In a hierarchical organization, it’s easy for senior leaders to accidentally get in the way of junior leaders that report to them. In today’s post, Pete discusses a particularly common challenge that Project Managers face in leading their meetings – and it might be a challenge that you are unwittingly causing.
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Hey everyone—Pete here. I recently delivered a workshop on leading productive meetings, and something important came up. I was working with project managers and mid-level professionals in a construction firm, and I discovered a common issue: many of them don’t have final say over who attends the meetings they’re responsible for.
It struck me that this might be a sign of something deeper—a lack of real control over the meetings they believe they’re leading. If someone else can add participants or override attendance decisions, then the person scheduling the meeting isn’t truly leading it. That creates confusion, inefficiency, and frustration for everyone involved.
There’s a concept from the book Traction that fits here. It suggests that every responsibility in an organization should belong fully to one person, much like wearing a single hat. Only one person can wear that hat at a time. If someone else—say, an owner or senior leader—steps in to make changes or exert control, the hat gets shared. And when that happens, accountability becomes blurred.
When project leaders lose authority over their meetings, it creates delays and uncertainty. Too many voices in the room can slow decisions and reduce clarity. In high-stakes environments like construction or engineering, that lack of efficiency can have real downstream consequences for project timelines and team morale.
If you’re a senior leader, I’d encourage you to give your project leaders full ownership of the meetings they lead. That means they decide who’s in the room and how the meeting is structured. If an owner or external stakeholder wants to be involved, step in to provide air cover—communicate the value of clarity and focus to those external voices. Help protect your managers’ ability to lead effectively.
When leaders at every level are given the authority to run their meetings, they develop stronger presence, communication, and confidence. They lead more decisively, their teams operate more efficiently, and their meetings drive progress rather than confusion.
So, the takeaway is simple: let the meeting leader lead. Give them the space—and the trust—to own their hat fully.
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