Can Agile Leadership Help You Raise Better Kids?
When I first learned about servant leadership in Agile, I never imagined how much it would influence not only my projects but also my parenting.
Over time, I realized that many Agile principles go far beyond team management. They’re about creating trust, fostering growth, and continuously improving values that are just as powerful at home as they are in the workplace.
Creating Psychological Safety at Home
In Agile, one of the cornerstones of high-performing teams is psychological safety an environment where people feel safe to speak up, make mistakes, and learn from them.
Parenting is no different. When children feel that their opinions matter and that mistakes are part of learning, they develop confidence and curiosity. Instead of punishing errors, we can ask: “What did we learn from this?” That small shift changes everything.
Practicing Continuous Improvement Together
Agile encourages teams to reflect regularly through retrospectives short sessions where we ask what worked well, what didn’t, and what we can improve.
I started doing something similar at home. On Sundays, my family and I have a short “retro.” We talk about what went well during the week, what challenges we faced, and how we can make the next week better. It’s amazing how open and creative kids can be when they’re invited to participate in finding solutions.
Leading Through Service, Not Control
Servant leadership is about empowering others, not controlling them. As parents, we often fall into the trap of giving orders instead of guidance. Agile leadership taught me to listen more, ask better questions, and create the space for my kids to make their own choices and their own mistakes.
When children feel trusted, they become more responsible. When they feel supported, they grow.
Building Autonomy and Ownership
One of the greatest lessons from Agile teams is that autonomy drives engagement. The same applies at home: when children participate in decisions from setting family goals to choosing their weekend plans they learn accountability and teamwork.
It’s not always perfect, but it’s authentic and authenticity builds stronger relationships.
Conclusion
Agile leadership isn’t just a framework for managing work it’s a mindset for nurturing growth, trust, and learning, both in our teams and in our families.
If we can help our teams thrive through empathy, feedback, and continuous improvement, why not apply the same principles to help our children do the same?
Because at the end of the day, leadership whether in projects or parenting is about helping others become the best version of themselves.
PML would like to extend a huge thank you to Martin Cervantes Perez for sharing his knowledge and wisdom with the PML community! Learn more about him below and reach out to connect!
About the Author
Martin Cervantes Perez is a project leader with a strategic vision and a human-centered approach. He combines his background in business (MBA) and project management (PMP) with hands-on experience in finance, operations, and IT to drive efficiency and organizational growth. He believes in servant leadership, continuous improvement, and lifelong learning as the true engines of success.
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