Project manager or glorified secretary?
The difference is huge, and yet, in many organizations, the two roles get confused.
A project manager is the company's conductor. Not the kind who waves a baton and hopes for the best, but the one who builds trust, sets the pace, and knows exactly where the grain of sand hiding could bring everything to a halt.
Find out what leading a project really means: big-picture vision, leadership, risk management, and ownership of the collective outcome.
What's your idea of a project manager?
If, to you, that's someone who sends out invitations, keeps a tidy task-tracking spreadsheet, and writes meeting minutes and PowerPoint decks that compile information, then I think you're confusing the role of project manager with that of a secretary. And yet, in my career, I've come across — and still come across — very good project secretaries who carry the title of project manager.
Their task trackers are up to date. Meeting minutes go out. So do the invitations.
But that's where it stops.
This project checklist provides a first level of diagnosis to flag warning signs before they turn into real obstacles.
So, what's the role of a real project manager?
A project manager is someone who carries the project: giving it momentum, a rhythm, relaying direction, again and again, when people aren't sure where to go anymore; picking up on risks the moment they hear the shadow of a doubt in the voice of the quiet person who doesn't speak up much. It's the person who speaks up to defend the project's interests, and sometimes shakes things up where it's uncomfortable. It's the person who knows by heart the where, what, when, how and in what order — who holds both the big-picture vision and the granular detail of whatever's stuck.
I often like to compare the role of a project manager to that of a conductor, especially for people who don't work in fields where project managers are common (healthcare, for example) and who struggle to understand what I do.
When I was young, I didn't understand what the conductor was for; he was just standing there, waving his baton… but every musician — each an expert in their own instrument — played well. Everyone knew what to do.
So what was that guy gesturing with his back to the audience actually doing?
A project manager is a "company conductor"
As I grew up, I understood:
- that there were hours of rehearsal to reach the final result
- that during those rehearsal hours, the conductor gave extensive feedback to all the musicians, individually and collectively, to achieve a better result
- that he answered the questions he was asked
- that he's the only one who knows that this section is technically demanding for the percussion, and that the violins' timing at that exact moment becomes crucial — and he's the one best placed to act on it
- that he's the one who sets the pace and handles the unexpected on the day
- that he built the trust of a team around him, in order to produce a collective result.
And let's be clear: in my view, the conductor isn't above the orchestra — he's part of it.
The only difference from the other musicians, and it's a major one, is that the conductor is the only one on the team who carries responsibility for the collective outcome.
In summary
If you still think a project manager is a glorified secretary, ask yourself this.
In your opinion, would the role of an ideal conductor be to:
- say "Play!" at the start of rehearsal
- take notes on the remarks and questions from the various musicians during rehearsal, without intervening much
- set the next rehearsal for the following Monday at 3pm
- ask the whole room at the start of the next rehearsal, "So, did you all figure out how to handle the 4th measure for the double basses?"
Any resemblance to people you know is purely coincidental 🙂
Need an outside perspective?
That's exactly what I offer with the project audit: a quick diagnosis to identify what's missing and give you concrete recommendations.
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I hope this article gave you some clarity, and I'll see you soon to break down, in detail 10 keys to running a strong project!