As an organization grows in size and complexity, process and structure will be introduced to make sense and codify that complexity. However, it carries with it the risk that these systems will begin to interfere with the type of collaboration that breeds creativity.
Having team members organized in different cross-functional Product Teams or Scrum Teams can bring a tremendous amount of value to an organization. Unfortunately, the role of the manager of those team members can be ambiguous if not deliberately established.
The root cause of the frustrations that many teams experience adopting Agile or Scrum is that they embrace the ceremonies, rather than the communication framework that it offers. If teams focus on the types of conversations available to them, they will more effectively be able to operate as a team.
As increasing emphasis is put on developing leaders, an often-overlooked aspect is if the employee actually has the right manager for them.
Companies of a certain size — that is, somewhere after “hmmm, we really should get some managers…” and before “crap, our managers don’t have time to manage people because they’ve got too much work to do!” — start to encounter growing pains.
Affecting change in an organization is possibly one of the most mysterious and baffling parts about professional life.
Escape Rooms have been growing in popularity over the past few years, and interestingly, these activities are a great case study in team dynamics.
The core tenet of my leadership philosophy is that it is not about authority or titles, but about influence, trust, and the ability to bring out the best in those around you.
