common project problems. Powerful Project Leadership gives project managers of every experience level tools and road signs that enable them to recognize and address looming project issues before they become major events.

Communications and leadership challenges are explained in common language for easy recognition.

The book is an excellent read. I recognized a few pending issues with one of my projects on my first pass through the book.

I believe that this book is a "MUST HAVE" for any well-stocked project management library.

Rating:
Summary: Not just for Project Leaders
Review: What a terrific book! There are so few books in our business which focus on dealing with people issues, and even those seldom mention anything about understanding yourself. This is not just a book for project managers, project participants or IT people. Most of this book would be a real benefit to anyone who is trying to deal with being human. I started reading this book with high hopes, but the reality far exceeded them. I read it cover to cover in a couple of days.

In any kind of consulting work, most of the problems are from people issues. The studies all state that, as does the folklore. However, training seldom includes anything on how to handle the people issues that we all encounter. This book covers with these issues and includes exercises to help the reader learn. I wish I could make it required reading for every team I work on.