Brilliant People Management in an Agile Setting

Awesome People Management with Agile

AWESOME PEOPLE MANAGEMENT WITH AGILEagile.deliveryLondon, June 2016

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/kodomut/3667608102/


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I spent my first 10 years of my career in a big corp

famous for investing heavily in its people

AND FOR developing leaders

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerThey were consistently recognized as one of the best places to work, and produced more leaders of companies than almost any other company3

MATURE PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT Everyone had:A workplan A personal development planA career plan, complete with skills matricesA manager (most of whom did give a crap)A coach and often a mentor tooMonthly 1:1s, quarterly reviews, annual reviews10 days a year to spend on training, etc etc


The GOOD

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerIndividual focusActive investmentDetailed plan

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The BAD

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerFragile / staticNeeded constant revisiting to keep workplan in particular up-to-dateFocus on workplan changes meant development plan often overshadowedOverly structured, so some managers ended up going through the motions6

The Ugly

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerSaw some crazy procrastination to see the forms avoided over the yearsManagers ended up running on empty, suffering from emotional burnout 7

YOU CAN ADJUST THIS KIND OF APPROACH WHEN YOU WORK IN AN AGILE WAY

BUT IT STILL DOESNT FEEL QUITE RIGHT

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Managersome would argue that we dont need managers at all in agile.

I argue we need good managers, and to banish bad bosses


WE ALL HATE BAD BOSSES

WE DESCRIBE THEM ASCluelessEmpty suitsPointlessSeagulls


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https://twitter.com/Caterina/status/6715084157

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerGood managers are bullshit umbrellas.

But they are also a lot more than that.


Traditional management beliefs are a pile of craphttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elephant_Dung.JPG


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What Does Work?Sooo.


Across industries, across countries, the best performing teams answer certain questions positively

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerPredictors of High PerformanceDo I know what is expected of me at work?Do I have the materials & equipment I need to do my work right?At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?In the last 7 days, have I received recognition or praise for good work?Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?Is there someone at work who cares about my development?At work, do my opinions seem to count?Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is important? Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?Do I have a best friend at work?In the last 6 months, have I talked with someone about my development?At work, have I had opportunities to learn and grow?


Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerGreat, now Im drowning in questions to ask myself all the time! Thanks Meri!!18

UNDERSTAND MOTIVATIONPurposeAutonomyMastery

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerMOTIVATION =+ PURPOSE (Do I believe in WHY?) + AUTONOMY (Do I get a say in WHAT?) + MASTERY(Am I proud of HOW?)

- ANY NEGATIVE FACTORS THAT DETRACT

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerPredictors of High Performance (remix)PURPOSEDoes the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is important?

AUTONOMYDo I know what is expected of me at work?At work, do my opinions seem to count?

MASTERYDo I have the materials & equipment I need to do my work right?At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?Is there someone at work who cares about my development?Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?In the last 6 months, have I talked with someone about my development?At work, have I had opportunities to learn and grow?

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerAnd What Else?OTHER FACTORS:In the last 7 days, have I received recognition or praise for good work?Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?Do I have a best friend at work?

ESSENTIALLY, AM I RESPECTED & REWARDED HERE? CAN I BE MYSELF AND SUCCEED HERE?

I CALL THIS INCLUSION.

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerCREATE SPACE FOR YOUR PEOPLE TO BE THE BEST THEY CAN BEYour job as a manager

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerFIND & SHAPE SPACE WHERE YOU CAN BE THE BEST YOU CAN BEMaybe youre not a manager. As an individual, you need to


https://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/8451589322/in/set-72157633230231221

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerSPACE TO BE AWESOME = + PURPOSE (Do I believe in WHY?) + AUTONOMY (Do I get a say in WHAT?) + MASTERY(Am I proud of HOW?)+ INCLUSION(Do I BELONG HERE?)


Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerREMINISCENT OF AGILE MANIFESTO?Individuals and interactions over processes and toolsWorking software over comprehensive documentationCustomer collaboration over contract negotiationResponding to change over following a plan

http://agilemanifesto.org/

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerVALUE INDIVIDUALS & INTERACTIONSDo great 1:1s

Make them more like personal retrospectives

They are about the individual & their skills, growth & development. Not a status update.

Care about the whole person. Everyone needs to be themselves at work.

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerCULTIVATE INCLUSIONHelp people to succeed as themselves.

Best predictor of recruitment AND retention?

Someones ability to agree with:

Someone like me can be successful here

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerOK, BUT HOW ARE YOU GOING TO BEND WORKING SOFTWARE TO BE ABOUT PEOPLE, MERI?


Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerWHY do we value working software over comprehensive documentation?

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerOne of the main reasons we value working software over comprehensive documentation is that we learnt along the way that however hard we worked, however good we were, we simply could not write the correct spec upfront.

This is because until we build it we dont really know what is needed

The people development side of this is that you need to grow, and learn, and get feedback to understand how and what you need to change. 32

We DonT know what we want til its done. To horribly misquote Joni Mitchell

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerWE need the feedback loop.

We have to iterate and learn.


Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerDELIBERATE PRACTICEYou must be motivated to attend to the task and exert effort to improve your performance.

The design of the task should take into account your pre-existing knowledge so that the task can be correctly understood after a brief period of instruction.

You should receive immediate informative feedback and knowledge of results of your performance.

You should repeatedly perform the same or similar tasks.

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerIS YOUR WORK DESIGNED IN A WAY THAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE DELIBERATE PRACTICE?

Challenging? Feedback? Learning?Ask yourself

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerAGILE MANIFESTOIndividuals and interactions over processes and toolsWorking software over comprehensive documentationCustomer collaboration over contract negotiationResponding to change over following a plan

http://agilemanifesto.org/


PUT DOWN YOUR SWORD. YOU ARE NOT A ROMAN GENERAL.

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerVALUE THE WHAT OVER THE HOWKnow when people need telling what to do (Hint: its not often)

Help them get what they need the rest of the time (Hint: not just someone else telling them what to do)

Learn coaching skills (Hint: start with GROW: http://blog.geekmanager.co.uk/2014/01/20/stealing-from-sports-really-useful-coaching-dareconf-mini/)


CLUE / SKILLS MATRIX


Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerIf someone knows what to do and has the skills to do it, your job is to be a cheerleaderEncourage them, make sure others know they are doing the right thing, get them the support they need42

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8250578@N06/8625641442/

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerAnd if shit gets in their way? Be a BULLDOZER43

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerDirection giver, pair them up with those they can learn from

Those lacking direction and skills need maps, community, peers to learn from44

http://www.flickr.com/photos/provoost/2246718091/

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerSKILL DEVELOPMENT

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerLearning to drive analogy46

https://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/9613972159/



https://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/8642795506/


Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerSPACE TO BE AWESOME = + PURPOSE (Do I believe in WHY?) + AUTONOMY (Do I get a say in WHAT?) + MASTERY(Am I proud of HOW?)+ INCLUSION(Do I BELONG HERE?)


Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerAGILE PEOPLE MANAGEMENTDo awesome 1:1s = personal retrospectivesCultivate inclusionHelp make work deliberate practiceFigure out where people are on the clue/skills matrix, and help accordinglyLearn to coach (direct less, coach more)Remember the bigger picture, help people have a fulfilling career

Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_ManagerGO! FIND/SHAPE/MAKE SPACE BE AWESOMEBE INCLUSIVE And thank you for listening Any questions?


Leadership & Management

Brilliant People Management in an Agile Setting