Should we or should we not serve ... that is the question ... well, it
is one of many questions that should be asked. The idea of servant
leadership is to serve those they lead. So why don't we do this more and
serve those that we lead rather than manage those that we lead? There are a few
factors that we, as project practitioners, need to take on board to make this a
reality
Become a transformational leader
Rather than act in a certain way in order to gain the trust and avoid
the pitfalls of human nature, why don't we tap into the needs and values of
people and inspire them with new possibilities that raises confidence,
conviction and desire to achieve a common, moral, motivating purpose. This is
commonly referred to as a 'transformational leader' and is an core element of
servant leadership
Is this a risky method of leadership ... of course it is but the value
and result is one of empowerment rather than management. Is this worth doing
... well, that is based on the 3 characteristics of leadership: -
- Your
Environment will support transformational leadership?
- Your
People will respond to transformational leadership?
- You
will Embrace transformational leadership?
One of the key objectives
in the workshop titled ‘The NEW Skills of a Project and Programme Manager’ is to focus on the
servant leadership and develop these skills to become a leader within projects.
Create the Vision for Others
To be a servant leader, there must be a direction for people to
follow. Does lack of vision mean lack of leadership? Is it because we
lack vision? The reason is not because we don’t have a vision, it is because
the vision is cosmetic and not focused on those we lead. The vision needs to be
exciting, adapted and most importantly it can be connected with. If not, we
become a ‘transactional transformational leader’ in a management world. Yes
this is a sentence full of words, but what it means is that we may talk the
talk but not walk it.
Hear about the other factors that constitute Servant Leadership for
Project and Programme managers in my new workshop titled The NEW Skills
of a Project and Programme Manager.
