How Agile Organizations Support Their Managers with Mike Guiler

Agile Coaches' Corner

This week, Dan Neumann and Justin Thatil are joined by Mike Guiler to explore how organizations can better support their managers. In this episode, they discuss two adoption patterns, the grassroots and the top-down approach, and the distinction between being a Manager and a Leader.

Key Takeaways

• The grassroots adoption pattern and the top-down approach in an Agile Organization:

• Grassroots starts at a Team level.

• The top-down approach begins with the boss.

• If an Agile Team is self-managing: What does a Manager do?

• A Manager must decide whether he wants to be just a Manager or a Leader because these are different roles. Leaders set clear objectives; they are not so focused on the daily chores but on the higher business-valued conversations. A Leader cares about how to build the environment.

• A Manager needs to work his way to becoming a Leader and less about assigning tasks to Team members. A leader’s work should come from a mentorship place, sharing his knowledge and experience for the Team to explore (instead of being told what to do).

• An Organization can support a Manager embracing Leadership and becoming a servant leader.

• A Leader evaluates options and consults them with the Team; a leader does not impose practices. Communication is more valuable than processes and tools.

• The organization must have a plan in mind but check first how the Team responds.

• A Leader’s job is to establish the vision, shifting away from the “how.”

• While the Team is busy executing the hypothesis, the Leader is thinking about the next step.

• The Alignment of OKRs is vital for an Organization.

• Ensuring that OKRs match the plans for the product and what the business wants to achieve is fundamental for companies. This way, everyone knows what’s most important.

• How role descriptions are set up (performance reviews, salary adjustments) can influence the leader’s job.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Who Moved My Cheese?, by Spencer Johnson

What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter

Team of Teams, by General Stanley McChrystal

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