Do you want a leader or manager?

One of the issues I’ve noticed with organizations is that they are great at making great pronouncements of what they are now going to do. They aren’t so hot at actually doing it. Much of the problem is because they are terrible at hiring for change.

I’ve long said that the only real assets a company has are the people that work for them, and the knowledge/skills those people embody. Everything else is a prepaid expense to serve those people masquerading as an asset.

Unfortunately, when it comes to hiring those people, the process typically gets handed to a 20-something with no real experience and less ability. And they hire what they always hire … a technician for a managers position.

I’m in the process of designing a new book and course on Project Management for Entrepreneurs (and Managers). One of the major modules will be on selecting and managing project managers. Frankly, one of the issues I’ll face in writing that section will be breaking the current paradigm of “hire a senior technician”.

If you don’t want to wait for my book to come out, you might want to check out 7 must-have project management skills from CIO Magazine. It’s a good summary of what you really should be hiring for when you hire a project manager.