The best project managers are servant leaders with Yann Thézénas

Project management has a branding problem. The word ‘manager’ implies authority and control, someone who directs, decides, and delegates from the top. But the best PMs don’t operate like that. They create a safe and productive environment for others to do their best work.

In 2026, as teams become more autonomous and AI accelerates delivery, the human dimension of the job matters more than ever. The biggest challenge is applying this philosophy under the pressure of complex projects with multiple teams and stakeholders, and tight deadlines.

Yann Thézénas has spent the last decade doing exactly that, across telecom, logistics, SaaS, and international sport. As Senior Digital Projects Expert at FIBA, the world’s governing body for basketball, he faced his biggest test yet: a two-and-a-half-year overhaul of the federation’s global digital ecosystem, coordinating teams across multiple regions for a hard launch at the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

In this episode, Yann shares what works, what doesn’t, and why a great PM has more in common with a basketball captain than a traditional manager.

Key learnings:

• Understand what servant leadership means in practice
• Learn why knowing what not to build is as important as knowing what to build
• Find out how AI is reshaping the PM role, and which part of it will never be automated
• Discover the lessons Yann took away from the biggest project of his career

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Transcript

Welcome, Yann. Welcome to Delivered.

Thank you. Well, thank you. Thank you. Happy to talk with you.

Nice to have you here. Where are you calling in from? Where are you based?

I’m based in France. I’m close to Geneva. So now I’m calling from my quiet office at home.

Very cool. So let’s jump straight into it. So who’s Yann? And can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey so far?

Yeah. So I’m Yann. I’m from the Caribbean, French island in the Caribbean, Guadalupe. I grew up there. I was born there and I quickly had this appetite for international environment and IT. So I managed to find a school in Paris to finish my study in IT and project management. Then I started to work for several companies there. From start ... At the beginning, I was developing, so I was a developer. And I had the opportunity to run a project by myself during my internship that gave me this first step into project management. I then asked to join the business unit of the product manager in my company that was also accepted. So I just right after my studies jump into the product management world and grew up from there in different industries. And now I’m working for FIBA as a senior digital projects expert.

Very cool. So what was it that pulled you over from software development to project management? Because you started as a software developer and eventually moved over to PM. So what interests you about that and how did you make that transition?

During my internship, I was working for the IT business unit and I had this project of creating a monitoring for WiFi. And my teacher back in the time was a project director. So he teach me the basis to run the project by myself. I really liked it. And what I’ll also learned is that I had this satisfaction of knowing the business requirement, the needs, the pain point, and then see the result of what had been delivered.

So the full journey, basically.

Exactly. And when I was only a developer, I received technical specification, I implemented them, and that was a bit the end of the story. And with this project, I discovered that it’s really grateful to see how to answer a business need and then convert it into a technical implementation or process or everything, find the right solution. I had this archetype for friends in the right solution, implement it, and see then the results. So that’s why I wanted to go in this area.

Very cool. Having been in the software or developer shoes, what’s the good stuff that brought with you to PM? Is there anything advantage you have now as a PM managing software project?

First of all, I can understand developers. There are constraints. When they talk technical, I’m not lost, let’s say,
Because it’s something that can happen when you are not from the IT world. Sometimes you just don’t understand what is going on, what is happening when the developers talk because some things are really technical and we don’t learn the same language. But having being a developer helped me to have this knowledge. And then I also able to translate the technical constraint into business language. And in the opposite, I can also help translate a business requirement into technical specification. So I’m in the middle of both world business and technical that help me also to coordinate, manage expectations in both sides, challenges also on the planning, scoping, and explain the technical constraint to the business so they can understand why we do things this way, why we should update a process instead of implementing a new solution or other things like that. So it’s a real advantage to have this technical knowledge.

Right. Yeah. No, I’ve done the same transitions myself. I was a school programmer and then eventually moved into project management and direction later. And it feels like a cheat code almost to know to be able to speak that language.

Yes. Yes, almost. Because you can anticipate some things you can challenge a different way. And in the meantime, you are also not imposing things like a proper manager or director. You don’t have to be directive. You are just coordinating and you are like a leader. It’s more helping people to realize what they have to do and what should be done instead of imposing a thing because you know how it works and you know what you are talking about and you are not like the guy coming from nowhere and say, okay, we want to do that, so do that. And that’s all. So that’s also helping for the project health, let’s say.

Yeah, that’s right. So what separates a good project manager from a great project manager in 2026? What are the skills that if you’re in PM, you should double down on in the next two to three years?

First evolving world, I would say adaptation. Adaptation is key. From my previous experience, I worked in many different industries, telecommunications, logistic, custom, software, development, now support in an international context. And from each experience I’ve been through, I always took the positive luggage or the positive package to add to my wallet and then implement it in the new context. And this is something really important because the world evolves fast. So you need to always adapt your techniques, you always handle the new technology, the new way of work. Now we have to work with AI that we didn’t have to like five years ago, but the way that you can always improve yourself and the techtes that you’ve learned and not just apply strictly what you’ve been told or what you’ve grown in is key. And then also people are more and more autonomous, let’s say, how they are looking for this autonomy in their work, in their way of work.
So give the freedom to people to be the best version of themselves, also help the team spirit and the project coordination. So this is something very important, I think, for project managers.

You have a go- to thing that you do to raise team spirits when it’s tough for the team?

Sorry, go to what?

Do you have a tip for someone for a PM trying to lift the spirit of their team? What do you typically do if there’s a challenge or you need to get everybody’s spirit up?

First of all, it’s important to identify how people work within the team. Some people, they need some clear directions. Others need freedom in their creativity. Others, they like to be rewarded. Others, they like to be a bit in working in the shadow, not congratulate in front of everyone. So it depend on the people that you work with, and it’s a bit of sociology or psychology too. Even if I haven’t agree in that, but I learned on the ground. And the best thing is to, when you have your moment with each person, still think about how they want to be rewarded and always have this positive world or attention or way of work with different people. That’s really important. I think when someone is in a graduation with the PM, it’s easier than for this person to talk about the concerns about the problem, about the issues, and to feel confident when they talk and when they need to talk.

I love that answer.

I don’t have a specific trick or typical for that, but it’s more just observe people, how they behave and then find the right approach for them.

Yeah, I think that’s right. Yeah. It’s called project manager, but it’s also, it should almost be people in there because it’s about seeing each individual and figuring out what makes this work meaningful for them, and then see how you can infuse some of that for each person, so to keep them motivated.

Exactly.

Yeah.

Yes.

So what’s harder then to align stakeholders or aligning teams and why?

Definitely aligning stakeholders. Because as I said, teams, you have time to work with them, to get to know them. Sometime you can choose them. Many projects when I do RFPs, so I recruit a team technically or a partner, so I know a bit how they behave their spirit, et cetera. So it’s a bit easier to manage a team where for the stakeholders, they all came with different priorities
And a different vision of the project and other sports is to understand their priorities, to include them in a way in the project, but without losing the vision, the key objectives and the strategy that you put in place. So you have to manage expectations, you have to also find compromises or the right approach for the different people to cope with what they need. But in the end, once done, it works great with a bit of communication. Communication is also key for that. They don’t ... I mean, sorry, you need to embark them in this adventure with you and then still communicate, maybe over communicate during the project so they can feel included, feel consulted, and then they are not against you at certain point.

Yeah, clear. So going back, you touched a little bit on AI and AI is everywhere. It feels like every second word I say is about AI nowadays. So what do you think AI has been the biggest impact on the digital product development cycle or the teams? And do you have a point of view on which areas of project management can or will be automated? And is there just the value of the discipline change because of that? Can you talk a little bit about AI and PM?

AI is now really present in our working life. I haven’t used it for project management so far, but in the development, yes. And it helped to have quality, more time, automated things, et cetera. At a product management level, I tend to try it now. It’s something that can really save some time for automated task within the project tracking, et cetera, monitoring. But in the end, the role of the project manager is to be seven leader, as we say in the PM book. And the one thing that AI won’t be able to replace at least so far is the people management. The core role of the product manager is to manage people, not as a manager, directive manager, but as a coordinator and facilitator. And so the more time you have to do that, to work on the communication, to work on the coordination, to work on people, the better it is for you and for the project.
So having all the part of monitoring, tracking to evaluate if the product still on track evaluation, et cetera, if that can be done by AI, this is perfect.

Very cool. So you said something, I’ve been in project management for super long, but I’ve never heard the term servant leader, and I thought that was really cool. So can you talk, you talked a little bit that it’s about being the people, person, facilitator, but what does it mean to be a servant leader for you?

It’s more being available for people because a project manager is not a direct people manager most of the time. You just join a team, you have to coordinate actions, you need to talk to experts. Sometime people are older than you, younger than you with more or less experience that know a lot in their area of expertise and you have to be the person who has the overview on the project, the vision, the strategy and the objective. Then your goal is to help people to work in, let’s say, a safe environment or a productive one, a productive environment, so they can be the most efficient possible. So if they have issues, you have to add them to really to remove these issues. If it’s from the stakeholder, they have needs, you need to understand the needs and see how to respond to their needs. So technically you just dare to help people deliver the project technically.
So that’s why I say a servant leader. You of course have to be the engine of the project to motivate people to reach the goals that we have, but also you are there to help people grow also in their work life. If they need a training, you have to be there for them. If they have an issue, you have to be there for them. And if there are needs, you have to respond to it. So grow a bit in the head of the train. And at the same time, you are at the power, let’s say.

Awesome. That was awesome. So moving on to another project management, what do you call it? Another project management skill, which is agile. So what’s one belief about agile that you have changed your mind about over the last few years?

Agile is a very good framework. However, we need to take the best practice or the one that fits our context because there’s a theory and reality and when you end up in the specific context, you have to adapt your agile method. And this is the principle. You need to take what is best for the project and then apply it to your context. So when I first had my agile training stream master certification, I was working in the software industry, so it was easy for me to apply it because this is what you learn from agile. You learn how to deliver a new product and new software, and this is typically a full agile thing. Where you have some budget constraint, time outstop at some point, a specific context, you need to adapt this agile framework, take the good, remove what is too time consuming or not adapted, et cetera.
And this is something that you need to learn on with your experience, with the context and what I said before, the adaptation that you need to bring from what you’ve learned before. So for example, having a sprint with having a specific sprint defined, then you have your product with the added value with something great, but sometime maybe you have to do the analysis in Waterfall before.

So

You have the backbone of your project, and then you can scope it into different sprints. So everything is always prepared, but you iterate, which gives you a bit of flexibility when you have issues, or you can have delays, et cetera, but still you have something fixed for your fixed budget, for example.

So it's is a couple of things that we need to adapt from agile and not apply it as it is.

Yeah. So you pick and choose depending on your unique context for each engagement.

Exactly.

Switching gears, so you’re a sports fan and I learned before that you play football, but you work in basketball. So do you see any ... Well, this is about project management, so sports. So do you see any parallels between playing the game and working in an agile or project management environment?

It’s a bit the same. When you play football, you have different roles as well as in project team. So you have the coach that set the frame how we should work. For example, a scrub master, maybe you have the captain on the field that a bit coordinate people, make sure that the teammates respect the tactics is also the point of contact for the referring, so external stakeholder, like product manager. So the captain can be the product manager at some point. And I think the real parallel is the team. And even in basketball, you have different position,
So different roles. In basketball, also you have your college player, for example, the one that you need to finish something. You have the defender, the midfield, the forwards in football, and everybody has a specific role. They don’t do the same thing, but they have to play at their best and for the team. If they don’t play for the team, we can’t win the game. And if they are not committed also to do the effort, it’s the same. And in the project, it’s exactly the same thing. We have different role. We have business analysis, we have product product manager, we have backend developer, we have front end developer, we have people taking care of the infrastructure, but if we are missing one of the skill, we cannot deliver. And it’s the same thing that if, for example, the defender is not focused on the team and on this role, for example, you take goals against you.
So for me, it’s the same. And the product manager has to act as a captain to lead the team so they achieve their specific goals at their own level so the global team can win and the project can be delivered.

Very cool. So on dealing with challenges, so one thing that comes up a lot in project management is to decide what not to build, and especially when stakeholders might want to build everything. So how do you handle those situation? How do you decide what not to build when every stakeholder believes that every feature is super critical?

The first thing before having this request is to, at the beginning, at the very early stage of the projects is to talk with each stakeholder to understand their needs, their priorities, and what are their expectation from the project. Second thing is always communicate on the progress, on the constraint, and on the ongoing work. Then on some request, because we can avoid that, some requests can come up after the project definitions, after the goals, definitions. And the best thing is to first understand why and what is the topic, why we have this topic, and then how to address it. And if the stakeholder has been informed continuously during the project, I’ve been involved in it at a certain level based on the need, every time you will come with a justification with facts, even if the desk decision is not positive for him, at least it will be understandable and respect.
And the best thing you can have is to be respected in your decision and what you want to achieve. And this happened always in couple of projects that at some point I had a clearer vision of what was supposed to be done or the stakeholder could have another opinion. Then we discussed I exposed by A+B that this should be like that because of this thing. And in the end, we did what was right for the project. So for me, communication is key, but also master the scope of the project and the objectives. So then you can at least explain and make adapted your decision.

So let’s talk a little bit what you’re working on with FIBA. So you’ve had recently finished a big project at FIBA. So can you talk a little bit about that? What was your biggest challenge and how do you overcome that? And if you can distill any two to three lessons that any project manager could learn and apply in their work, learning from your experience.

So my latest project that’s about the entire event of the digital ecosystem.

Oh, massive project. Yes, definitely. Definitely a massive project because we manage a website factory, we enable a website for every single event that we have plus 80 even per year. So we had to build a new engine, let’s say, while maintaining the old one and ensuring a smooth transition because there’s something that I couldn’t have an impact on is the time and even they never stop and the fun have to be so. So in this way, this was a bit challenging also because we have a lot of stakeholders involved.
It’s a project worldwide. It’s not only for Switzerland or Europe, it’s touch every FIBA regions, every FIBA business unit, and let’s say the first part of the project, the analysis and the project definition was key on that. We spent months talking with people, working on their objectives, how they wanted to be involved, because each business unit also had a spot on the previous ecosystem on the digital footprint, and they wanted to be sure that they will still have their spot or a better one, so we have to deal with expectation also. But this different discussion, they allow me to understand also that what we needed in term of product.
And I had a great team for that. With the product manager, we worked together on defining what should be the best approach to answer the different needs that lead to leaving a full website blended of everything to have a new corporate website, a new digital help profile, and all the different event websites. So we can address a different type of personal, different type of fans, different type of people from the FIBA family that look only at corporate things, for example. So this was a big, big analysis that leads us to that we have today. Then for the delivery, we also did a big RFP, let’s say. We had to review a lot of bidders documentation and options. We did a lot of benchmarks to be sure that we will have the best product and the best ecosystem, and also to become an international federation recognized on the digital in sport.
So then we hired a company for the development. They had to also learn how we worked because we have a specific context. We have our internal rules for basketball that had to be really transcript on the website. So we have business look for the competitions. Also, we have timing for enabling our website. It’s not a static profit. It’s really dynamic. So we had to define what content should be displayed on the website at each moment of the competition, et cetera. So we did a great work with the team, and I’m really proud of them for that. And they were really committed. That was an excitement for me to work on this type of project that I’ve never done before. But I use all my previous experience to make it done, let’s say.

Very cool. Yeah. And when did it launch?

We launched it in a different tape. The first delivering was the event for the Olympics 2024,
And three months later we delivered the corporate. So we started a project in March 2022. Yeah, it was a long journey, but in the middle, we had the FIBA workup to organize in 2023. So first of all, we couldn’t deliver a new product, an ensemble product for our biggest event. That was key. And then we still had to find something big enough to be impactful and as a first test for us, and not also the biggest one to have issues on our biggest infection. So I’d say that the target was set at the beginning of the project, and then I did a little planning to ensure that we can deliver by this date.

Yeah. Very cool. And can you tell us anything about what you’re working on right now?

Right now, it’s on the mobile applications. We have same. We are still working on the revamping. We did the website first. We did something really mobile by design. So now we need to make sure that our mobile apps can follow the reason. And so we are revamping them. At the moment, we have seven mobile apps that we are working on, and we are revamping them to also use what have been developed for the website to use the work for the content managers. For example, if they can contribute once to then deliver on different platform, that will be useful. We are still at the premises of the project. So we are simplifying how we will work, contribute, and what will be done, but I hope that it will be also a good product

Wheel.

And then in parallel, we have also different initiatives working on building a solid digital stack for the entire FIBA with picture solutions, with fan data management, et cetera. So yes, a lot of things to do. I have a nice playground.

Yeah, no, sounds pretty awesome, to be honest. And you sound like someone who really clearly knows what you’re doing, so I’m sure it will be a smooth journey. Final question, since this show is called Delivered, I have to ask you, what’s the best thing you’ve delivered so far in your professional career?

The digital ecosystem revamping.

Yeah. As I was asking, I was like, oh, I think I already know the answer to this question.

Yeah. Honestly, this was the biggest challenge. I never run a project that big that lasts for two and a half years of millions of budget. It was not just a technical project. It was something very significant for a lot of people worldwide. So I had to coordinate a lot of stakeholders, manage a lot of expectations. And I learned a bit a lot. I learned a lot from this project because not only with a technical project management perspective, but also as a human and people coordination, that made me grow in my career, I think. Now I know how to evolve in a more political context, I know how to manage expectations. I also learned that communication is the key. I was able to bring pieces of my different experiences. For example, I involved from the very beginning, the key stakeholders from different area, so they can contribute to the project, but also help me to communicate to their team what is ongoing, what they will expect, what they will have to do, how they will contribute in the future to ensure a smooth solution, smooth training, people adoption. That is very important because when you have people used to work on a specific tool for years, they have their prism, they can also be afraid of the change. So this project covers all the spectrum, all the areas that we can have in product management. So that’s why I think it’s my biggest achievement so far.

Great. Cool. Thanks for sharing, Yann. There you have it. That’s the episode. I think you’ve been really great, and I think many people can learn from your experiences in project management, and I’m really excited about this episode. You dropped a lot of knowledge bonds, as I like to say. So thank you for that.

Oh, thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you.

So yeah, that’s it. Thank you so much. Happy Easter. Thank

You. Thank you for the opportunity also.