Project management isn’t always a career people plan for. Many PMs, like Fisayo Folarin—a global project leader we recently hosted on the Wear Your Cape to Work podcast—fell into it by accident and discovered they had a knack for making work happen.
Fisayo began her career in Nigeria, leading IT and PMO initiatives at one of the country’s largest banks before moving to Canada and rebuilding her career from the ground up. Along the way, she led cloud migrations, digital banking transformations, and SaaS implementations.
What she learned through those experiences comes down to five core skills that every PM needs—skills that apply across industries, cultures, and even continents.
1. Curiosity: Keep asking questions
Curiosity was the first spark that pulled Fisayo into project management. Working at a call center, she found herself drawn to the team building new processes and tools.
“I was curious about how the team set up the contact center… What do you guys actually do? How do you get to do this kind of work where you're setting up new things that didn’t exist before?”
That curiosity carried her forward. It’s also the reason she emphasizes that PMs should never stop asking why or why not.
2. Transparency: Be upfront about what you don’t know
When she first transitioned into a project analyst role, Fisayo could have faked confidence with tools she hadn’t mastered yet. Instead, she chose honesty.
“I could have forged it and said, ‘Oh, I know how to do this.’ Instead, what I did was say, ‘I don’t know this now, but I can learn it.’ That transparency, coupled with curiosity, went a long way.”
For new PMs, that willingness to be open about gaps—and to commit to closing them—earns more trust than pretending.
3. Communication: 85% of the job
Fisayo is direct about the central role communication plays:
“More than 85% of a project manager’s job is communicating. Whether you’re writing reports, leading meetings, or explaining risks—you have to make sure people actually understand what you’re trying to say.”
For her, communication isn’t about sounding impressive. It’s about clarity. If the message doesn’t land, the work won’t move forward.
4. Continuous learning: Skill up, don’t stand still
Curiosity and transparency naturally lead to growth—but only if you act on them.
Early in her career, Fisayo saw senior PMs building dashboards with ease and decided she wouldn’t just admire the skill—she would learn it.
“The first training I signed up for was Excel. I wanted to get to a place where I could work confidently and really support the team.”
That mindset carried her through industries, geographies, and roles. The best PMs, she insists, are always leveling up.
5. Reliability: Build trust through consistency
If Fisayo had to name one defining trait, it would be reliability.
“When I say I’m going to do something, I do it. Over time, that consistency builds trust. Teams know I’m here to help—and that changes everything.”
Reliability isn’t just about meeting deadlines. It’s about showing up consistently, keeping commitments, and creating stability for teams. In Fisayo’s words, it’s how project managers earn the right to lead.
The takeaway
Curiosity. Transparency. Communication. Continuous learning. Reliability.
These five skills may not be glamorous, but they’re powerful. They’re what helped Fisayo rebuild her career in a new country, lead high-stakes digital transformations, and earn the trust of teams who sometimes wondered why a PM was even in the room.
Her story reminds us that project management isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about creating trust, clarity, and progress. Master these five skills, and you won’t just manage projects. You’ll lead them.