Unfollow some “Roles” and Follow some “Rules”
What you will learn
Understand the various “Roles” which should be unfollowed by the Project Manager’s so they can be seen as leaders rather than executive assistants
Learn about different “Rules” to become an indispensable strategic business partner in your organization
Become the most valued employee in your organization
Get more visibility, recognition and salary raise in your organization
Description
Many organizations do not fully understand the value of Project Management. Hence, as a Project Manager, you have very little authority and made to work on trivial tasks. You might be made redundant if you do not bring any value add in your PM role, In today’s world, with more emphasis on automation, cost-cutting, agility – it is very important to show the benefits you bring to your organization or your team in the PM role
I have worked as a PM in big organizationss as well as startups. I had always felt that most of the organization do not understand the value and importance of a Project Manager. While the senior managerss see the PMs as a person to provide the status reports, the team members think that a PM is a word or an excel expert. They fail to see the value add that a PM brings in a project.
With this course, I will try to create awareness among the PMs to add value in their projects. They should become the most valueable employees in their organizations
In this course, I will talk about
– Roles which should NOT be considered as a PM role as they dilute the PM’s responsibility and authority.
– Best practices which can help you shine in the PM role and eventually make you a valuable resource in your organization.
I created this course from the webinar delivered earlier in the PMI forum.
Few Review comments on the webinar:
“Awesome insights. I loved the approach and the example showcased.”
“A good and informative presentation. your term “paper pm” fits a few that I have had to deal with in my early years.”
“What an excellent presentation, one of the best I’ve seen on coaching project management and their success. I really loved it. Thank you.”
“Very good – it’s comforting to know that so many of us struggle with the same issues. Some good tips here to help flip the script, though. Thanks, Anju!”
Content
Introduction
Reality check for Project Managers
Whom should I Unfollow?
Unfollow Administrators
Unfollow Order Takers
Unfollow a “Control Freak”
Pause & Ponder
What should I Follow?
Follow – Expert
Follow – Practice
Follow – Share
Follow – Business Partner
Epilogue
Bonus Section
Overview: Moving Beyond the “Glorified Secretary” Trap
Let’s be real for a second: most project managers are treated like expensive note-takers or high-end executive assistants. I’ve spent over a decade in the tech trenches, and I’ve seen brilliant people burn out because they were too busy chasing status updates instead of driving actual business value. The course “How to Add Value in the Project Management Role” is a wake-up call for anyone who feels like they’re just pushing buttons in a dashboard rather than steering the ship. It tackles the uncomfortable truth that being “organized” isn’t the same as being “indispensable.”
What I appreciated most about this curriculum is its focus on the psychology of the role. Instead of just teaching you how to use industry-standard tools, it forces you to audit your own behavior. Are you “unfollowing” the toxic role of the administrative middle-man? The course pushes you to pivot toward a strategic business partner mindset. It’s not just about getting a project across the finish line; it’s about understanding why that project exists in the first place and ensuring it delivers the ROI the stakeholders actually care about. If you’re tired of being the person who just asks “is it done yet?” and want to be the person who defines “what’s next,” this is the pivot point you need.
Prerequisites: Who Should Actually Take This?
While the course is marketed as beginner to advanced, I’d argue it hits hardest for those who already have a bit of dirt under their fingernails. You don’t need a massive certification prep background (like a PMP or PRINCE2) to get value here, but you do need to have experienced the frustration of a project gone sideways.
- Mid-career professionals who feel stuck in tactical execution.
- New PMs who want to build job-ready skills that go beyond basic scheduling.
- Aspiring leaders who need to understand the bridge between technical delivery and business strategy.
- Anyone who has ever felt “invisible” despite working 60-hour weeks.
Skills & Tools: Developing the Strategic Arsenal
This isn’t a course where you’ll spend hours learning the minutiae of Gantt charts or specific industry-standard tools like Jira or Monday.com. Instead, the “tools” here are mental frameworks and communication protocols. You’ll dive into real-world projects through case studies that highlight the difference between a “task manager” and a “leader.”
- Strategic Alignment: Learning how to map project milestones to company KPIs.
- Stakeholder Influence: Moving from “reporting to” a stakeholder to “advising” them.
- Conflict Resolution: Mastering the art of the “hard no” to protect project scope and team sanity.
- Visibility Frameworks: Techniques for showcasing your impact to C-suite executives to ensure career growth.
Career Benefits & Job Roles: The ROI of Being Indispensable
In the current market, “standard” project managers are a dime a dozen. If you want a salary raise or a promotion, you have to prove you’re an asset that the company can’t afford to lose. By mastering the “Rules” laid out in this course, you shift your trajectory from a standard PM to a Senior Program Manager or even a Director of Operations.
The primary benefit here is visibility. When you stop acting like an assistant and start acting like a partner, you naturally get invited to the meetings where the big decisions are made. These job-ready skills make you a prime candidate for roles like Strategic Initiative Lead or Portfolio Manager—positions that command significantly higher compensation and respect within the tech industry.
Pros: Why This Course Stands Out
- No-Nonsense Approach: It strips away the academic fluff of traditional certification prep and focuses on what actually gets you noticed in a high-pressure office environment.
- Actionable Frameworks: The “Rules” provided aren’t just vague concepts; they are daily habits you can implement immediately to change how your team perceives you.
- Focus on Soft Power: It acknowledges that the most effective PMs lead through influence, not authority, providing hands-on labs (in the form of situational exercises) to practice these interactions.
- Direct Impact on Earnings: The course specifically targets the “recognition gap,” teaching you how to quantify your value so you can walk into your next performance review with data, not just hope.
Cons: The Honest Truth
- Psychologically Taxing: This isn’t a “passive watch” kind of course. It requires a lot of self-reflection and the willingness to admit that some of your current work habits are actually holding you back. If you aren’t ready to fundamentally change how you interact with your boss and your team, the “Rules” might feel intimidating or even risky.