During my college days, my perception of project managers across various industries was limited to these rosy benefits – fat salaries, key decision makers, widely respected and recognized, and greater authority.
I used to think that managers have all the powers within the organization; they do less work and pass instructions to subordinates who get the job done. They can hire and fire people when they want.
In other words, for me, managers were as powerful as business owners, or even more in cases where the former enjoys the ultimate authority to make critical business decisions.
As I gained experience in work life, I discovered that if project managers enjoy all the alluring perks, it’s because they work for it.
I witnessed many instances where, if things went well, the manager shared the credit with the team, and in case of failures, all guns pointed towards a single figure (you know who).
This article is composed with the sole intention of informing readers, many of whom are aspiring managers, about all the good and worst things about being a project manager in today’s competitive business age.
And the idea is not to demotivate you by any means but to create awareness about the challenges in the path of a project manager. It will help you better understand the complete picture and prepare accordingly to overcome such obstacles.
After all, smooth seas never make for good sailors.
Before we discuss the good and the bad of being a project manager in length and breadth, you might want to know about their roles and responsibilities.
Let’s dig in!
Who Are Project Managers?
Project managers are certified professionals responsible for efficiently planning and executing projects to ensure successful completion and delivery.
They use their expertise in the project management domain to oversee and guide the project team at every stage, guide, and drive them towards achieving project goals.
Project managers lead teams, define goals, communicate with clients and stakeholders, and see a project through to its closure.
Being A Project Manager – The Best Parts
I have mentioned earlier in the article that project managers have plenty of things to cheer about this leadership position. Great payouts, a bigger say in key decision-making, and the profession itself is in high demand.
Let’s take a look at some of the best parts of this productive career field.
Major Role In Decision-Making
Human beings yearn for more power. Nothing boosts your confidence like shaping and making crucial decisions for people you lead; decisions that have a positive impact on your team members and the organization.
Holding a managerial position means you get to play a major role in decision-making and your opinion gets more weightage as compared to individual contributors. By involving team members in decision-making, managers can build a strong, cohesive, and collaborative team.
Good decision-making is an essential leadership skill that competent managers can use to:
- Setting goals for individuals and groups
- Setting the right work expectations
- Establish trust with employees
- Reduce conflicts
- Minimize damage in emergency situations
- Save time and improve workplace productivity
| What Project Managers Say: “Truly successful decision making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking.” |
Working With People From Diverse Backgrounds
Do you know that 69% of executives rate diversity and inclusion as an important issue?The popular trend of remote work has made companies hire from a wider pool of talent across the globe. As a result, project managers have the opportunity to build a diverse team of well- qualified professionals from different nationalities and cultural backgrounds.
While some may see this as a challenge, other managers view this as an opportunity to bring in different talents together, with all of them collaborating towards common goals using their unique, individual experience, knowledge, and skills. They bring unique perspectives and vision to your project as you get an opportunity to share knowledge with others and vice versa.
Cultural diversity in the workplace helps managers to:
- Use different, unique perspectives for faster problem-solving and bright ideas for the benefit of the team and company
- Fuel creativity and innovation
- Create an inclusive environment where everyone feels safe, motivated, and free to express themselves
- Improve employee engagement as people learn about each other’s lifestyle and cultures
| What Project Managers Say: “The greatest benefit of a culturally diverse workplace is that there are plenty of fresh, unique ideas pouring in from all directions”. |
Great Earning Potential
Who doesn’t want to earn big in today’s age where you have to pay a good price to enjoy good things in life? And the bottomline is that project managers take fat salary checks home, and they should because they have skills to shoulder additional responsibilities.You get paid more because your expertise helps companies save more as 1 in 6 IT projects has a cost overrun of 200%.
The average salary for a project manager in the US is $93,284. It can vary depending on the industry, company, experience, and skills you have. When people feel they are well-paid and rewarded, they naturally are more motivated to work harder to achieve individual, team, and organizational goals.
Higher salaries enable managers to:
- Work with more zeal to achieve the best results for their organization
- Get a better understanding of how their performance affects their pay
- Enjoy high levels of financial well-being
| What Project Managers Say: “ If you’re paid well for your job then you have many reasons to be more satisfied, engaged, and motivated.” |
Employee Development
75% of companies (hoping yours org is not one of them) struggle with overwhelmed employees and managers have a crucial role to play in this regard. You can help others at work by trying to understand the challenges they’re facing at work and help them to be more efficient and productive at work while enjoying a fine work-life balance.
Managers get the golden opportunity to help others grow in their respective job roles by enabling them through on-site training, providing the right tools & technology, constructive feedback, and encouraging 2-way communication.
Employee Granting your subordinates more autonomy makes everyone engaged, proactive, and work harder to achieve common goals. Supporting and empowering them to exceed their potential is one of the main benefits of being a project manager.
Employee growth and development opportunities enable managers to:
- Grant more autonomy to subordinates so they can work with a sense of freedom
- Create and set of rules at work to ensure improved productivity while cutting down on time wastage and distractions
- Evaluate an employee’s areas of improvement and the best actions for it
- Retain the best talent by providing them ample opportunities for growth
| What Project Managers Say: “The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.” |
Career Growth Opportunities
Taking on a management role paves the way for prorgressive career growth opportunities as you get exposure to working in different environments and work situations. Many organizations offer professional development courses to help managers learn and develop new skills in this dynamic industry.
It’s true that as compared to other job roles, organizations prefer offering formal professional development opportunities to managers. Continuous learning enables managers to stay updated with all recent developments within the industry and be a more effective and expert leader.
Career advancement opportunities enable managers to:
- Upgrade their skills to be more efficient in their job role
- Fully utilize their capabilities for their organization
- Create a clear career path
- Share their knowledge with others to help them grow
| What Project Managers Say: “Success in learning requires learning as fast as the world is changing.” |
Identify Your Leadership Style
For me, this is probably the best part of being a manager even though it’s ranked sixth in this list!
When you don the role of a manager, you get the opportunity to figure out what type of leadership style (authoritative, delegative, transformational, participative, transacional ) you are cut out for. Also, you find out how that particular leadership style impacts your subordinates.
Some factors that influence your leadership style are – your personality traits, working environment, the personalities of your team members, and organizational goals. You can compare different leadership styles and choose which one suits you best.
Identifying the leadership style enable managers to:
- Be more flexible dealing with different people and situations
- Determine how your leadership style impacts the people you lead
- Match your style to workplace dynamics to accomplish goals more efficiently
| What Project Managers Say: “You cannot stick to any particular leadership style. The key to success as a manager lies in switching effortlessly from one style to another.” |
Being A Project Manager – The Worst Parts
Just like everything else in life, being a project manager has its downsides too. There are noteworthy benefits that attract people to this profession, but the ride as a project manager can be bumpy too.
For aspiring project managers, it’s important to understand some stressors that are a routine part of this profession.
Showing People The ‘Exit’ Door
Telling an employee that the organization does not require your services anymore is one of the most difficult tasks for managers. In fact, some companies even hire the services of termination companies to handle this tough situation. So, you can understand a sea of emotions that managers go through when showing the exit door to an employee.
To make this emotionally taxing process a bit easier on yourself, you can take the following steps:
- Give adequate opportunities to low-performing employees to improve their work performance
- Make sure the particular employee can foresee the hiring. If they are not meeting your expectations, you should let it know immediately
- During actual firing, get straight to the point and explain the reasons behind the decision
| What Project Managers Say: “The termination discussion should be as brief as possible. Your tone should be calm and assertive.” |
Handling Conflict Between Multiple Employees
It is true that leadership and conflicts go together and some sort of disagreements between employees are bound to happen. Workplace conflicts, if not managed effectively on time, can disrupt business operations, impact productivity, and damage a thriving culture that is built over the last few months or years.
While managers need not get involved in every conflict that arises, you should keep a close eye on the proceedings and intervene if things appear to get out of control.
Here are a few useful tips to help you address and resolve workplace conflicts in a healthy and peaceful way.
- Recognize conflict and decide when to intervene
- Do less talking, listen attentively to understand the causes of disagreement
- Confront issues in an empathetic way
- Analyze participants’ proposed solutions as well as yours as an objective party
- Reach the final solution and make sure both parties are satisfied
| What Project Managers Say:“Conflict resolution doesn’t necessarily have to end in agreement. Sometimes, it’s best to agree to disagree, respectfully.” |
The Struggle Against Burnout
According to a survey, employees who feel unsupported by managers are 70% more likely to experience burnout. As workplace burnout becomes more common, the onus is on managers to help employees find the right work-life balance through smart task allocation and effective employee engagement activities.
Hectic work schedules and relentless pressure to meet looming deadlines makes managers work overtime and compromise their personal space and time. As a result, they end up risking their personal well-being while burning themselves out. Overworking by managers also sets unrealistic examples for employees.
Main causes of burnout are:
- Setting unrealistic deadlines
- Stress due to dire consequences for failures at work
- Feeling restricted and inability to exercise personal control at work
- Taking more work than one can handle
| What Project Managers Say: “The root causes of burnout boil down to excessive workload, working for too long, and not having enough resources to do the work properly.” |
High Employee Turnover
It’s becoming increasingly difficult for managers to retain top talent. Losing a salaried employee can cost companies 6 to 9 months’ salary on average to fill in the replacement. Not only that, every time someone leaves, they take with them their skills, knowledge, and unique personality that is irreplaceable.
Only 15% of American employees would NOT leave their current job for any reason. Post Covid-19, employees’ outlook and preferences towards their job has changed significantly. More and more people are preferring to work for companies that allow more flexibility and offer additional perks.
Want to retain your best performers? Check out these tips and hope for the best.
- Encourage two-way communication
- Offer flexible work schedules
- Appreciate and recognize good performers
- Offer an array of perks and benefits
- Invest in employee training and development
| What Project Managers Say: “Managers are not the only reason why employees leave, but they can contribute to their decision to stay.” |
What Are The Roles And Responsibilities Of A Project Manager?
The term “project manager” is so comprehensive that it can include various things, depending on the type of business and industry. So, what are the roles and responsibilities of a project manager?
A PWC report says that 97% of organizations in the United States believe that the project manager role is crucial to business performance and organizational success.
Below are five roles and responsibilities generally associated with a high-level project manager.
1. Planning
A project manager creates a plan to achieve the project’s objectives while adhering to the allocated timeline and budget. This plan or blueprint defines the steps to drive the project from the start to completion. The project plan includes the following elements:
- Project scope
- Required resources
- Estimated time and budget
- Communication strategy
- Execution and documentation plan
- Proposal for follow-up and maintenance
2. Timeline management
Completing tasks on time is crucial to the timely delivery of projects. Smart time management is one of the essential leadership skills that any skilled project manager should possess.
Project managers should communicate the project deadline with team members and set time estimates for different tasks to be completed. An intelligent time tracking tool can help project managers and their teams have complete time data of how much time is spent on what task.
3. Team management
Project managers are responsible for organizing teams and steering them towards an outcome. It means understanding every team member’s unique skills, clearly communicating expectations, assigning them to the right tasks, setting deadlines, providing resources, and tracking every member’s progress.
4. Technology integration
In the era of online tools and remote work, more and more organizations are utilizing technology to make their employees work smarter and more efficiently while monitoring their progress. Therefore, project managers need to incorporate the latest technology into business processes to enhance team collaboration, streamline workflows, and encourage transparency as everyone stays on the same page.
5. Performance tracking and analysis
Project managers need to monitor the progress of tasks as well as individuals to ensure projects stay on track. They have to identify potential bottlenecks and take corrective action in time as well as check who’s doing what; if the work is being done within estimated time. Again, using the right work management tools is the key to get valuable insights into your team performance.
How Leaders Can Encourage A Better Management Experience?
While managers enjoy more power, authority, perks and benefits, leaders should remember that managers also need support from the organization to go about their roles effectively.
People managers are humans too; they have their anxieties, insecurities, and personal struggles. Like managers are expected to take care of their teams and guide them towards success, leaders should make efforts to ensure a better management experience through following actions:
Communicate To Managers Your Organization’s Mission And Vision
Leaders should clearly communicate the organization’s vision and mission to managers and how the former wants their brand to be perceived by potential and current customers, employees, and applicants.
Here’s how leaders can support managers to convey their brand message:
- Provide a detailed information on the company’s history, the purpose of inception, its vision and mission, and how you want people to perceive the brand
- Communicate your company’s vision through compelling storytelling
Embrace Skill And Confidence Building For Managers
According to research, as people gain power, they lose their ability to accurately assess a situation and relate to the people’s problems at workspace or in personal lives.
Here are some tips for leaders to help managers in this regard:
- Offer training courses to managers for personal interaction skills with subordinates and recognize one’s impact on others’ emotional states
- Encourage mindfulness and self-awareness to address the loss of empathy
Choose Managers With Innate Leadership Traits
Choosing a manager with natural leadership skills can make it easier for organizations to further hone their skills to help them be more effective in their job role.
Here are some tips for leaders to choose the best man for the job:
- Measure innate tendencies, key experiences, and proficiencies
- Don’t make management a default reward job for high performance as not everybody is cut out for the job
Adopt Formal Mechanisms That Strengthen The Right Behaviors
Leadership behaviors can change only when employee satisfaction becomes an integral part of the company’s performance evaluations.
Here’s how leaders can reinforce the right leadership behaviors:
- Adopt continuous learning and coaching for managers
- Praising and promoting the best managers
The Bottom Line
There is a high demand for project managers across various industries that require skills and expertise to register substantial business growth. While project management has a vast scope and promises a financially lucrative job along with an array of growth opportunities in the industry, there are some formidable challenges to deal with.
Yes, project management can be complex, but it’s extremely fulfilling and rewarding when everything you’ve planned and executed ultimately clicks.
Go ahead, take challenges head on and enjoy all the benefits that project management has to offer to you.
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