PowerPoint Overhead refers to the time and effort spent transforming actual work or progress into PowerPoint presentations.
Explanation:
Often colleagues or stakeholders only appreciate information in the form of PowerPoint slides and then only in the summary form, and even worse, they may not fully review or value them.
This phrase is a somewhat cynical acknowledgment of the “lost” productivity in creating visually appealing slides rather than focusing on substantive tasks themselves. This phenomenon can be measured by tracking how many hours are devoted to drafting, reviewing, and polishing slides that, in many cases, receive minimal attention or appreciation.
Disclaimer: As always these posts are not aimed at anyone client or employer and are just my personal observations over a lifetime of dealing with both management and frontline associates.
Have you ever witnessed a moment where a team spends ages perfecting a deliverable, pouring their heart and soul into it, only to present it to a project manager or senior leader who responds with a perfunctory “Great, now next I want you to…”
I’ve seen this from both sides throughout my career, but on a previous client I watched the entire scenario unfold in real time, and recently it clicked in a new way.
When this happens, the team is often stunned at how quickly their hard work is glossed over.
The project manager, from the team’s vantage point, seems impatient, never satisfied, and always hungry for more.
I like to call this situation “Starving Project Manager syndrome.” Here’s why it happens:
Remote Progress is Invisible
In a remote or distributed work setting, project managers might not witness the day-to-day grind. They see tasks stuck in limbo and get harassed by senior stakeholders for updates. From their perspective, progress looks stagnant.
Mounting Pressure
Because nothing outwardly changes for days or weeks, the manager faces constant pressure. Stakeholders demand progress and question why tasks are still open. This increases the project manager’s anxiety and eagerness to “move the needle.”
Ravenous for Results
When the deliverable finally arrives, the project manager is “starving.” It’s as if they’ve been waiting hours at a restaurant, unaware of the intricacy of the chef’s (the team’s) cooking process. The moment that “meal” arrives, they devour it and immediately want more.
The solution lies in finding balance in communication:
Project managers should make a conscious effort to acknowledge the work done even if they don’t know the details of how it is achieved, celebrate wins, even small ones, and communicate the value of what the team has delivered.
Teams might consider providing more frequent progress updates so the project manager (and stakeholders) can see and appreciate the ongoing effort, rather than waiting until the very end.
When both sides understand each other’s perspectives, it becomes easier to manage expectations, celebrate milestones, and maintain morale.
After all, a well-fed, well-informed project manager is less likely to be impatient or “starving” for the next big deliverable, and a recognised, appreciated team is more motivated to deliver quality work.
Final Thoughts
The “Starving Project Manager” phenomenon highlights the importance of communication and empathy in collaborative work.
While it’s natural for a project manager to push for results, it’s equally vital to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of the team. By doing so, we foster a healthier work environment, one where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued.
I’ve spent most of my career working as a contractor. Early on, I moved into contracting after my second job because it offered the skill growth opportunities I wanted. Since then, I’ve accumulated around 25 years of experience as a contractor, consultant, and vendor. During that time, I only spent two years in a permanent position, and even that was something I did reluctantly.
From my perspective, whether to go permanent or remain a contractor depends entirely on what you want out of your job and your life. Below, I’ll walk through the pros and cons I’ve encountered, in the hope that it helps you make the right decision for yourself.
Why Contracting Can Be Rewarding
Varied Experience As a contractor or consultant, you often get to work with different companies, cultures, and technologies. This variety accelerates your growth and widens your skill set far more quickly than many permanent roles.
Higher Immediate Earning Potential Contractors are typically paid more on a day-to-day basis because they forgo benefits such as holiday pay, pension contributions, and company perks. If you’re comfortable managing your own benefits like pension plans and health coverage, contracting can be financially rewarding.
Autonomy Contractors can usually say “no” more easily. Well, that is not exactly right; everybody can say no, but the ramifications are not normally as extreme for a contractor. You’re not as tied to a single job, and if a project or client doesn’t fit your style, you have the option to move on even at the risk of your reputation. You also escape the often rigid performance reviews that can happen in permanent roles.
Direct Recognition In many permanent positions, outstanding work can be overshadowed by bureaucratic performance review processes, like forced ranking and “bell curves.”, this is particularly true for people that do consistently good work year on year. As a contractor, your performance is judged more on individual tangible results: if you do well, you keep the contract (or earn more); if not, you’re replaced.
Why Permanent Roles Still Appeal
Stability and Security While contractors may earn more up front, permanent employees usually have stronger legal and social protections, along with a built-in support system for pensions, benefits, and paid holidays.
Goodwill and Longevity As a permanent employee, you build a reservoir of goodwill within an organization. If you eventually slow down or need flexibility, it’s often easier to negotiate within a
long-term employment relationship. As a contractor, if you’re not “up to date” or performing at the required level, you can be let go much more quickly, and a client is right to do this after all. “Angels have no memories.”
Reduced Administrative Burden Pension plans, paid time off, training, and other HR-managed benefits are typically handled for you. If managing the “business side” of your career, taxes, insurance, finding new gigs, doesn’t appeal to you, a permanent role can be much more comfortable.
Camaraderie and Team Culture Some people thrive in a stable team environment and enjoy growing with colleagues over time. While you can build meaningful friendships as a contractor, permanents often participate more fully in corporate culture and team-building activities.
Making the Right Choice for You
Ultimately, there’s no universal “better” path, only the path that aligns with your goals, preferences, and circumstances. If someone tells you one is unequivocally better, it could mean it’s better for them (or for their organization) rather than for you.
If you value autonomy, variety, and immediate recognition for your work, and if you’re comfortable handling your own finances and benefits, contracting might be a perfect fit.
If you prefer stability, comprehensive benefits, and a long-term growth path (hopefully) within a single organization , a permanent role might suit you better.
Before you decide, take the time to:
Reflect on your career goals: Do you want variety and frequent changes of scenery, or do you want to focus on growth within a single organization?
Evaluate Your Financial Habits: Can you responsibly manage your own benefits, or do you prefer a structure where that’s taken care of for you?
Consider Your Lifestyle Needs: How important is predictability versus flexibility?
Talk to Those Close to You: Personal circumstances and family considerations can heavily influence which path is more sensible.
No one else can make this decision for you. By weighing the trade-offs honestly and thinking about what matters most to you, you’ll be more likely to choose a path that leads to satisfaction and success, whether that means going permanent or being a contractor.
“Goodyear stripes” are the tire marks left over your body when you have been thrown under a bus by someone in a work setting.
Explanation:
For those that don’t already know, to be thrown under the bus is to be named and blamed for something in a public fashion in a work environment 1.
This leaves you with mental tire marks from the experience, “Goodyear stripes” is just one of the politest ways of saying you have been betrayed in this fashion.
Disclaimer: As always these posts are not aimed at anyone client or employer and are just my personal observations over a lifetime of dealing with both management and frontline associates.
,This does not necessarily have to be your fault. It merely means that the person doing it is using you to escape blame for something[↩]
Most desktop or USB fans are dreadful examples of electronics. They are either ineffective or far worse they are incredibly noisy and vibrate a lot. If you are sharing an office with people, a noisy desktop fan is sooner or later going to lead to an assassination attempt, and as someone that runs permanently hot in all offices, I’ve always tried to use a really good, very quiet fan. For about 10 years this has been an out of date Thermatake fan.
It was their first attempt, and in my opinion their best one, its just a good quality fan with some components bolted on so it will sit on a desk and run off USB, unfortunately they replaced it with a run of the mill one that was all plastic and no fan, it made a dreadful noise and was no use at all. so I have been dreading the day when it finally gave out. I’ve tried alternatives, from good reputable brands, but they’ve always skimped on the actual fan itself, using rubbish imbalanced motors when they should have used a decent server or PC fan.
But there is a solution, when I started looking for a replacement to the Thermatake fan which had finally given out 1. I thought let’s see if I can just take a decent server fan and get a USB adapter for it. And searching like that, turns up the wonderful world of high end console cooling, these are domestic fans nearly all charged off USB and designed to be either laid against or stood next to high end consoles to help with their cooling, but as they are designed for the living room they often use good quality server fans.
This is one I’ve currently found. It works absolutely perfectly. It’s deathly silent and has two fans which makes it even better than my old one, I’ve used it in an office and can’t even hear it running. So rather than looking for desktop fans, look for console cooling fans. That will probably give you a better result and your work colleagues will thank you for it.
