The distinction between managers vs. leaders often sparks lively debates and a flood of opinions. But at its core, this comparison can be misleading. Managers and leaders are not inherently opposing forces or mutually exclusive. Both managers and leaders work within structures, have responsibilities, and are interested in accomplishing goals and meeting the needs of their jobs. In a world that often pits these two against each other, it’s essential to step back and consider the nuances: a manager can be a leader, and a leader doesn’t always need to be a manager. This article explores both, debunks common misconceptions, and explains how these skill sets complement rather than contradict each other.
Teams
Self-Organizing Teams vs. Self-Managing Teams
Are self-organizing teams better or the same as self-managing teams? What about self-directing teams? Working with teams can be challenging due to change and complexity. So, the idea that we could have self-organizing teams or self-managing teams can sound valuable, scary, or both!
What do these terms mean, and where can they be confusing? Let’s dig into each one.
The Tiger Team Trap: Why Special Teams Aren’t the Answer (and What to Do Instead)
Have you ever been in a situation where your organization suddenly faces an urgent, high-priority task? If so, you’ve probably heard someone suggest forming a “Tiger Team” to tackle it. It sounds great in theory, right? “A special team of top performers laser-focused on solving the big problem.” But here’s the thing – Tiger Teams often create more problems than they solve. Let’s dive into why this approach can be problematic and explore better alternatives.
Agile Leadership Myth #2: Self-Organizing Teams Don’t Need Help.
Self-organizing teams do need help. Self-organizing teams are not instant, automatic, or magically created, despite what is often implied. There is a process to become this type of team, and it is rarely, if ever, a straight line. The help they need differs from more traditional directive assignments and task management.
To unravel this myth, we must look at what self-organizing means, what teams and managers experience, and what you can do to shift your help to a more ROI-friendly approach!
Agile Commitment — Classic Pig & Chicken (Part 1)
The Pig & Chicken is a cartoon many in the agile community are familiar with. I know some will see it and ask why this one is being rehashed (I know this because I reviewed it with a few people, and they asked). Some will be pretty annoyed since many “strongly dislike” the cartoon (which is fine – please add your comments!). So, for anyone reading this and thinking any of those things, please read on. I want to say, “Don’t worry, I have a plan,” but only you can judge how it pans out for yourself!
What Is The Pig & Chicken Cartoon?
For readers who are not familiar with agile (or any agile folks who have not seen the cartoon), the ideas is that the pigs are the team (or Scrum Team). The chickens are everyone else.
Focusing Agile Retrospectives
The most common agile retrospective focus is on the sprint (or iteration) that was just completed. For most agile teams, this is the past two weeks. We have many more options for retrospectives than simply looking back on the last sprint. We can look at a specific topic, an event, use a future focus, or look at a much longer timeline. Regardless of the focus, we are aiming to learn, generate ideas, and (ideally) agree on actions to take moving forward to improve to sustain.
Agile Safari – What’s Not Being Said?
Have you been in a situation where no one would bring up the problem that everyone knew was “in the room?” I’d guess that everyone has been there. So often, we don’t bring up the “elephant in the room.” For anyone who has not heard of this, the elephant in the room is a saying for the real or obvious truth that is not being addressed. Given an elephant in a room would be hard to miss, when people ignore it, they are typically pretending it is not there.
Building Antifragile Relationships and Teams @ Santa Barbara Agile
Building antifragile relationships is about finding ways for our relationships to gain from disorder, or be more antifragile. What tools and practices can we use to help us thrive from disorder? What mindset do we need to hold to be present with the teams and organizations we are in?
I’m excited to be presenting a session at Santa Barbara Agile titled: “Building Antifragile Relationships and Teams.” The session will be on November 19th! You can signup and find specific details at the Santa Barbara Agile Meetup.
Resolving Conflict by Working with Team Toxins
We know from Team Toxins and Team Conflict, that toxins are normal. So we can’t just “get rid of them.” In fact, pretending there are never toxins in a team could be viewed as a form of stonewalling. There are a number of ways to resolve conflict by working with team toxins. These not “iron-clad plans” or best practices, they are approaches to resolving conflict that ideally start before major conflict has emerged.
The four team toxins are criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling.
Below I list a number of ways to work with team toxins. These are ideas that make or break our teams and relationships. I believe they make the difference between being engaged and checking-out. Many of these ideas are concepts that should be explored