In the pursuit of effective program management, organizations often sabotage their own success by making two critical errors: prioritizing technical or industry-specific experience over true project management expertise, and placing the project management function under the wrong department—most notably, sales. These missteps undermine the very foundation of the PM role, which is to lead cross-functional efforts and drive organizational coordination. Project managers, unlike technical specialists, excel in navigating complexity and unifying diverse teams without direct authority. When PMs are misaligned within the organization or hired for the wrong reasons, their potential is drastically diminished, often leading to poor outcomes and misplaced blame. Correcting these structural flaws is the first step toward realizing the true strategic value of project and program management.