Servant Leaders change the world!
From the Servant Leadership: Serve to Be Great Blog
by Cameron McGaughy,
Catalin Dogaru, Mike Frenette, Tolga Özel, Suzan Cho, Jonathan Lee, Graham Briggs, Cecilia Boggi
This blog is about leadership as it applies to projects and project management, but also as it applies to society in general. The bloggers here manage projects and lead teams in both business and volunteer environments, and are all graduates of PMI's Leadership Institute Master Class. We hope to bring insight into the challenges we all experience in our projects and in our day-to-day work, providing helpful tidbits to inspire you to take action to improve—whether in your personal life, your business/work life or on your projects. Read, comment and share your experiences as we share ours. Let’s make the pie bigger! Grab a slice!
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Suzan Cho
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I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy holiday season: Happy Seoul Lantern Festival, Happy Diwali, Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa and Happy Chinese Lantern Festival! It is amazing to celebrate the festival of candles/lights around the world in the months of Nov thru Feb!!
Recently I have been thinking about how to convey the concept and philosophy about servant leadership to the millennial, a generation both of my kids belong to. So, I thought about sharing real life stories.
I have always been fascinated with great storytellers because I feel the world has incredible people, projects, places and stories throughout history! Before I learn how to tell a good story, I would like to share the real life stories from amazing Benjamin Zander and Adam Leipzig.
They are awesome leaders who are best listeners, persuasive, extraordinary, and passionate. They are masters in their chosen fields and they exhibit extraordinary servant leadership qualities!! They light up people’s lives.
Benjamin Zander: Work (how to get an A)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTKEBygQic0
Maestro Zander is famous for his pre-concert talks, his master classes and his leadership. Zander leads the Boston Philharmonic and its Youth Orchestra and he often transforms his students magically on stage. He teaches students to be aware (working on the bar, instead of the notes). He gives an A to all his students (the relationship transforms when the students lives up to their own imagination). He builds communities. He has the foresight and the vision of the great composers. He constantly challenges musicians to dream great dreams and deliver breath-taking performances. Zander gives imaginative ideas for the orchestra to outperform.
I love the fact he encourages students to celebrate when a mistake is made – he pulls the spirit up and says “how fascinating!” He explains the growth mindset and the importance of vision.
An orchestra changes with the different conductors working on them. The conductor does not make a sound. He depends his power when he makes other people powerful. He awakens other people’s possibilities.Shining, sparkling and dazzled eyes are indicators. It’s a totally different world!
Adam Leipzing: Seeing beyond the Horizon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27DEFWa7VY0&feature=youtu.be
Leipzing teaches us to listen to the audience/clients (and use the science to hear audience and listen with "big ears"), to be outward facing (it’s about you and stewardship), to strive for excellence (to be persistent), to have a vision to see beyond the horizon, find the path forward and align the organization to lead hugely successful entertainment projects. I hope you find lots of values from the powerful stories he tells. You will never look at the penguins the same way :-)
What fabulous examples of outstanding servant leaders who heal people, bring out people’s potential and greatest work. Imagine the infinite possibilities when we have more servant leaders at their best! The world would be a beautiful and fantastic place.
Posted
by
Suzan Cho
on: December 08, 2015 11:17 PM |
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Comments (12)
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Jonathan Lee
Agile Project Management Coach| Riics, Inc.
Chicago, Il, United States
Thanks for sharing these awesome leaders stories. I really like how Benjamin Zander believes in the potential of a student by giving them an A from the beginning and encouraging them to become that A student. Telling them "what if or what's next" vs. using "you should or need or must" approach.
I also liked Adam Leipzing's striving for excellence so that you can sustain the vision. Great stuff.
Michael Adams
Solutions Architect| LANL
Los Alamos, Nm, United States
OMG...how brilliant and obvious. Everyone gets an A, provided they write a letter to him dated with the end of the simester, their letters explaining why they earned that A.
This puts people into the driver seat of their own greatness, and allows the teacher to see them as a possibility, and relate to them as who they dream themselves to be.
I'm totally inspired!
Jonathan Lee
Agile Project Management Coach| Riics, Inc.
Chicago, Il, United States
Yeah, Michael I can't agree with you more. It's a great way to teach/lead/inspire isn't it. Give the ownership to the student and let them be their own judge as to whether they are doing what they are suppose to do to deserve that "A". Talk about giving accountability and self respect without forcing these upon them.
Suzan, thanks for sharing this great video with rest of us! Servant leadership at its best!
Thanks for sharing, Suzan. Useful insights.
Julia Shumulinsky
Senior Project/Program Manager - PMP| American Greetings
Lakewood, Oh, United States
Mike Frenette
Manager, IT PMO| Halifax Water (retired)
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Great article! Thanks for sharing the links. I think PMs might think of themselves as being conductors, and guiding their A-teams to success!
Suzan - you get an "A" in my book.... and you don''t need to write me a letter! :)
Graham Briggs
Director, East Region| Triunity, Inc.
Natick, Ma, United States
Thanks for sharing Suzan. Especially the links to make your story grow to even bigger and better view of how leadership can transpire in all fields. In my life I have had many leaders that are servant leaders. This article inspires me in many areas of my day to day life in both the professional and personal environments.
Edward Kleinert
Clinical Assistant Professor| New York University
New York, Ny, United States
Excellent points of reference Suzan. One of the most frequently cited frustrations of project team members is the absence of ‘mentorship’ from the manager or executive sponsor. And one of the most misunderstood expectations of a project manager is that she/he will perform multiple roles on the team and not be ‘freed’ up to manage and lead…as his/her primary focus. Project initiatives are often set up to fail due do something as fundamental as to understand, articulate, and empower members of the team to perform the roles and the responsibilities for which they have been assigned…starting with the PM…
Sorry for the late note. FYI - Conductor Ben Zander and Boston Philharmonics Youth Orchestra is performing a 2nd FREE full concert at Carnegie Hall NYC tonight (June 7th, 2016) if you are interested and happened to be in town. There may be last minute tickets available at the door.
http://bostonphil.org/concertsevents/bpyo-carnegie-hall
Shaping future leaders through music: Transforming the lives of BPYO’s extraordinary young musicians
A talk by Benjamin Zander, 6:45pm both nights
Luis Branco
CEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, Ldª
Carcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear Suzan
Interesting is your perspective on the theme: "Servant Leaders change the world!"
Thanks for sharing the article and videos
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