A humble vision
ADVISORY
By Alfonso Bucero, PhD
International Correspondent & Honorary Global Advisor
Madrid, Spain
A project management career is not built only by earning certifications, learning new tools, or managing increasingly complex projects. A project management career is built by becoming a better professional—and a better person—one project at a time. After decades working with project managers and writing about project leadership, influence, sponsorship, and success, I have learned that career development is a continuous journey of experience, reflection, relationships, attitude, and learning. I practice the sentence “You could be my teacher” every day, try to learn something new, and look for opportunities to share those lessons with peers, colleagues, and friends worldwide.
Here are seven principles I recommend to every project manager who wants to grow.
- Don’t manage projects—develop yourself
Your projects are your classroom. Every difficult stakeholder, unexpected change, conflict, failure, and successful delivery allows you to learn something about project management—and about yourself. Listen to your team members’ and other stakeholders’ opinions, and learn from them.
Ask yourself after every major project:
What did I learn? What would I do differently next time? What capability did I develop?
Experience becomes valuable only when we reflect on it. Be strict about doing that; it is worth it. Nobody is perfect, and we can all reflect on what we have done. Focus on the positive side, and you will gain enough strength to dedicate some time to the negative.
- Develop influence, not just authority
The most effective project managers understand that they rarely have enough formal authority to make everything happen. They need to influence sponsors, customers, team members, peers, suppliers, and senior executives. My work on The Influential Project Manager emphasizes the importance of understanding people before trying to influence them. Your career will accelerate when you learn to listen, communicate, negotiate, build trust, and adapt your approach to different people.
- Build a strong relationship with your project sponsor
A project manager should not see the sponsor as simply the person who approves the budget. A good sponsor is a strategic partner. Learn how to communicate bad news early, provide meaningful information, understand the business context, and ask for the support you really need.
I believe that strong project managers manage the project. Great project leaders also manage the relationship with the sponsor.
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How to cite this work: Bucero, A. (2026). How to Develop Your Project Management Career – A humble vision, advisory, PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue IX, September. Available online at: https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pmwj168-Sep2026-Bucero-Develop-Your-PM-Career.pdf
About the Author
Alfonso Bucero, PhD
Madrid, Spain
Alfonso Bucero, Ph.D., CPS, ACE, PMP, PMI-RMP, PfMP, SFC, IPMO-E, PMI Fellow, is an International Correspondent and Contributing Editor for the PM World Journal in Madrid, Spain. Mr. Bucero is also the founder and Managing Partner of BUCERO PM Consulting. Alfonso was the founder, sponsor, and President of the PMI Barcelona Chapter until April 2005 and belonged to PMI’s LIAG (Leadership Institute Advisory Group). He was the past President of the PMI Madrid Spain Chapter and then nominated as a PMI EMEA Region 8 Component Mentor. Alfonso was a member of the PMIEF Engagement Committee.
Alfonso has a Computer Science Engineering degree from Universidad Politécnica in Madrid and a Ph.D. in Management from the ISM University. He has 39 years of practical experience and is actively advancing the PM profession in Spain and Europe. Alfonso received the PMI Distinguished Contribution Award on October 9, 2010, the PMI Fellow Award on October 22, 2011, and the PMI Eric Jenett Excellence Award on October 28, 2017. You can contact Mr. Bucero at alfonso.bucero@abucero.com.
To see other works by Alfonso Bucero, visit his author showcase in the PM World Library at https://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/alfonso-bucero/
