“I Hate Working with Project Managers.” Yeah… I Get It. AND I’m a PMO Manager!
I hear it more than I’d like: “Ugh. I hate working with project managers.”
And honestly? Sometimes I nod along a little.
Because when you peel it back, it usually comes down to one (or both) of these:
1) You wasted their time
Either:
You asked them to do something that added zero value
orIt did have value… but you never explained the why
So to them? It felt pointless.
2) You made it painful
You showed up:
Rigid
By-the-book
Speaking fluent PMP acronym soup
Dropping phrases no actual human uses in real life
…and expected people to just… engage? Yeah. No.
My Philosophy (aka: Don’t Be That PM)
If it doesn’t add value — don’t do it
And definitely don’t ask other people to do it.
Every single thing in a project should do something:
Unblock someone
Drive a decision
Mitigate a risk
Move the work forward
If it doesn’t?
Why are you doing it?
Is it because:
“That’s what good PMs do”
It’s on some checklist
It exists in a PMI template somewhere
That doesn’t make you a strong PM.
That makes you a time waster.
And bluntly?
If that’s your style… I probably don’t like working with you either.
This isn’t about cutting corners.
It’s about being intentional.
Spending your time — and everyone else’s — on what actually matters.
Meetings: The Ultimate Time Audit
I have a habit.
When I’m in a bloated meeting where no one’s talking, I start doing math in my head: “Okay… 10 people… 1 hour… average salary…”
Cool. We just burned through $X of company money for… what exactly?
So here’s the bar:
Only invite people you actually need
Everyone knows why they’re there
Everyone knows what you need from them
Drive the conversation to that outcome — every time
Everyone else? They can be informed after.
If you do this consistently:
People show up
People pay attention
People engage
Because they know: If you invited them, it actually matters.
And for the Love of All Things… Speak Like a Human
Please. I’m begging you.
Stop with:
“Let’s circle back and align on the cross-functional synergies…”
“We need to operationalize the stakeholder engagement model…”
“Per PMI standards…”
“The connective tissue between” this is like nails on a chalkboard to me.
I promise you — no one is impressed.
Actually… I have a jargon bingo card in my head during those meetings. And you’re helping me win.
Talk like a normal person. Clear. Simple. Direct.
This isn’t a job interview.
This is how you get work done with other humans.
Be… Likeable (Yes, It Matters)
You know what helps projects move faster? People liking you.
Not in a fake, forced way. Just… be human.
Start meetings with 1–2 minutes of actual conversation
Ask how someone’s day is
Joke a little
Be self-deprecating
Bring some energy
Everyone is drowning in back-to-back meetings that should’ve been emails.
No one wants to join:
Stuffy
Boring
Confusing
Overly “professional”
That’s how you create friction.
That’s how you create delays.
But when people know:
You won’t waste their time
You’re clear
You’re actually enjoyable to work with
They’ll:
Show up
Lean in
Do what you need
Not because they have to. Because they want to.
The Bottom Line
Being a great project manager isn’t about:
How many artifacts you produce
How well you quote frameworks
How “official” you sound
It’s about:
Making smart decisions about where time is spent
Creating clarity
Driving progress
And being someone people actually want to work with
Because when nothing catches fire? That wasn’t luck.
That was good project management.
(Even if no one notices… except the people who’ve worked with the bad ones.)
