Job Titles – The Beauty of Gray

I’ve held a number of functional titles in my career but the one that has probably been with me the most is Project Manager.  When I plugged that title into LinkedIn today I received over 1.5 million results, so I’m not alone which is nice.  I’m sure my definition of project manager is different than other practitioners and those that employ us.  I appreciate the leeway preferring the definition align with how I engage and operate in the context of the projects.

Obviously definitions do exist, especially since the Project Management Institute works to provide standards and advance the profession.  And, by the way, that’s not a bad thing.  But I do feel that such an ambiguous job title leads to imprecise definitions and that allows the individual to shape what being a project manager means for them which is empowering. 

I tend to use adjectives like accountable, flexible, analytical, and collaborative and nouns like leadership, foresight, facilitator, and influencer.  These words covey the importance of project management, highlight that the responsibility of managing projects should be earned based on merit, and, if they are true descriptors, lead to trust and strong professional relationships.

My conclusion is that the definition of project manager is not black and white and I’ve found that I truly appreciate the beauty of gray.