Why PMs Need to Step Up as Leaders

This article is part five of a five-part series on scope creep for operations professionals. Read part one of the series here , part two of the series here , part three of the series here , and part four of the series here.

If you’re in the operations space, you probably have the gift of project management. You know how to take a project and break it down so implementation happens, and you can create reports and processes that inform others of what’s happening, when, and where.

But if you want to grow into a director of operations and take on a bigger role in any organization, if you want to charge more and earn more, you need to be a leader.

Here’s the great news: all project managers have it in them to be leaders, if they’re leveraging the right skills. Project management skills alone won’t take you to the next level because as a PM you’re likely also working in implementation. You need to get out of that mode and into the mode of leader.

Years ago, I served 8-11 clients at a time as a project manager. It was a lot. I worked outside the boundaries I set for myself and was often at my desk late into the evening. My business was out of whack until my husband kindly called me on it.

I cut my workload to four clients, then eventually to two. And with every client that I let go, I freed up bandwidth to go deeper with the clients I held onto.?

I thought that I needed to work with a lot of clients to make a big difference, but the reality was that scaling down and going deeper was the key to bigger impact.?

It seems counterintuitive, but it’s true. I was able to be a leader and strategic partner in those two clients’ businesses because I could leverage my project management skills with my leadership ability and cast those skills down to their teams and up to the CEOs.

You can do that too.

Why is it appealing to be a leader?

Adding leadership skills to your role as project manager makes the potential for your business or your career limitless. It’s an entirely new level of working and one that appeals to the women we support in the Director of Operations Certification Program .

Here are a few things you can look forward to as a leader:

• Leaders make sure that stakeholders are satisfied. As a project manager, you’re creating reports and delivering them to stakeholders. This is a valuable function. But in a leadership role, you’re delivering those reports and having conversations with the CEO about what’s in the reports and ensuring they’re satisfied with what they see.
• Leaders navigate difficult conversations. And having difficult conversations is key to creating an environment where all parties feel comfortable communicating their needs and concerns…which then helps to prevent difficult conversations in the first place.
• Leaders provide strategic and valuable solutions. In any organization, someone who has a leadership role doesn’t turn off their working brain at 5 p.m. each day (as much as we may want to). Leaders have a vested interest in the organization and their brains constantly circle around advice and feedback that will make the company better.
• Leaders ensure success. CEOs typically have great visions and they excel at their craft, but they don’t know how to lead. They need someone like a project manager who has leadership skills to create that strategic plan to make things happen.

It’s important to note that while project managers can be leaders, not all leaders have the skills to manage projects. And there’s a big difference between a project manager and a leader.

PMs are Tactical; Leaders are Strategic

Project managers are do-ers. They make sure that things get done and do some of the work themselves. Leaders can look at a vision and create a strategy and plan for that vision, bridging the gap between the CEO and the people who will do the work.

In a business of about $250k in revenue, there are a lot of implementors involved. Usually, it’s the CEO managing them. But as the business grows and develops, someone needs to lead the talent and a director of operations is that next layer.

PMs are Coordinators; Leaders Look at the Results

Someone needs to coordinate projects and ensure that all the pieces are happening. And while the CEO is concerned with the end result, they may not know how to get there. A leader can come in and determine whether the process will bring about the desired results and, if not, how to tweak things to ensure the CEO gets the results they want. They see the big vision and what is needed to get there.

PMs Give Feedback; Leaders Get to the Source

Feedback is important in any project and PMs are able to report on what got done as well as what didn’t and why. They can produce a report that shows the end result of the project. But a leader can also provide that feedback…and go to the source to do something about it. When we have places of opportunity within a team, leaders know how to navigate that and ensure that the project and organization continue to move forward.

If you’re working in the project management space and you know you have more to give the clients you’re working with, it might be time to use those innate skills and start incorporating more leadership in your work. This will allow you to increase the return you get in your business, whether that return is in gratitude, working the right hours, increasing your income, or something else entirely.

You owe it to yourself and your clients to do the work and show up as the leader you are.

We offer four to six cohorts of the Director of Operations certification each year and you’re invited to find out more information. Join us in the Ops Insiders Facebook group so you’re one of the first to know when we open the doors again or apply now for the next round .