Between Seeming and Being: The ethical challenge in Project Management
From the Support to Develop Blog
by Luis Branco
This blog addresses management-related topics and has three areas of focus: 1. Technical skills; 2. Competencies in the field of interpersonal relations and communication (including personal organization and delegation, leadership, teamwork, conflict resolution, conducting meetings, and negotiation); and 3. Strategy (including diagnosis, strategic guidelines, and implementation).4.Technology
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Date
We live in times where appearance often takes precedence over substance.
“Seeming” is the immediate shine of an inauguration; “being” is the durability that withstands the test of time.
The impact of a well-framed photo or the excitement of an eloquent speech can sometimes obscure an uncomfortable truth: not everything that looks good is truly well done.
Perception management — communicating results strategically but honestly — can be an ally or a trap, depending on how we use it.
When appearance overshadows truth, trust is the first casualty.
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Case: Example or Lesson Forgotten?
Imagine a brand-new bridge, opened with great ceremony, ribbon-cutting, and extensive media coverage.
At first glance, everything seems exemplary.
But just a few months later, the bridge collapses, exposing failures hidden beneath the initial shine.
This image is not fiction, as shown by the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the U.S. Inaugurated in 1940 with pomp, it collapsed after just four months — the result of a design that underestimated winds of 40 mph, a miscalculation that cost lives and reshaped engineering standards.
Closer to us, the Vila Nova Viaduct, a key urban structure in São Paulo, collapsed in 2018 after 47 years, betrayed by decades of neglected maintenance masked as progress.
Here lies the dilemma between perceived value (seeming) and real value (being).
These projects were “delivered” — but were they truly successful?
When Perception Management Turns into Manipulation
Perception management is legitimate when it reflects the truth.
The problem arises when it conceals flaws or manipulates stakeholders, trading strategy for performance.
Signs of this include:
- Omission or relativization of real data;
- Exclusive focus on short-term image and public visibility;
- Prioritization of political or personal gain;
- Neglect of long-term consequences for users, funders, and society. Such manipulation often stems from pressure for quick wins or systemic opacity, eroding the integrity that projects demand.
The Compass of Ethical Leadership
That is why ethics demands a clear compass. Leading with responsibility means aligning what we communicate with what we deliver.
Perception management works when it:
- Explains progress based on concrete facts;
- Acknowledges challenges and limitations with transparency;
- Recognizes what has actually been achieved;
- Maintains coherence between message and practice. Using perception to hide flaws is like putting makeup on a deep wound: it may impress for a moment, but it doesn’t heal — and can become infected. Yet, is seeming always the villain, or can it inspire when grounded in honesty?
The Role of True Leaders
Ethical leaders don’t paint over projects to please. They recognize problems and work to solve them at the root, even if it takes more time.
To avoid the fate of Tacoma Narrows or the Vila Nova Viaduct, I suggest:
1. Test beyond the minimum — simulate worst-case scenarios like extreme weather;
2. Plan for decades, not the next photo — set longevity KPIs like “50-year resilience”;
3. Communicate failures before they scream — disclose risks early to stakeholders.
4. More than steps, ethical leaders weave a cycle: honest talent, firm rules, values that resonate — the Ethical Growth Framework.
5. In this model, ethical talent recruited and retained sustains clear and auditable governance, which nurtures a culture of valuable leadership.
6. It’s an architecture of trust, where ethics, competence, and coherence reinforce one another — creating organizational resilience.
7. For instance, rigorous hiring could have flagged the Tacoma design flaw, while audits might have caught Vila Nova’s decay.
8. As the Project Management Institute notes, “70% of projects fail due to poor leadership” (Pulse of the Profession, 2022), underscoring the need for such a framework.
Conclusion
In a world where seeming often overshadows being, reclaiming integrity is urgent.
The bridge that fell after four months reminds us: true project success is not measured on celebration day — it’s measured in the years that follow.
What “seeming” failure have you seen in your last project?
What step would you take today to strengthen the “being”?
Because leading with integrity is not just an ethical choice — it is a commitment to the future.
Posted on: April 04, 2025 02:26 PM |
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Comments (6)
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Luis Branco
CEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, Ldª
Carcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear Abolfazl Yousefi Darestani
You're very welcome!
I'm glad you found it helpful.
Feel free to reach out if you have any further questions or thoughts!
Grace Chandler
Program Manager| Briljent
Indianapolis, In, United States
helpful to reinforce PM efforts for ethical management
Luis Branco
CEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, Ldª
Carcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear Grace Chandler
Thank you for your comment!
I'm glad to hear it helped reinforce the importance of ethical management in project work.
Ethics is truly a cornerstone of effective project leadership—it builds trust, strengthens stakeholder relationships, and ensures long-term success.
If you have any insights or best practices on ethical project management, I’d love to hear more and keep the conversation going!
Interesting article on perception management Luís Branco. In my opinion, much of this problem stems from the engineering requirements of the projects, which often underestimate historical data. The project manager should, whenever possible, observe and question these requirements in order to prepare the detailed project. I've had countless unpleasant surprises that were fixed in time and tested before the construction phase. Congratulations on the article.
Luis Branco
CEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, Ldª
Carcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear David Lourenco Filho
Thank you for your thoughtful and insightful comment.
I completely agree — underestimating historical data in engineering requirements is a recurring and dangerous blind spot.
Your point highlights a critical intersection between technical accuracy and strategic leadership.
Indeed, perception management often begins with how we define and challenge requirements.
If these are flawed — or based on wishful thinking rather than evidence — no amount of communication can mask the consequences later on.
I really appreciate your reminder that project managers must not simply accept initial assumptions, but actively question, test, and verify them — especially early in the design phase.
Your experience of catching issues before construction reinforces the importance of proactive vigilance, and I applaud that level of professionalism.
In the end, managing perception ethically starts with managing reality responsibly.
That includes validating inputs, honoring lessons from the past, and ensuring our “story” matches what truly unfolds on the ground.
Thanks again for sharing your perspective — it adds great value to this conversation.
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"Conventional people are roused to fury by departure from convention, largely because they regard such departure as a criticism of themselves."
- Bertrand Russell
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