Leadership, above all, requires adaptive management

A company that operates on a project basis handles people, resources, and structure flexibly. How can business leaders optimize such operations? We discuss this with Danny Van Driessen, Director of IT Services at RGF Staffing. As a senior executive, he faces the daily challenges that business leaders encounter when focusing on project work.

Organizing your company flexibly with resources and people assigned to various tasks and roles is not easy. How do you approach this?

Regarding the team, you have to allow people to focus on a project and therefore free up some of their time. It is simply not possible to realize projects 'on the side'. Outsourcing can help to bring in additional personnel, especially where 'hands' or general technical knowledge is needed. In-house expertise is harder to replace, so you need to make the right choices in projects.

A common phenomenon is over-reliance on the same people with specific expertise, so they cannot contribute qualitatively to all projects. Therefore, as a business leader, you should not set too many priorities and not roll out too many projects simultaneously.

Coordination between project leaders is crucial for managing dependencies. For example, a department head can bring project leaders together monthly to present what they will be working on in the coming period and what they need for it. This keeps the puzzle intact, although sometimes you may conclude that you can only make progress on 4 projects in the coming months, not 8.

What do you focus on when choosing project leaders? And when do you choose between outsourcing and training your own staff?

The question is mainly about which capabilities you want to build within your company. Experience and affinity with the project are crucial for a project leader. Additionally, a project leader is someone who brings people together, motivates, coordinates, and communicates effectively. They ensure that it's truly a 'team' that works together smoothly.

A project leader also needs to know where to turn to solve problems and be able to anticipate. Half of the time is spent on current progress, and the other half is dedicated to planning ahead, keeping the path clear and workable for everyone. Lastly, it often involves someone with specific expertise or experience within the company.

Project leaders are given the mandate to deliver a specific result within time and budget. Hence, a lot of trust in these individuals is required from the leadership. This isn't always easy.

That's correct, but it's crucial. The company leadership sets the goals the company aims to achieve within 3 to 5 years and in which areas strategic focus is placed. The people who are responsible for completing the components of the roadmap then take over.

Therefore, it's crucial to clearly and motivatively indicate what you want to achieve and why. Sometimes project leaders need to adjust, but the objective remains firm. The scope may change, the approach to the goal may change, but not the goal itself.

If a project leader's approach differs from how business management would handle it, intervention often occurs too quickly. However, if you know that the project leader is competent and the goals are clear to everyone, that trust must be maintained. You set the goals, but you must allow freedom for the approach.

What type of leadership do you believe is especially necessary in an organization that operates on a project basis?

I believe leadership should primarily be adaptive. I believe in collaboration and don't take a very directive approach with the people on my team. I know they are qualified and smarter than I am in their domains, so I must primarily listen and think along with them. However, sometimes you also need to make decisions, for example, when long discussions jeopardize the project's timing. Therefore, you must adapt your leadership style to the situation you find yourself in.

What support do project leaders need from 'their' management?

Above all, clarity about the company's priorities and why they were chosen - the latter is often forgotten. You want your project leaders to keep the goals, the big picture, in mind, so there must be clear discussions about how we can ideally achieve that together.

Additionally, it's crucial that they receive the necessary time and resources to carry out the projects.

How can business management ensure that all projects remain aligned with the company's vision and strategy?

This is assessed through strategic discussions. At RGF, we bring together various CEOs once or twice a year: are the goals still optimal, or do we need to adjust? And are we still on track to achieve them?

Tactically, we plan the project deliverables for the next quarter four times a year. Finally, we also ensure that individual projects stay on course in monthly steering groups with the teams. This way, we keep operational oversight as well.

With such a discussion cycle involving different levels, you can effectively monitor the coherence and goal-oriented nature of the projects.