Today I have a challenging post. I ask you to pause and read it all before indignation kicks in. Breathe. Executives are mortal. Yes. Executives put their pants on one leg at a time. They make mistakes. They have gaps in their knowledge. They have uncertainty. This is ok. Not only that, it’s normal. Julius Caesar, recognising this and his own possibility of forgetting these realities, gave his laurel wreath holding slave an important role. A role so critical that it survives to this day. That slave repeated the phrase in caesar’s ear “remember thou art mortal”. Julius was self aware enough to know that he needed reminding that he was fallible. He needed someone close to him that he would give permission to speak the honest truth without fear of punishment so that he could make better decisions without hubris. This role is now played by the PMO manager. For a PMO manager to be effective they need an executive who embraces their mortality and accepts that they don’t have all the answers. Who accepts that while they are accountable for making decisions they need support in doing so. Over the past 25 years I have read surveys and heard from people in various organisations that ask make the same complaint. The feedback states that Projects and businesses fail to achieve their goals due to the lack of effective executive engagement. Yet what has changed? The same feedback is common, including from international surveys. It is up to executives to make the next move. It is a sign of strength and great leadership to ask for support. To seek guidance is what engaging and effective leaders do to make better decisions. To be a great leader remember, thou art mortal.
