Conference on Mastering Power and Influence in Project Leadership

Introduction:

This conference focuses on equipping project leaders with the advanced skills necessary to navigate power dynamics, leverage influence, and manage politics in a business environment. Through it, participants will learn practical negotiation strategies to lead projects effectively and gain the tools to manage stakeholders, drive decisions, and lead teams toward success.

Conference Objectives:

By the end of this conference, participants will be able to:

• Understand the role of power, influence, and politics in project leadership.

• Develop negotiation strategies for managing stakeholder relationships.

• Effectively leverage influence to align teams and resources toward project goals.

• Identify and navigate organizational politics to achieve project success.

• Build leadership confidence in handling complex project dynamics.

Target Audience:

• Project Managers and Team Leaders.

• Program Managers and Portfolio Managers.

• Senior Executives involved in project decision-making.

• Consultants and Business Leaders managing complex projects.

• Project Management Office (PMO) Directors.

Conference Outline:

Unit 1:

Understanding Power and Influence in Project Leadership

• Key concepts of power and influence in the workplace.

• Types of power: legitimate, reward, coercive, expert, and referent power.

• How to build and leverage influence with stakeholders and team members.

• Importance of Balancing authority with influence to drive project success.

Unit 2:

Navigating Organizational Politics:

• The role of politics in project leadership and decision-making.

• Identifying political dynamics within your organization and project teams.

• Strategies for managing and leveraging organizational politics to your advantage.

• Building coalitions and alliances to secure project resources and support.

• Best practices for maintaining ethical leadership while managing politics.

Unit 3:

Mastering Negotiation Techniques for Project Leaders:

• Principles of negotiation in project management.

• Methods for Preparing for negotiations with stakeholders, clients, and vendors.

• Collaborative vs. competitive negotiation approaches.

• Managing conflict during negotiations to reach a win-win outcome.

• Case study: Negotiating project scope changes with key stakeholders.

Unit 4:

Managing Stakeholder Relationships:

• Identifying and analyzing key stakeholders and their influence on project outcomes.

• Building and maintaining positive relationships with stakeholders.

• Techniques for managing difficult stakeholders and mitigating conflict.

• Using influence and negotiation to align stakeholder expectations with project goals.

• Best practices for stakeholder engagement throughout the project lifecycle.

Unit 5:

Leading Teams Through Influence and Motivation:

• How to inspire and motivate teams without formal authority.

• Creating a culture of accountability and ownership within project teams.

• Using emotional intelligence to build trust and rapport with team members.

• Importance of Empowering team members through delegation and decision-making autonomy.

• Best practices for leading high-performing teams in complex projects.