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If you’re like many Project Management Professionals (PMP(r)) certification holders, it might be difficult to find enough learning materials for your Leadership PDUs. Don’t panic, I have all the information you need below.
What are Leadership PDUs?
What does “Leadership” mean?
What are the leadership tasks for project management?
Examples of qualifying activities for Leadership PDUs
The easiest way to earn Leadership PDUs
Next steps
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This article will discuss what Leadership PDUs are, how many you need, as well as what activities count towards your total Leadership PDUs.
What are Leadership PDUs?
Leadership is just one part of the PMI Talent Triangle. The other two are Strategic and Business Management and Technical Skills.
Recertification requires leadership PDUs.
Below is a table that shows how many Leadership PDUs are needed for each PMI certification.
CertificationLeadership PDUs RequiredPMP8PgMP8PfMP8PMI-PBA8PMI-ACP4PMI-RMP4PMI-SP4CAPM2What does ‘Leadership’ mean?
This is how the PMI Continuing Certificate Requirements Handbook defines leadership.
Skills, knowledge, and behaviors that are specific to leadership-oriented, crosscutting activities that help organizations achieve their business goals.
You can find more information about leadership in the PMP(r). Actually, the PMP exam structure has been perfectly aligned with the Talent Triangle. Everything in the People section is fair game for Leadership PDUs.
What are the leadership tasks for project management?
Let’s look at the PMP exam content outline as a guide to PMI’s Leadership meaning.
Here’s a list of activities within the People domain.
Manage conflict
Assist a team
Support team performance (this includes team appraisals, team development and giving feedback, as well as identifying areas for individual improvement).
Encourage team members and stakeholders to take control
Make sure team members and stakeholders receive the right training
Create a team
Blockers that are preventing the team from succeeding
Negotiate project agreements
Collaborate with stakeholders
Establish a shared understanding (this refers to facilitating conversations that lead to consensus).
Support and engage virtual teams
Define the ground rules for your team
Mentor the relevant stakeholders
Use emotional intelligence to improve team performance.
This is a broad range of knowledge that can be used to your advantage in Leadership PDU opportunities.
Get a head start by reading my guide to 15 easy ways you can earn PDUs this calendar year.
How to earn Leadership PDU and Strategic and Business PDU through OSP International LLC. Examples of eligible activities for Leadership PDUs
Leadership skills are a key component of project management. There are many opportunities to earn PDUs in this area, provided you are interested in related topics.
Even if you don’t feel like you are in a leadership role, such as CAPM, you can still get PDUs for CAPM.
To be honest, I enjoy learning more about interpersonal and leadership skills than technical techniques. You should still keep an eye out to see if there are any qualifying activities that can count towards your Leadership PDU.
Take, for example:
Any type of training, webinar, or podcast on the topic of:
Conflict management
Negotiation skills
Influencing
Collaboration techniques (also read my book on collaboration tools)
Tools and techniques for knowledge transfer
Any reading, research time, or learning about:
Managing virtual teams
Emotional intelligence (start with the book)
A scavenger hunt is a great way to build team engagement and team building activities.
I have a resource that will help you get started