For all of the times that PMI writings suggest that the days of “command and control” are over, they are very much present within an organization in thrall to a CEO who knows little about project management without extensive hand holding, and even less about interpersonal skills with people he has decided don’t serve him. I hope that we ultimately arrive at a point of hiring an experienced CEO with both a PMP (before she joins the org) and an understanding of the PMI community, but that certainty hasn’t been the case for the last two leaders for the organization. My primary piece of advice to new hires meeting Pierre is to be sure to memorize the anodyne 5 cultural values if you might potentially interact with him socially, or risk being called on the carpet for not having them committed to memory. (And for some real fun, ask a member of his staff which headshot of his is approved for usage. Rely on the one on the PMI website at your peril depending on his mood that week.)
An organization is in obvious disarray when it’s had no less than 5 formal or acting CEOs within 5 years. A review of our financial statements is instructive. The net result has been an organization with what should be a fairly straightforward purpose - provide a place for project managers to learn from one another and grow in their careers - to undergo a severe identify crisis, veering wildly from being all things to all people to espousing “getting back to basics” while still chasing after every buzzword in todays corporate landscape, from ESG to GenAI to whatever will be next in the pages of Business Insider. Meanwhile, every stray idea that one of the revolving CEOs throws out in a meeting is quickly gospel, whether it’s trying to jam-horn into research reports the idea that organizations need to focus on becoming “gymnastic” in 4 easy steps or redefining core PMI concepts like its Talent Triangle framework - with accompanying implications for chapters and PDYs - when a chief executive feels like it.
It’s an open secret - and actually sort of oddly endearing at times - that an organization devoted to project management is such a dumpster fire when it comes to everything from clearly defining its product portfolio to agreeing on core messages to simply making sure enough people can access a Zoom meeting. It truly doesn’t need to be this chaotic. Or this mean spirited.
