I went into Nicola Benjamin’s article The Unwritten Rule of Project Management: It’s Not About Performance, It’s All About Power with an open mind. I came out of it with a very clear what the fuck is she talking about feeling.
(original article provided at the end of this post – maybe you should read that first, then come back to the top.)
I’m about to go H.A.M. on this shit. You ready?
I had to sit with that feeling, and then it hit me, Benjamin’s delusional. What’s bothering me most is the hypocrisy. She’s not wrong about power dynamics, but she sells the whole thing like it’s a leadership tip instead of a confession of complicity and collusion.
If power is the real currency and performance doesn’t matter, then let’s go all in and abolish performance metrics.
Oh, here’s a better idea: how about we dismantle the corporate structures that make proximity to power more important than actual work?
Benjamin writes: “…a recent article I came across, reinforced my long-held beliefs, arguing that power, and not performance, is the true currency of influence within an organization.”
Translation: she’s known for a long time that this is the game. And instead of flipping the script, she’s teaching you how to play.
I’m not here for that. I’m here for truth, transparency, and accountability.
How ’bout we grow the fuck up and stop treating corporate life like a high school popularity contest?
Here’s my take on the three lessons Benjamin offers: (FYI: the extra bullets are readability space because I can’t add spacers in a list block. Nothing’s missing.)
- Identify the Real Decision-Makers: If Benjamin spent years confusing job titles for authority, I’d question her ability to build, action and maintain a proper stakeholder matrix.
- Yes, relationships matter, especially those you build while working with the client, but not because we need to kiss ass to protect our work.
- The idea of building a relationship with someone because you need something feels hollow. And people can see through that shit.
- If project success depends on invisible power structures, then your project selection process is broken.
- Master the Art of Context and Framing: No argument here.
- Metrics are only part of the storytelling. Just don’t act like you’re giving me revolutionary advice.
- Oh, but wait … didn’t you tell me performance is irrelevant? So why are we suddenly pretending it matters enough to “frame” it for stakeholders?
- And this gem doesn’t make sense, “… Does the CFO care about the project timeline, or the return on investment? ”
- The CFO most definitely cares about the timeline, because if it slips, it costs more money. How far are you eating into contingency, assuming you even have one?
- And return on investment happens after the implementation, not during standard reporting.
- You can have an ROI formula and when you expect to see it, but you can’t report on it until after the project is delivered. And in most cases, the PM is onto another project – they won’t be the ones tracking ROI, that’s likely an account management role.
- Throwing that term in here makes it sound like you’re performing expertise, not demonstrating it. Benjamin, do you know what you’re talking about?
- Leverage Your Allies Strategically: Once again, if you’re pushing a project alone, I have to ask: why was it greenlit in the first place?
- And this line, “Building reciprocal relationships and informal alliances is not about playing politics.” Bitch is you crazy!?
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- How is that not political? You’re describing power brokering, but branding it as collaboration.
- Worse, you’re telling me to accept these unwritten rules as if they’re noble hurdles instead of systemic cesspools.
After describing a system that rewards proximity over performance, Benjamin closes with a plea for ethical leadership and collaborative positivity.
It is not about being underhand, unethical or Machiavellian. I am not advocate for creating toxic environments. I want my teams to be happy and to thrive on the positivity that is collaborative working,
Get the fuck outta here!
The environments you’re describing, with information hoarders and EAs who guard calendars like state secrets, where backchannel dealers decide outcomes before meetings even start, and opportunities are handed out like party favours to the inner circle, are already toxic.
Now for the best part. This is my list. I’m burning the old playbook and writing a new one. Unplugged, with a playlist for every mood.
1. Build a Safe and Transparent Culture
Unwritten rules are inherently unfair. Please don’t ask me to navigate them. AND … Don’t pretend performance doesn’t matter in a data and metrics-obsessed world.
Don’t just pair me with a mentor. Pair me with someone who will go to bat for me, open doors, and not just tell me how to knock. Measure my success by the same criteria you use for everyone else.
And while we’re at it, stop pretending “sink or swim” is a leadership style. Some folks get floaties and quiet coaching; the rest of us are tossed into the deep end and blamed for drowning.
If psychological safety is critical, why do people get punished for asking the “wrong” questions, or daring to rip open the damn envelope?
If your culture runs on whispers and guesswork to get on the freedom train, you telling me it’s there is not transparency, it’s exclusion by design.
Exit Strategy Playlist for when it’s time to get the fuck outta Dodge, and you’re a soldier in the done-and-dusted-motherfucker Army.
You’ve survived the gaslighting, dodged the landmines, and now it’s just a victory lap out the door. Slam it if you feel like it, but leaving it open as an invite to others is better.
- Take This Job and Shove It (up your stinkin’ ass) – Johnny Paycheck
- Irreplaceable – Bey (works for leaving a shitty job too)
- My Power – Nija, Bey, et al.
- Hit the Road Jack – Ray Charles
- Break My Soul – Bey
- Freedom – Bey, Kendrick
- Truth Hurts – Lizzo
- Loyal – Chris Brown (replace “hoes” with “orgs.” And yes, you can have a life after being cancelled, or fired.)
2. Unbias the Workplace
Are we choosing projects because of salad tossing or someone’s golfing with the CEO on weekends, or because they’re aligned with strategy? If it’s any of the former, I don’t want in.
Select projects based on merit and how they serve the organization’s goals. When the goals are clear to everyone, good ideas don’t need backdoor sponsors; they rise from the right people for the right reasons.
Make the selection process visible. If alignment is real, make it traceable. Show me who’s in the room, what criteria they’re using, and how the decisions are made. This isn’t just a job to me; my career matters. It should matter just as much to you, too.
Feelin’ Yourself Playlist for when you know you’re the Shit and you’re a soldier in the bitch–I-am-the-performance-review Army.
You’re not waiting for permission, validation, or a seat at the table. You are the table, and everybody knows it.
- Feelin’ Myself – Nicki Minaj, Bey
- All I Do Is Win – DJ Khaled
- I’m Every Woman – Chaka Khan or Whitney Houston
- Trophies – Young Money, Drake
- Survivor – Destiny’s Child
- Cozy – Bey
- Champion – Buju
- Crazy – Doechii
- My House – Bey
- Formation – Bey
- Everybody Mad – O.T. Genasis
- Bodak Yellow – Cardi
- Savage Remix – Megan Thee Stallion, Bey
3. Unmask Institutional Favouritism Disguised as Strategy
Be clear about promotion criteria. Define and agree on project success upfront. Too often, performance metrics get overruled by gut feelings and “executive presence,” which is corporate code for: “Since you’re not white, male, tall, cishet, and able-bodied, you can’t be an executive.”
Sponsorship and mentorship are not the same thing. Advice is helpful, but advocacy changes careers. Give me someone who will go to bat for me and speak my name in the rooms where decisions are made.
And stop with feedback systems that go nowhere. You collect 360s and pulse surveys like Pokémon cards, but nothing changes. Not the policies, not the biases, not the power hoarding.
Visibility inflation is real. We reward people for being seen, not for doing the work that keeps the place running. If promotion requires visibility, maybe ask why some people remain invisible no matter how brightly their work shines.
Uphill Battle Playlist for when the climb is steep and you’re tired as fuck, but you’re a soldier in the I’m-so-sick-of-this-bullshit Army.
You’re bruised, maybe limping, but you’ve still got fight in you, and you know damn well you didn’t come this far just to come this far. You get me!
- Champion – Kanye
- Float – Janelle Monáe
- Eye of the Tiger – Survivor
- Johnny – Yemi Alade
- Titanium – David Guetta, Sia
- Sing About It (or write a poem) – The Wood Brothers
- Rise Up – Andra Day
- Glorious Miles – Sobek, PALMFooD
- Started From the Bottom – Drake
- Unstoppable – Sia
We shouldn’t be publishing articles like Benjamin’s. If you can name the informal power, you can change it. Or at least act like you want to instead of feeding me this slop.
Stop teaching people how to survive in a system designed to exclude, and start rebuilding the system itself.
I could have toned this down, but I’m an Angry Black Woman right now. And rightfully so. Not the caricature or stereotype you joke about. The furious
- because-I-give-a-shit type.
- because-I-know-I ’ve-earned-better-even-without-recognition type.
- because-you’re-telling-me-shit-that-don’t-make-sense type.
- because-everyone-should-be-outraged-by-this-stupid-fuckin-article type.
That’s the type of Angry Black Woman I am right now. And rightfully so.
If only I could comment on that article I would. I had some of my life examples but this piece is hella long, so I pulled them out for another time. At least my SEO bot is happy.
Feature Image by Wilhan José Gomes wjgomes from Pixabay
© 2025 Samantha Williams. All Rights Reserved.
The Original Article:
