Tag Archives: management
A Manager’s Guide to Self Managing Teams
An agile team that finds its groove is a precious thing. A group of smart diverse people, passionate about their shared purpose, openly collaborating and continually experimenting can do amazing things. They don’t need managing in the traditional sense so what can leaders/managers who work with these teams do to help them? Don’t tell Ask? […]
Become a manager
Become a manager Keep your resources productive Inspire them to be as good as you were, by doing what you did Lose touch, feel vulnerable as the team learns faster than you Become resented, grow defensive Become a manager Build trust Share a purpose Attend to folks’ needs Learn with the team, grow
The Unmanaged
Although I despised it at the time, I’m glad I was managed at school. You dangled carrots to keep me working and waved sticks when I strayed too far. You kept me on a safe track. I’m grateful that you stopped. The purpose we share provides the drive now. The safe track is too worn. […]
We can’t go on living this way
For years I’ve assumed that when Agile principles succeeded at a team level they would naturally spread to other teams in the organisation until eventually the whole organisation would embrace openness and failing fast. I’ve naively been surprised when this doesn’t happen. I’ve probably been a bit slow, or perhaps my bias for optimism has lead […]
Painting over the cracks
Painting over the cracks is denial of feedback. When we paint over the cracks we hide vital information about the reality of our situation. Good teams strive to make visible and learn from the cracks. Whilst different personality types treat cracks in different ways a balanced team will not ignore them. In traditional organisations Managers […]
How do we approach what lies beyond?
So while we sit or stand, self organising and continually improving, having won the battles that gave us our freedom, my thoughts turn to what lies beyond our team. In organisations that have let the hippys run wild in development and reaped the rewards do the managers lie awake wondering if these crazy principles and practices […]
Diary of a ScrumMaster 