{"id":5700,"date":"2025-11-24T08:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T13:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/?p=5700"},"modified":"2025-11-22T09:03:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T14:03:20","slug":"you-hired-a-project-manager-then-tied-their-hands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/24\/you-hired-a-project-manager-then-tied-their-hands\/","title":{"rendered":"You Hired a Project Manager, Then Tied Their Hands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading has-ast-global-color-4-background-color has-background\"><em>Project success requires accountability + authority. Empower your PMs.<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s say, you hired a seasoned jet pilot, but instead of letting them fly the plane, you constantly pull them out of the cockpit to pass out snacks to the passengers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ridiculous, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet that\u2019s <em>exactly<\/em> what happens in many organizations when they hire a project manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You seat them in the cockpit, then:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dictate the flight path from the passenger lounge,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hand the throttle to someone in accounting,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>And reroute midair without even telling the person flying the plane.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You ask for leadership but strip away authority. You demand accountability but keep the budget locked in a drawer. And you expect flawless delivery while operational leaders make decisions that affect the project behind closed conference room doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then you wonder why the plane veered off the runway during landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What You Said You Wanted vs. What You&#8217;re Actually Using<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s talk about the gap between what project managers <em>are trained<\/em> to do\u2026 and what many organizations actually <em>allow <\/em>them do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to PMI (Project Management Institute), PMI-certified project managers (PMPs) are trained to lead strategy execution, not just play status traffic cop. They understand how to align work with business objectives, manage competing stakeholder needs, lead teams through ambiguity, mitigate risk, and drive measurable outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019re not just there to \u201cmake it go.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019re there to help you make it go <em>better.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But in far too many environments, here&#8217;s what happens instead:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>They are asked to run meetings\u2026<\/strong> but the key stakeholder doesn\u2019t show up to weigh in, support, or provide corporate direction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>They collect status updates\u2026<\/strong> but aren&#8217;t told about key decisions that changed the status.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>They track the budget\u2026<\/strong> but the actual budget owners only inform them about spending after the money\u2019s gone.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>They manage the schedule\u2026<\/strong> but aren&#8217;t consulted when the scope changes (again).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>They flag a risk\u2026<\/strong> and it\u2019s dismissed until it becomes a fire.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>C&#8217;mon now. If your VP of Ops was treated this way, they\u2019d walk out or escalate to the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But for many project managers, it\u2019s just another Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>So, How Do You Empower a Project Manager?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Empowering a project manager doesn\u2019t mean giving them Jira or Asana and disappearing.<br>It means <strong>clearing the runway<\/strong> so they can actually do the job you hired them to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what that looks like in practice:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2705 <strong>Involve Them Early<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Bring them in before the kick-off. Let them pressure-test the scope, timeline, and resources <em>before<\/em> promises are made to clients or leadership. PMs can help prevent overcommitment <strong>if <\/strong>they are included early enough to say, &#8220;Yeah, that&#8217;s not gonna fly&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2705 <strong>Give Them Authority &#8211; Not Just Responsibility<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>If your PM needs three layers of approvals to escalate a blocker, you&#8217;re setting the project up to stall. Give them direct access to the people with the power to say yes, no, or \u201cnot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2705 <strong>Give them authority &#8211; not just responsibility<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>How reasonable is it to ask someone to deliver outcomes and then tie their hands? If you expect accountability, match it with authority to manage change, negotiate scope, and influence execution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2705 <strong>Loop Them Into Budget and Scope Changes<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>They don\u2019t have to <em>own<\/em> the budget necessarily, but they need visibility into what\u2019s being spent, shifted, or cut. Ditto for scope. If it\u2019s going to change the deliverables or deadlines, they need to know <em>before<\/em> it happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:40% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/diesmpowered-PM-2-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5729 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/diesmpowered-PM-2-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/diesmpowered-PM-2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/diesmpowered-PM-2-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/diesmpowered-PM-2.png 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>Imagine this: your PM walks into a stakeholder update meeting, only to learn, in real-time, that the contract was renegotiated last week, slashing half the deliverables. She\u2019s left fielding questions she never saw coming, and suddenly the PM looks unprepared. She isn\u2019t. She\u2019s just been left in the dark.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:26px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2705 <strong>Back Them Up in Front of the Team<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>When a PM sets boundaries or adjusts expectations, make sure they\u2019re not hung out to dry.  Leadership support signals that this role has teeth and isn\u2019t just there to schedule meetings and deliver bad news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2705 <strong>Treat Them Like a Peer, Not a Processor<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>According to PMI\u2019s <em>Pulse of the Profession<\/em> report, organizations that undervalue project management experience more waste, missed goals, and talent churn. A PMP is trained to manage complexity, lead through uncertainty, and drive results across teams. When you undervalue them, you\u2019re not just misusing talent, you\u2019re undermining your own project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gut Check: Is Your PM Babysitting or Leading?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick diagnostic. If your PM\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Doesn\u2019t know the real business outcome of the project<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Has no visibility into the budget or contract terms<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Needs three reminders to get someone to respond to their email<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026they\u2019re not empowered. They\u2019re babysitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019re not just wasting their skills.  You\u2019re burning time, morale, and money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Empowered Project Managers Build Better Projects (and Stronger Organizations)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the thing: most PMs don\u2019t want more control just for the sake of power.<br>They want <strong>clarity<\/strong>. <strong>Access<\/strong>. <strong>The ability to make things better<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re hiring project managers with real talent (and we hope you are), give them space to use their judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Invite them to the strategy table early.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Let them weigh in on strategy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>And when they raise a red flag, take the call seriously.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Because empowered PMs don\u2019t just hit deadlines, they spot the risks you never saw coming, build cohesion across teams, and carry the load that would otherwise fall squarely on your shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Thought: Want to Know How You&#8217;re Really Doing?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ask yourself honestly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Does your organization involve your PMs in decisions <em>before<\/em> the wheels are already in motion?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Does your project manager have access to the people, information, and resources they need?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are project managers in your organization treated like strategic partners or status-report generators?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Better yet, <strong>ask them<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cDo you feel empowered to impact the success of the projects you\u2019re leading?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>If the answer isn\u2019t a clear &#8220;yes,&#8221; that\u2019s not just a missed opportunity, it\u2019s a flashing red light on your organizational dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Empowered PMs deliver better projects.<br>Empowered PMs stick around.<br>And empowered PMs just might be your company&#8217;s superpower &#8211; if you let them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Project success requires accountability + authority. Empower your PMs. Let\u2019s say, you hired a seasoned jet pilot, but instead of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5728,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,10],"tags":[170,44,169,8,7,19,38],"class_list":["post-5700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-project-management","tag-accountability-without-authority","tag-efficiency","tag-empowerment","tag-leadership","tag-project-management","tag-project-manager","tag-project-success"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5700"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5731,"href":"https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5700\/revisions\/5731"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teresadurham.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}