The Power of the Servant Project Manager: You might not have a methodology problem

It’s probably the holiday season that has me thinking of service to others in our work and other areas of life. It seems particularly around this time of year, contributing, giving, and serving become a part of our lexicon more so than at any other time. We’re reminded that each of us has something valuable with which we can serve others. And in my experience, the personnel in the #ProjectManagement and #PPM Function are in a unique position to set an example of service.

I was recently reminded of an exchange from several years ago, that conveyed an idea that I have bumped into a few times since then and that I find troubling. I was in a class that was designed to teach the foundations of a methodology that at the time had only been around for about five years. I was familiar with the methodology and had dabbled in it with other organizations, but was not yet certified. The company that I had just recently joined bought into it fully and was graciously sending many of us to class in prep for the exam.

The coach was energetic, engaging, and had clearly become an apostle of the saving grace of this methodology, but when he got to the portion of the canned training material, (generously provided by the organization selling the certifications) explaining as fact, the inability of Project Managers in a Waterfall methodology to possess a servant leadership mentality, I had to raise my hand.

By this time in my career, I had been building and leading Portfolio Management Functions for almost ten years and had been leading delivery teams in various methodologies including Waterfall, Agile, and RAD (I am going to let you look that one up) for much longer than that. Further, I had been studying and attempting to practice #ServantLeadership for longer than this particular flavor of delivery had been around. I had seen wonderful and horrible examples of what it means to be a Servant Leader, irrespective of the delivery methodology being practiced. And then there was the inconvenient truth that the concept of Servant Leadership, although not the term itself, pre-dates this methodology by a good 2000+ years; so, claiming that it had a monopoly on its practice lacked credibility.

When I offered these counterpoints, the coach assured me that the failures of these other methodologies had been well documented, my experience was tainted with a reluctance to accept these new ideas, and within the organization that I had just joined, it was evident that it was the Waterfall methodology used until recently that had led to a dogmatic, top-down delivery culture; to which I responded, “You don’t have a methodology problem. You have a leadership problem.” So, on about day five in my new company, with the dead silence in a room full of about 100 people, it was clear that I was already making friends and influencing people. Look for my book on career coaching coming out soon 😉.

There are volumes written on Servant Leadership by greater minds, greater successes, and infinitely greater examples of Servant Leadership than I will ever be. So, I will not try to do the larger topic justice in the next 200 words. For the purpose of discussion however, Robert K. Greenleaf who coined the term “Servant Leader” in his essay “The Servant as Leader” summed it up in this way, “It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead” (Greenleaf, 1970/2008). He then provides this test to see if the leadership approach being practiced is in fact Servant Leadership, “Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?” (Greenleaf, 1970/2008). For personal use, I have condensed the concept to this: a servant leader seeks and serves the best outcome for others, even above their own.

When we look at roles in an organization, the personnel of the PPM function are in a unique position to practice Servant Leadership, and the resulting impact that they can have is substantial. They have the challenge of being responsible for obtaining the value contained in the deliverables of the work efforts they manage while staying within the constraints given. Further, their role requires interaction with virtually every stakeholder and aspect of an organization, from the executive layer and business sponsors to Accounting and Finance, to Human Resources, to the Information Technology teams, to Marketing and Communications, to external vendors, and even external customers and more. They are dependent on the assistance of the teams and many of these stakeholders to deliver successfully and have little or no control over their time, priorities, or compliance. It has been my experience that in these difficult delivery circumstances, those who are most successful are those who build influence through relationships, trust, honesty, integrity, accountability, and yes, through service.

In this position and these numerous interactions and relationships, there is an incredible opportunity to exemplify Servant Leadership. As we seek the best outcome for the individuals with whom we interact, and in each situation, the best outcomes for the project, the portfolio, the organization, and even the customers emerge. By setting the example, we can encourage a mindset of Servant Leadership to grow within the company, inspiring a culture of service, built on a foundation of doing what is best for the team member and the customer. With this foundation and culture in place, the environment can begin to transform into one of high trust, high accountability, and a desire to live up to these ideals.

But even if our actions do not start an organization-wide transformation, all of those with whom we interact will see a difference in us. I can almost guarantee that those improved relationships will lead to a more enjoyable and more successful work experience. And while those in the PPM function are in a position to interact with more varied roles than most, we can all practice Servant Leadership, regardless of our role or authority. We can all have a profound impact on the culture of our organizations, and who knows, maybe even beyond. No methodology has a monopoly on the ability to be a Servant Leader.

Technology, processes, and methodologies are the easy things to transform in an organization. Culture is the hardest. If your culture seems dogmatic, self-serving, lacking integrity or accountability, or just uninspiring, I would offer that maybe you don't have a methodology problem. Maybe, you have a leadership problem. Embrace the power of #ServantLeadership. I was given a recommendation years ago and apologize to the person or author, as I do not remember where I got it. But it stuck with me, and it is something that I try and utilize. Start with something simple like beginning and ending your conversations with this sincere question, regardless of your role or whether you are speaking to the CEO or the newest, most junior member of the team; “What can I do for you?”. Then, act on the responses and look for other opportunities to serve. You’ll be amazed at the transformation you will see.

If you have questions or need help transforming your organization, building a world-class service-minded PPM function, or the tools and processes that enable it, please feel free to reach out to us. Schedule a conversation or demo, we would love to hear what we can do for you. We are happy to be of service.

Greenleaf, Robert K. (1970/2008). The Servant as Leader. The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. https://www.greenleaf.org/