Leadership in project management: from firefighter to firelighter

<jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-heading">Purpose</jats:title><jats:p>To demonstrate two distinct leadership requirements for project managers and establish a theoretical basis for distinguishing between these two types of leadership.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-heading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title><jats:p>A framework linking transactional and transformational leadership qualities with project management attributes is developed.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-heading">Findings</jats:title><jats:p>Explains how reactive decisions relating to monitoring of schedules and budgeting data of projects has received the greatest attention in the literature but this is only one aspect of project control. Project leadership that is proactive in controlling projects is more effective.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-heading">Research limitations/implications</jats:title><jats:p>The implications of our findings are substantive. Project managers who focus on proactive leadership behaviour will be more successful in completing projects on time, on budget and to the specified standard as well as achieving the strategic purpose of the project.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-heading">Practical implications</jats:title><jats:p>Project managers need to pay more attention to the progress of their projects and forestall any problems rather than just being reactive problem solvers.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-heading">Originality/value</jats:title><jats:p>The paper provides a framework for establishing the linkage between proactive decisions that impact on the direction that the project is progressing and reactive decisions that solve the existing problems of project management. It is a different focus to the traditional project management leadership knowledge base.</jats:p></jats:sec>