Start a conversation ↗

Description

Project Manager Leadership: Uniting a Team Without Line Authority, Deciding and Carrying the Group

Two days to establish your authority as a project manager when no reporting line supports it

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

A project manager delivers results through people he or she neither appraises nor pays. Credibility rests on the ability to give meaning, to decide quickly and to honour commitments. When pressure rises, contributors fall back on the priorities of their home department and the project loses them one after another.

These 14 hours address posture rather than planning tools. Participants identify the foundations of their legitimacy, work on how they decide in uncertain conditions and practise holding a firm conversation with a contributor who is not delivering. Each participant leaves with an action plan for their current project.

Learning objectives

  • Identify the sources of legitimacy available without line authority
  • Articulate a project vision that gives meaning to contributors
  • Decide and stand behind a trade-off when information is incomplete
  • Hold a firm conversation with a contributor who fails to meet commitments
  • Sustain team engagement over the duration of a long project

What makes this programme different

An individual posture diagnostic tested against peer feedback
Three difficult conversations rehearsed, then replayed with different reactions
A four-week action plan for each participant's current project

Programme

1Legitimacy and Posture

Being credible without a reporting line

  • Sources of authority available to a project manager
  • Expectations of contributors and of the project sponsor
  • Impact of your positioning on engagement
  • Diagnostic of your own steering style

2Vision and Mobilisation

Making people want to contribute

  • Articulating the purpose and end goal of the project
  • Translating the stakes for each function involved
  • Rituals that sustain a sense of belonging to the team
  • Recognising individual contributions

3Decision-Making and Trade-Offs

Deciding despite uncertainty

  • Deciding with incomplete information
  • Involving the team without diluting accountability
  • Announcing an unpopular decision
  • Holding the line when the decision is challenged

4Standards and Difficult Situations

Holding people to their commitments

  • Addressing a contributor who is behind schedule
  • Dealing with gradual disengagement
  • Working with a contributor more expert than you
  • Sustaining energy on a long project

Who is it for

Project managers, work package leaders and cross-functional managers who steer contributors without line authority.

Prerequisites

Prior experience of leading a project with a team is required in order to benefit fully from the role-play exercises.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.