Having worked in project management for almost 20 years, I've had the opportunity to work with many different project managers all around the globe. Over time, it has become clear that there are definitely some character traits and qualities that are common among successful project managers.

First and foremost, and probably not surprising: excellent communication skills. Successful PMs know how to communicate, when to communicate, how to communicate, and why they are communicating. They provide the right level and detail of information in a timely manner to an appropriate audience. I have seen PMs crash and burn when they withhold critical information or damage their credibility by sending out so much information and detail that their team members and stakeholders start to tune them out.

The second quality is that of being able to provide inspirational leadership. Needless to say, the majority of the team members that we work with don't report to us. As such, we have to lead without authority. Successful PMs are able to lead their teams by inspiring them - to work hard, accomplish the project objectives, work as a team, etc. They are able to create a vision, communicate that vision, and get everyone on-board. I like to call it creating a "quiet respect" - there's nothing authoritative, but rather people want to do well and follow their lead. They look up to the PM and respect them.

The third quality is emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence, or EI, really came to the forefront in the mid-90s, thanks to the work of Daniel Goleman. Leaders with a high EI have four areas of strength: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. A key thing here is that these are not necessarily innate talents, but actually learned abilities. Meaning that we, as PMs, can always improve and learn to have a higher EI. Know ourselves, our skillsets, our weaknesses, understand our emotional triggers, know how we impact others, etc.

The fourth quality is a skillful mix of optimism and pessimism grounded in realism. Why optimism? They say a positive attitude can carry you a long distance, and I believe that. If you go into your project, no matter how challenging, with an attitude of failure, guess what? You'll fail. You need to believe that you can meet the project objectives and embrace the fact that it may not always be ideal, but you can do it. Why pessimism? While optimism is essential, you don't want to shroud yourself in a Polly-Anna-like world of denial. You must plan for risks - any unplanned events that could have an impact on your cost, time, scope or quality. Why realism? Let's face it, there's always going to be challenges on your project - that's the reality. No matter how good our plan is, things won't necessarily fall in line with it. Real life has a way of happening and by being open-minded, flexible, and realistic, it will be much easier to roll with the punches!

Now you'll notice in my list of four qualities, things like 20+ years of experience, certification, industry experience, didn't come into play. I believe the beauty of project management (and yes, I said beauty!) is that it truly can be done successfully by many different types of people with varying skill-sets across multiple industries. And you don't necessarily have to be a born "planner" to be successful. You can learn and develop your skills and it's never to late to do so!