Human-centric leadership, balancing empowerment with accountability, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement in successful project management.
In a recent episode of the High Agency podcast, I engaged in an enlightening conversation with Sanaz Afshar, Director of Special Projects and Sustainability at Sycle. Our discussion went deep into the evolving landscape of project management, highlighting the significance of human-centric leadership and the delicate balance required to achieve successful project outcomes. Sanaz’s perspective offers valuable lessons for anyone involved in managing teams and delivering complex projects.
The Evolution of Project Management
Project management, as a discipline, has undergone significant changes over the decades. What began with the creation of tools like the Gantt chart in the early 20th century has evolved into a complex field with various methodologies designed to manage projects more effectively. From the waterfall methodology introduced in the 1970s to the Agile manifesto of 2001, each evolution in project management has sought to address the challenges of coordinating people and resources to achieve specific goals.
However, despite these advancements, many projects still fail. Sanaz Afshar points out that the failure often lies not in the methodology or tools themselves but in how they are applied and understood within the context of human dynamics. “Project management tools are necessary,” she notes, “but the idea that a tool will save your project is a farce.” The real challenge, as she sees it, is in managing the human element—understanding the team, fostering a culture of safety and accountability, and ensuring that everyone is aligned on the project’s goals.
The Importance of Human-Centric Leadership
One of the key themes Sanaz emphasizes is the critical role of human-centric leadership in project management. Effective project management, she argues, is less about following rigid processes and more about fostering a culture where team members feel safe, empowered, and accountable.
Sanaz defines high agency as the ability of individuals to take ownership, show resilience, and persist in achieving their goals despite challenges. This quality, she believes, can be nurtured in the right environment, particularly when leaders create a safe space for their teams. A safe environment, according to Sanaz, is one where team members feel comfortable asking questions, voicing concerns, and admitting when they need help. It’s an environment where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities rather than failures.
Creating such an environment requires courage from those in leadership positions. Leaders must acknowledge their own knowledge gaps and surround themselves with people who complement their skills. Sanaz reflects on her time at Skyrocket Digital, where she and I worked together. She credits our collective success to the complementary nature of our skills—high-level vision and entrepreneurial spirit paired with her ability to bring structure and execution to the impatience of those ideas. This partnership allowed us to create a culture where experimentation was encouraged, and failure was not feared but viewed as a step towards improvement.
The Balance Between Empowerment and Accountability
While empowerment is crucial, Sanaz also underscores the importance of balancing it with accountability. Reflecting on her experiences, she shares a cautionary tale from her time at a different company, where she introduced the concepts of self-organization and empowerment without adequately addressing the need for accountability.
Sanaz’s initial successes led her to believe that empowerment and self-organization would naturally lead to successful outcomes in any team. However, she realized that without a strong foundation of accountability, empowerment alone could lead to a culture where deadlines were missed, and deliverables were not met. “I created a culture of empowerment, but I missed the mark on accountability,” she admits. This experience taught her that while it’s important to give team members the freedom to organize themselves and voice their concerns, they must also understand that they are accountable for delivering results.
This balance is crucial for any project management approach to be successful. Empowered teams are more likely to take initiative and innovate, but without accountability, there is a risk that projects will derail. Sanaz learned that effective project management requires constant coaching and reinforcement of these values to ensure that teams are both empowered and accountable.
The Role of Agile in Modern Project Management
Agile project management has been a popular methodology across functions for a number of years, althought its origins were in software development. It emphasizes flexibility, iterative progress, and continuous feedback, contrasting with the more rigid, linear approach of traditional waterfall project management. Sanaz, who successfully introduced Agile at Skyrocket, believes that its true value lies in its focus on human interaction and collaboration.
Agile methodologies like Scrum and Kanban prioritize people over processes, encouraging teams to work together to solve problems and deliver value incrementally. Sanaz emphasizes that the success of Agile depends on a team’s ability to self-organize, communicate effectively, and remain adaptable to change. However, she also warns against overcomplicating Agile with too many processes and tools, which can detract from its core principles of simplicity and human-centricity.
Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement
One of the most powerful aspects of Agile, according to Sanaz, is its emphasis on continuous improvement. Agile teams regularly hold retrospectives to reflect on what’s working and what’s not, allowing them to make incremental adjustments and improve their processes over time. This iterative approach not only enhances project outcomes but also strengthens the team’s cohesion and effectiveness.
Sanaz’s experience at Skyrocket demonstrated the power of this approach. By fostering a culture of experimentation and learning, the team was able to continuously refine their processes and deliver better results. This culture of continuous improvement, she argues, is essential for any organization that wants to thrive in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing business environment.
Sanaz's insights into project management highlight the importance of balancing methodology with human-centered leadership. While tools and processes are necessary, they are not sufficient on their own to ensure project success. It’s the people—empowered, accountable, and supported by strong leadership—who ultimately determine whether a project will succeed or fail.
As project management continues to evolve, the focus must remain on fostering a culture that values human interaction, continuous improvement, and a balanced approach to empowerment and accountability. For Sanaz, the future of project management lies in creating environments where teams can thrive, innovate, and deliver meaningful value, not just to their organizations but to the people they serve.
