I know, even with positive intent, leaders, sometimes, are the problem. What are some of these problems? The following are my pet peeves:
1) They are — without even knowing it — choking creativity. They thought that their idea is the only idea out there. Not utilizing the talents of the their teammates: their creativity, their skills, and their passion. As a result, better potential outcomes were not explored. Leaders, get out of the way. As General George S. Patton said:
Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. — General George S. Patton
2) Leaders are chocking the flow of value. Sometimes, by letting their teams self-organize and self-manage, something magical happens: the flow of value is better: no bottlenecks, just a constant flow of value.
Example: the person on the picture is guiding the traffic.
But he is actually making the flow of traffic worse!
Based on my observations for a month of this situation, when he is not around, the drivers of the cars actually take turn …
… one after the other from the other direction and vice-versa… like a ‘weave’ pattern! They are self-managing! Leaders, get out of the way!
In SAFe, we truly pursue self-managing, self-organizing teams… because best designs, ideas and outcomes… including best flow of value… emerge from this mindset.
Try it, if you have not tried it yet. It is wonderful and magical… not just for best outcomes… it is also freeing… for everyone… including yourself.
Trust your team!
