There is a growing divide between senior leaders and project managers.  Senior executives view project management as administrative overhead; project managers view senior leaders as disinterested.  Who’s right?

 Depending upon your position, the view varies; senior leaders drive the business plan from a high level; project managers toil in the details to execute the plan.  Neither party wants to know the intimate details of what goes on behind their respective closed doors—so long as the Plan is successfully delivered.

 The only way to bridge the gap between senior executives and project managers is to have both sides agree they are fighting for the same cause:  successful delivery of a strategic vision.  The sooner both sides come to a truce, the sooner they can move on, respectfully acknowledging the plan cannot be delivered unless both sides fulfill their respective roles.

 Senior leaders can get a lot better at recognizing the valuable contributions of their project managers.  After all, projects will never be completed without the dedicated efforts of disciplined project managers.  Seniors leaders, hear this --  Project Managers are the most valuable members of any management team!  They deliver the goods, time in and time out, to support the successful evolution of your organization.  When was the last time you really recognized their efforts in a real and meaningful way?

 Project managers, let it go; senior leaders will never really appreciate the daily battles you endure.  Senior leaders are not trained project managers; they don’t like the details nor should they ever get into the details.  Senior leaders need to know enough about project management to fulfill their sponsor roles and to effectively guide stray projects back on track. 

 When each side respectfully acknowledges both sides play an integral role in supporting the business plan, we can refocus our energy on what’s import:  Delivering the Plan.

Lisa DiTullio, Principal, Lisa DiTullio & Associates, www.lisaditullio.com