My colleague does not believe I should be called a PM
Joan CugellProject Manager| The MIL CorporationMt Pleasant, Sc, United States
My colleague does not believe I should be called a PM, which I am a PMP and have done PM work most of my career. My colleague thinks a PM does not do any work; they just manage to budget and the project plan. However, I disagree. I think PMs do a lot of project work to get the project accomplished. How should I respond to my colleague? Saving Changes...
Will your answer change your colleagues opinion? Does the answer matter to your colleague?
There are books, blogs, podcasts, articles, etc... about the basics of project management. There is no shortage of information on the subject, and yet not all companies or individuals view the role the same way. Even project managers have varying opinions on their role, albeit at a more detailed level.
If this colleague is a friend, describe his/her position in an oversimplified manner and ask if it's an accurate description of his/her role.
From a hands-on perspective, your colleague is not completely incorrect. In general, the project manager does not do the work of the project. We coordinate with others to identify, plan, schedule, monitor, expedite, test, and deliver a work-product.
Would the work get done without a project manager? Probably, but the more complex and complicated the effort, the more likely it is that one person (or more) would be identified to make sure the right work got done. Et voila, you now have a project manager. Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Joan,
think your colleague is disrespectful. So it might rather be a personal thing and not about project management. Do you respect their job role? Do they understand what a dentist is doing? Or a lawyer? Or a pilot?
Many people do not get the relevance of what we are doing, PMI estimates there are 66 million PMs in a population of approx 8 billion. Not too many.
If you feel like an evangelist, you can try to teach the sermon, but even then you might get blank stares. And yes, the real work, the work that produces something tangible, is not ours.
There is also an underlying core belief in western and confucian culture that hard work is a value in itself. Latinos, Catholics, Buddhists, or Islamic people do not share that belief. So even if a PM only has coffee chats with people, does an occasional report or tries to herd chicken, as long as they make things happen, they do a great job.
Read the book The Lazy PM? Forget about that other guy. You do a wonderful job (because you share, care and dare).
Thomas Saving Changes...
Joan CugellProject Manager| The MIL CorporationMt Pleasant, Sc, United States
Thank you for your insight; I appreciate it. Saving Changes...
It fundamentally comes down to - will your colleague's opinion of the profession affect your ability to do a good job and feel good about yourself?
If the answer is "yes" then you need to address it. Ideally, this can be done directly with the colleague expressing curiosity about their perceptions, finding out what caused those perceptions to develop, and showing them the benefits of "real" project management. If this doesn't work, then this might need to be escalated.
Maybe your colleague isn't aware of the Project Management profession and knowledge, and this doesn't mean that he/she is able to state this role doesn't exist. Talk directly to him/she explaining that every role in the enterprise deserves respect. Saving Changes...
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Joan
I believe your colleague is not aware what project management entails nor how important a project manger’s role is. If their opinion doesn’t affect you like Kiron said, then leave it as is.
are you in a technical field?
Is your colleague a man?
I work in a technical field (as a woman) and many male colleagues technical experts think project management is only administrative.
It is a way also to show superiority to you.
As Thomas Walenta said, we have to take care of personal attacks (or jealousy) behind these words. You can address it candidly as Kiron suggested but don't spend too much time or energy. If the colleague repeats it constantly you have to stop it because it is a way to develop impostor syndrome and lack of self confidence (which can affect your work). Sorry to answer so passionately but over my career, I got much negative feedback about different things to learn after that people were trying to do the same...so go on managing your projects and growing as you do regardless of your colleague's point of view. Good luck!
...
1 reply by Sarah Chverchko
May 12, 2022 2:25 PM
Sarah Chverchko
...
Yasmina - never apologize for answering passionately, or for anything other than an actual tangible error ("oops, I didn't carry the 1 in that calculation, sorry about that"). :-)
Don't undermine your own credibility or imply that the emotion is inappropriate. Women have enough people doing that to them already without piling on ourselves; be confident, you are not an impostor. :-)
Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
What your colleage expressed about project manager role is what I heard along the years in lot of different organizations around the world. Just in case it matters, question for your colleage is: do you think an orchestra can perform a concert without an orchestra director? If your colleage answer yes then it has no sense to continue talking about the matter. If your colleage answer is no then you can say "ok. then you think a project manager is needed". Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
Ask your colleague who prepared his project plan and budget. Saving Changes...
are you in a technical field?
Is your colleague a man?
I work in a technical field (as a woman) and many male colleagues technical experts think project management is only administrative.
It is a way also to show superiority to you.
As Thomas Walenta said, we have to take care of personal attacks (or jealousy) behind these words. You can address it candidly as Kiron suggested but don't spend too much time or energy. If the colleague repeats it constantly you have to stop it because it is a way to develop impostor syndrome and lack of self confidence (which can affect your work). Sorry to answer so passionately but over my career, I got much negative feedback about different things to learn after that people were trying to do the same...so go on managing your projects and growing as you do regardless of your colleague's point of view. Good luck!
Yasmina - never apologize for answering passionately, or for anything other than an actual tangible error ("oops, I didn't carry the 1 in that calculation, sorry about that"). :-)
Don't undermine your own credibility or imply that the emotion is inappropriate. Women have enough people doing that to them already without piling on ourselves; be confident, you are not an impostor. :-)
"There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun."
Community Champion
