# 20 traits of innovative and invaluable project managers > Source: > Published: 2026-08-04 10:01:00+00:00 Projects are becoming more complex, with higher stakes and faster delivery times. At the same time automation and AI are changing how projects are designed, managed, and delivered. Indeed, some pieces of project management are now routinely handled by machines. Some may think that AI and automation will make project managers obsolete, or at least less critical to project success. Executives say that’s not the case. Project managers are as important now as they ever were to project success. “As we move forward, the role of project manager is actually becoming increasingly important for finding the right things to invest in, defining scope, and staying focused on value,” says [Noah Fletcher](https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-fletcher-9012ba4/), a partner in the operations excellence practice at consultancy West Monroe. “As we continue to accelerate, their value is really about quality — quality of what you’re trying to accomplish.” That doesn’t mean that the role of project manager is static. Rather, the role is evolving, with what it takes to be successful is changing to meet the needs of the moment. To thrive, project managers need to hone a complex combination of technical, business, and interpersonal skills. The Project Management Institute attempts to decode what it takes to be a successful project manager with its [PMI Talent Triangle](https://www.pmi.org/learning/training-development/talent-triangle), comprising Ways of Working, Power Skills, and Business Acumen. Not surprisingly, there’s a lot packed into those three areas. Effective project managers must know how to define [the scope of a project](https://www.cio.com/article/193441/what-is-project-scope-defining-and-outlining-project-success.html), identify necessary resources, and schedule those resources — all part of the technical aspect of the job. They must also [manage stakeholders](https://www.cio.com/article/196244/stakeholder-management-your-plan-for-influencing-project-outcomes.html) and ensure projects align with business goals — skills that fall under the other two talent buckets. As lengthy as the PMI’s list of required skills is, experienced project leaders say that’s not enough to rise to the top of the profession; highly effective project managers today bring even more to their jobs. They’re curious, flexible, and adaptive — and they learn from and know how to right their mistakes. They’re empathetic, persuasive, and visionary. They know how to play to their own and others’ strengths. Leading project professionals say the most successful PMs are those who know the academic parts of the job — that is, the elements that are taught — but they also bring finesse to the work. So, what characteristics distinguish the most effective project managers? Longtime project leaders list the following key traits and skills as vital to succeeding at a high level. Top-level project managers are more than good managers. They have high-level strategic leadership skills and know how their projects fit within overall strategic goals, making them well equipped to make the right decisions for the project and the organization as a whole. “A project exists because it responds to a need of the business. That might be due to trends impacting the business or a challenge in running the business, but without understanding that, it will be hard for the project manager to deliver a successful project,” says [Karla Eidem](https://www.pmi.org/about/leadership-governance/karla-eidem), a Project Management Professional (PMP) and PMI’s global head of transformation and project delivery. The most effective project managers aren’t just great leaders; they’re also business-savvy. “They understand strategy and business context,” Fletcher says. As they deal with shifting resources and changing market dynamics that happen during many projects, they focus on what work will bring business value — not merely what will tick off items on a task list. “That ability to work on the right thing is one of the most important things that a project manager can have,” Fletcher adds. Projects today nearly always involve technology, making it essential to have technology skills. But standout project managers are true technologists, too. “Increasingly IT is touching so many different area, and we’re seeing systems and architecture getting more connected, so understanding how business and operations fit together is critical,” Fletcher says. Project management always involved budget management, but the task today requires more than balancing the books. It also involves understanding how projects and the core components of any given initiative bring value to the business. That takes financial acumen and the ability to make smart decisions during project execution to ensure the business sees returns on its investment. “The best project managers know the business drivers and can get depth on how the project impacts the business financially,” Fletcher says. “They have a good value management framework, that end-to-end process that can take the business case all the way through.” Top-notch project managers are highly organized individuals. But it’s not just about making a list and sticking with it. They understand how project plans and resources are intertwined with other goings-on within the organization. That organizational capacity enables them to adjust their plans and resources when needed. [Lenka Pincot](https://www.pmi.org/about/leadership-governance/lenka-pincot), chief of staff to the CEO at PMI, says today’s top-notch project managers are “orchestrators” who can pull together the complex components of modern projects and get them to work in harmony. “Organizations need orchestrators who can synchronize all the changes happening so the results all make sense,” she says. She notes that orchestration takes systems thinking as well as the ability to identify and plan for unintended consequences. The best project managers are good at delving into and solving for the “why” behind projects. “They enjoy problem-solving,” Pincot says. “[As project managers], we’re not handed projects; we are handed problems to solve. So we need to get to the bottom of what’s not working. We need to ask questions and really listen for what someone’s true interests are.” Executives constantly talk about the speed of change today. Teams must work fast to keep up with shifting technology and business contexts, and project managers must be able to facilitate that, Fletcher says. “The ability to quickly identify the right tools, assign the right resources, accelerate testing, and to move things forward fast without compromising quality is a huge thing today,” he adds. Similarly, highly effective project managers are flexible, so they themselves aren’t flummoxed when project plans need adjustments — something that happens increasingly more often in the modern digital world. “Adaptability is huge,” says [Krista Phillips](https://www.linkedin.com/in/krista-phillips-pmp-858aab98/), a PMP holder and project management consultant. “Things are always going to change, priorities adjust, resources adjust, timelines change. Project managers must be able to successfully manage all that.” Project managers typically manage teams but aren’t the boss of any of them, meaning they must be capable of leading and workers without having to lean on any official authority, explains [Julie Butcher](https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliefbutcher/), a fractional CIO work and transformation principal consultant with Butte Information Group. The best project managers are masters of this skill. [Barry Cousins](https://www.infotech.com/profiles/barry-cousins), a distinguished analyst and research fellow specializing in project portfolio management, project management, and organizational change management at Info-Tech Research Group, says top project managers possess what he calls “extreme awareness of resource capacity and utilization.” “Savvy project managers in the modern era have immediate implicit awareness of the capacity around them, so then they’re going to know right off the bat when their projects are going to fall short,” Cousin adds. Furthermore, they’re more comfortable alerting business leaders to that situation because they’re able to quantify the shortfall. Others agree, saying this all speaks to the need for project managers to have strong emotional intelligence. Project managers work with numerous stakeholders from various departments within and outside their organizations, and those who manage those relationships best understand each stakeholder’s perspectives, say [Te Wu](https://www.linkedin.com/in/te-wu/), CEO and chief project officer at PMO Advisory. Wu adds that stakeholders can now also include AI agents. For example, some stakeholders may be more risk adverse than others, or more resistant to change, or more prone to panic when problems arise. Veteran project leaders say managers who can identify and empathize with those perspectives can tailor their communications, plans, and training to address each stakeholder’s unique points of view. Organizations today have distributed authority, so project managers must know who has say over what pieces — whether they’re dealing with 10 IT architects who each control a piece of the IT environment or 10 executives who have responsibilities for separate areas of the enterprise impacted by a project. “The savvy project manager knows to give them all room to succeed,” Cousins explains. That means staying on top of what each person’s realm of authority needs for the project to succeed, identifying who has ownership for what pieces, and knowing which person has true authority and can get others to line up behind him or her. “It often requires getting to know people who are at a layer of the company that you don’t play in,” Cousins says. In addition to being good at stakeholder management, elite project managers also know how to navigate office politics. That means navigating not only individual stakeholder’s needs and expectations but also understanding how those stakeholders interact with each other, who has influence over the others, and who has power to override the authority of others. “They know when to apply what type of pressure to get something accomplished,” Wu adds. Given the speed, complexity and fluidity of project work today, project managers must be critical thinkers and decisive decision-makers. Otherwise, they risk falling into analysis-paralysis and bringing work to a halt. [Varun Bijlani](https://www.linkedin.com/in/varunbijlani/), global managing partner for solutions and delivery at IBM Consulting, says the best project managers can confidently and consistently make good calls even in the face of ambiguity. “IT projects are rife with it, even though everyone walks in expecting full clarity and specificity: requirements shift, priorities compete, expectations are unclear, unplanned technical issues arise,” he says. “AI can surface options and synthesize information fast, but it can’t apply the contextual judgment, reasoning, and organizational awareness needed to weigh trade-offs and commit to a direction when the path isn’t clear. That’s still a human call.” Considering communication plays a significant role in [managing projects, teams, and other stakeholders](https://www.cio.com/article/196244/stakeholder-management-your-plan-for-influencing-project-outcomes.html), it is one of the essential skills for effective project managers, according to longtime project managers. Communication doesn’t just mean being a stellar facilitator, speaker, or writer; it requires good listening skills, too. As such, top managers actively listen to what’s said — and not said — and can take context into account. These skills enable project managers to synthesize information and then clearly and concisely sharing that information back with all those involved, Pincot explains. “They have to be able to translate business needs to technology teams and explain how technology creates value for the business so that everyone can understand and trust that information,” she adds. “I believe the ‘P’ in PM is for the people: You can’t do a project without a team. And the team might not report to the project manager, so you have to have collaborative leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills to activate your team. Without that you can’t really move the needle,” Eidem says. “But in a project, you’re working with people who might have different priorities and different understanding of the goals of the project, so it’s the project manager’s responsibility to make sure everyone is aligned and knows where they’re going.” Butcher agrees, saying that the best project managers know how to build a sense of community among the teams as well as with the workers on the periphery of projects so that everyone is willing to work toward a shared objective. Top project managers are also skilled at developing strong rapport with those around them — even for short-lived projects — knowing that good connections and solid relationships lead to success. “When you build rapport, there’s a shared understanding,” Phillips says. That shared understanding pays dividends. Project managers who take time to build up relationships are more likely to have others share information that could impact their projects, and they’re more likely to get help from others if they make difficult requests — such as staying late or coming in on a weekend to catch up. According to Wu, effective project managers must possess confidence. “They have a can-do attitude, and that attitude needs to be a bit infectious,” he says. “They don’t have the be cheerleaders, but they do have to have a mindset that sees what’s possible and not just the issues and what’s at risk.” That allows them to present an optimistic attitude that can propel teams forward even during difficult stretches, Butcher adds. Project managers who possess such confidence are those with a track record of success and are competent in foundational project management skills such as planning and team-building, she says. Change is inevitable and can be highly disruptive to all areas of business and personal life; project management is no exception. Highly effective project managers understand this, embrace it, and build elements of uncertainty into their project plans. They also recognize the need to work closely with change management experts to help stakeholders adapt to change and better prepare for the future state of things. Even well-planned projects run into problems, and even highly skilled project managers can hit significant setbacks. But the best project managers don’t display panic, anger, or despair even under pressure; they keep their cool. “Projects can create a lot of pressure, and there can be seemingly conflicting priorities, so staying calm is an essential trait for project managers,” Pincot says. **More on project management:**