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I’m in the fixing business, and sometimes that means that sometimes my writing tends to focus on problems that need solving, rather than focusing on what’s gone right. But since I’m a firm (and loud!) promoter of assessing victories just as much as losses, we’re going to mix things up a bit this week.
Today, we’re going to look at a project that was set up to be a multi-billion-dollar failure, but found a way to make it work – by working together.
What They Were Asked to Do Wasn’t Reasonable — But They Did It Anyway
This team was asked to stand up an entirely new program and establish the needed systems and processes in time to start doling out billions of dollars in big, splashy announcements.
They faced challenges that are (unfortunately) extremely common in the public service: they weren’t given enough staff, the timelines were unrealistic, and they were tasked with building a program that hadn’t really existed before in any meaningful way.
The first two challenges were tackled with a dedication to their work that I’ve seen many, many times in government. As I’ve argued before, the problems with public service projects aren’t the individuals or teams, but the systems and overall culture that get in the way.
The third challenge, though, couldn’t be solved with longer hours or more sweat and tears.
It required an adaptive and team-oriented approach.
They Asked for Help — and Meant It
This group of individuals sought opinions from every expert they could find, including my audit team. They were humble and openly told everyone who would listen that they didn’t have all the answers, and wanted help getting them.
But this wasn’t a typical “fact-finding” mission that would only serve to feed a report.
These were tactical conversations, borne of a need to deliver results in too short a timeframe.
And so if these experts – my team, included – told them that the intended path was wrong, they would change direction. When they were told they needed more rigor, they didn’t complain that they didn’t have time – they asked even more questions about how they could implement the rigor in the time they were given.
They drew from their own expertise and welcomed expertise from others – they focused on the result over their own egos.
And the end result?
The program was built on time, and the team did such a great job that many of them were asked to stay on and deliver the steady state. And since the program was actually about assessing projects for funding, it was a natural fit for a lot of them.
Why Project Team Culture in the Public Sector Beats Organizational Culture
This example is why project team culture in the public sector is often far more important than the broader organizational culture (or even all of government).
The external pressures will always be there, but it’s what leaders do within that context that matters.
How do they set the tone for their own team, and protect it from outside negativity? How do they instill ambition in their team and coach them to navigate the roadblocks that they’ll inevitably face?
These are the project team culture challenges I love helping public sector leaders solve. Routine is easy and boring.
But solving problems?
The bigger, the better.
If you’re having trouble building that kind of project team culture, just reply to this email.
I know there’s a solution – we just have to find it.
Want help building this kind of culture in your own project? Book a free call to talk through your challenges.
