Interweaving Culture into your Project Management Style

I currently work full-time for Helen Keller International. It’s interesting and beguiling work to be sure. What I have sought in my free-time however are other ways I can contribute meaningfully to the society I find myself working in. 

Well, I already work for an NGO. What I found to be even more fulfilling however was spending my free-time assisting other local organizations who in turn serve their local communities.  While there are many times financial aspects to what a person can contribute I have found there are several other ways to give of yourself that won’t come as news to many other people who do this regularly. More often than not these organizations are asking me to be a public speaker at some of their festivals or public functions. Speaking to their own staff also exposes them to outside influences, different topics of learning and meanwhile I get to learn more about what local planners prioritize and why. It does provide you a keener understanding of how the local population understands the view of it’s own world. That’s a mighty perspective for the visitor who will only ever be a guest or visitor seemingly at best but still wants to make some form of meaningful contribution beyond the usual monetary gifts. Often they are looking for other example and style of leadership or process improvement. Their interest in specific topics informs the us what stage or level their organization is but also, as mentioned earlier, where their priorities are and what shaped them.

I think at the heart of the consummate professional is a desire or wish to be better than they were the day before. It calls upon a gift that we sometimes lose with age and that’s flexibility. With that flexibility comes the need to adapt to new training's and new environments. 

To be sure, knowing project management and it’s key elements and components will help provide the framework and structure needed to facilitate strong implementation but as Peter Drucker famously said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” 

We can follow all the precepts and components for what the PMBOK. It’s how we weave cultural learnings into shared professional contexts that not only keeps us current but more importantly relevant.