You're a Servant Leadership professional. How can you keep your projects on track?

I agree with all that was said. In addition to the items listed, I would add to hire smart and trust your associates. When you hire quality associates, trust them to get the work done. Be good to them and they will be good to the organization!

Be very clear about expectations. Tasks, timeline, communication and expectations. People need to know what's going on and when steps will happen.

In my experience, defining the vision is critical to the success of any project so that your team understands the why behind what you are trying to accomplish. As a servant leader the vision should remain fluid so that throughout the process it can be refined based upon unexpected or new information identified by team members or the leader. This requires keeping your team informed of any changes and being open to their input from beginning to end.

In my experience, guiding projects successfully often comes down to showing empathy, looking ahead, and enabling others. My role involves tuning into each team member's unique strengths and needs. By listening well and offering the right support, I hope to help them fully embrace their responsibilities within our projects. Creating a space where trust and open dialogue flourish is essential. It's important that everyone feels comfortable to speak up and share insights, which can lead to better problem-solving and more creative outcomes. We regularly review our progress openly, staying flexible to make swift adjustments when necessary.

First, a servant leader should have deep faith in their team members, valuing them as the greatest asset, in order to inspire optimal performance. It’s also important that their team members have faith in their leader's abilities and direction. Trust in a leader can bolster team cohesion and cooperation. Defining the vision is the next step.

The essence of servant leadership in delegation lies in trusting your team to perform their tasks autonomously. This means resisting the urge to micromanage. Micromanagement can undermine trust and stifle the initiative and creativity of team members. Instead, focus on providing the necessary resources, support, and constructive feedback to empower your team members. This support could include providing training, clarifying expectations, or simply being available to answer questions and provide guidance.

Using agile methodology is often my approach, that is "self organizing teams". Teams will figure out their role(s) in a natural, non-directing way. They will then segment the project into smaller, achievable segments, ensuring they align with the unique abilities, passions, and time of each team member. As a coach or "leader", we empower them to tackle these tasks independently, steering clear of over-managing. Instead, equip them with the necessary tools and support, offering constructive guidance. Promote teamwork and shared learning experiences. This method of task allocation is not just about progress; it's about empowering your team, boosting their skills, self-assurance, and commitment to the project's success.

As a leader, delegate tasks and empower your team. Ensure them that you are there to assist if they need help. Allow the project manager to track progress and make routine progress reports. Celebrate progress and accomplishments of your team.

In Servant Leadership, effective delegation is essential to keep projects on track. Begin by understanding team members' strengths, skills, and interests. Clearly communicate objectives, desired outcomes, and each member's responsibilities. Empower team members by providing autonomy within defined parameters. Foster an environment where questions are encouraged, and provide the necessary support. Regularly check progress, offer guidance when needed, and acknowledge achievements. Delegation in Servant Leadership emphasizes trust, collaboration, and mutual growth, ensuring tasks are efficiently handled while nurturing a motivated and capable team.

First and foremost, the most important aspect of a project is to be realistic about effort and time estimation, I would say. I have found this issue with startup companies, where project managers put unrealistic estimations and pressure resources to bring the project on track, often resulting in delays. Perhaps at some point, you have to do it to close the deal, but don't make it a practice. A realistic time and effort estimation not only ensures meeting deadlines on time but also ensures the quality of the product without compromising the work-life balance of the resources. Happy employees create happy clients, and a happy client brings more projects and revenue.

Information radiators and osmotic communication is key to team progress. Imagine walking into a co-located team room and seeing burnup or burndown charts - this is an information radiator that allows the team to see their actual project performance. It is also important for servant leaders to understand that the "directing" models are inefficient, rather their job is to remove impediments that may be stifling team progress. During daily standups, three questions should be asked/answered: "What did I do yesterday?", "What will I do today?" and "What impediments do I have?". As a servant leader, we must tackle those impediments for the team to ensure progress is not stifled.

Keep meetings in a healthy way, letting people report (not to you, but the team) about the general progress of any project or task. This can be done during dailies or during weeklies about certain projects.

To improve, it's key to know your current position. Monitoring projects is essential, keeping everyone informed helps maintain alignment and prevent issues. Also, identifying problems early allows for efficient resolution and time to address potential risks with a contingency plan.

In my experience is important to document decisions made through the journey. Especially teams on long term projects tend to forgot on top of which knowledge was decisions done because how time is going even knowledge base for such decisions is changing.

When you identify that progress is behind schedule, schedule a 1 on 1 and see where you can assist. You may be able to identify a roadblock or provide information to resume progress.

One of the most important fields where servant leaders must move is around unblocking problems that rely on other teams or leaders. Reducing context switching and cognitive load when someone is stuck, really helps.

If a F1 race track has a speed bump or pothole, the cars cannot maintain high speed, and the race becomes boring. If a chain on your bicycle is not well lubricated, it will be noisy, it could break soon, and some of your energy must be expended to overcome the issue. When these issues are removed, the F1 race team gets more energized for an exciting race, and the bicyclist can pour more energy into going faster. So what if the leader removed these issues - impediments that prevent the project team from performing as good as they could? The action will make the leader a servant who leads.

Creating a safe environment within a team is essential for its success. It allows everyone to feel comfortable sharing their concerns and expressing their opinions, which can reduce the likelihood of failure. Being able to identify, understand, and solve problems quickly is a sign of effective teamwork.

Create a culture where team members feel empowered to express concerns, share feedback, and propose solutions. A servant leader ensures that the lines of communication are open and that every team member's voice is valued. By fostering open communication, potential issues can be identified and addressed early on, preventing them from escalating.

As a servant leader, promptly address project issues, foster an open team culture, and actively listen to team members. Resolving challenges empowers your team to learn, grow, and enhance performance.

The better the planning, the easier to adapt the change. And change will be there always. So reserve extra time in every part of the process and be aware change will come. So choose team members that know how to adapt change and are fast thinking forward to solve any problem

Adapting to change is fundamental in both servant leadership and project management. It requires embracing flexibility, team members feel empowered when needed. Encourage open communication during transitions, ensuring everyone understands the rationale behind changes. Actively listening to concerns, providing support, and acknowledging the inherent challenges. In project management, adaptability means adjusting plans, timelines, and resources without compromising the end goal. It's about staying agile, learning from shifts, and encouraging the team to see change as an opportunity for growth. The servant leader's role is to guide the team through change with empathy, crewting a smooth adaptation process while focusing on collective goals

As a servant leader, embrace change as an opportunity for innovation and growth. Empower your team to adapt, involve them in decisions, and stay relevant, competitive, and agile. By embracing change and involving your team, you create a dynamic environment that thrives on adaptability and continuous improvement.

Change is the only constant thing. And being an agile, servant leader in fact now the scrum guide renamed it as 'true leader'. The leader should cultivate the culture of welcoming change.In order to gain that competitive edge and deliver value to the customers.

Chaos is always present, so being adaptable is one of the best-valued skills of any performance team. Do not assume that things are like they are, and get ready to make adjustments constantly

Regular, intentional appreciation is necessary at a team & an individual report level. People typically spend more hours at work than anywhere else & spend more time with their team/boss than with any other social group. Socially, people want to feel valued & included. They tend to perform better when this need is met. Praising teams for their joint efforts & individuals for their personal impact is key. No thank you is too small. Pay attention as a leader..what does each person on your team bring to the collective? One way to identify someone’s strengths is considering what type of person you would be looking for if that individual left your team (transitioned to a new role). Senior leaders should appreciate frontline regularly too!!

Acknowledging the hard work of your team members is key. Everyone is different; some people like public praise, while others prefer getting more responsibilities or rewards. What matters is that this kind of positive feedback is important for the team's success and helps everyone do better.

Be gratful for everyone in the team. It's the success of you all! Make sure everyone sees the impact of the hard work on your purpose. Be there in bad times and crises and defend your team fiercly against any attacks from whatever direction. And then celebrate important milestones! Don't forget to repeat the storys of funny things that happend during the projects but also the stories from hardship. This will strengthen your teams' culture. And then give the people the chance to grow, in your team, your organization or even outside of it. Make the success of your colleagueas visible to the upper management. This is why you're a leader. This is what you're paid for.

Keeping projects on track starts with acknowledging and appreciating the efforts of team members being one highly important aspect. By recognizing the efforts and achievements of team members, we reinforce a positive team culture and create momentum for future progress. Empowering team members by providing them with autonomy to make decisions and take ownership of their tasks fosters a sense of accountability and commitment. Recognizing that change is inevitable, encourage a culture of adaptability and flexibility within the team. Prioritize clear communication, empowerment, continuous monitoring, adaptability, and celebrating successes, we can effectively keep projects on track while embodying the principles of Servant Leadership.

Sincere appreciation. Unexpected kudos Public thanks for the efforts Are the magic spices that bust team performances The team members get energized by sincere support and recognition

Continuous Inspect and adapt cycles can also help to track the progress of agile projects.Discussing impediments daily and make it visible. Review meetings with stakeholders is also an excellent opportunity to showcase the working piece of software, which is only a measure to assess if we are on track.

Servant Leadership takes a lot of effort but is effective - very effective. But it's like anything - it's very hard when you start, but the more you do it, the more natural it will become to you. Give some good try, give yourself honest feedback and some love, and see how you and your team grow. You can do it! I know it.