RE: Re: Do C-Level managers, and business drivers really need to know about XP?

Hi Dale,

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dale Emery [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Monday, February 10, 2003 5:01 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [xpAdoption] Re: Do C-Level managers, and 
> business drivers
> really need to know about XP?
> 
> 
> Hi Steve,
> 
>  > How does one who intends to be "empowering" avoid being seen as
>  > abdicating?
> 
> The only sure way I know is to avoid being seen at all.  Probably 
> not what you want.
> 
Very True.

>  > I have tried very hard to be an empowering manager at my
>  > current place of employment.  During annual review time, I got
>  > almost universal feedback that I was "not directing them
>  > enough".  This feedback was from my team members, not my boss.
> 
> Your management style is probably a change from what they are 
> used to, and raises troublesome questions that they don't (yet) 
> know how to answer, especially How will we be evaluated?

Also very true.  
> 
>  > I guess my point is that the tricky part is finding the
>  > balance.
> 
> 
> Rather than trying to figure out "how much control," consider 
> asking: Which things will I try to control, and which will I not? 
>   Which things will I abdicate, and which will I not?  By which 
> actions will I empower, and in which situations?
> 
As usual, you cut through to the quick.  This is a really good piece of advice.  Perhaps I am looking at the wrong guage.

>  > Even then, somebody will come back with the idea that you
>  > either abdicated too much, or controlled too much.
> 
> Again, the question of "how much" seems unfruitful to me.  Try to 
> move from balance ("how much") to selection ("which").  Which 
> things did each person want you to control more, and which less? 
>   The answers are likely to be different for different people.
> 
> How do *you* feel about your mix of empowerment, control, and 
> abdication?  What would *you* change?
> 
I have always been very proud of my management style and ability.  This particular gig has had me stumped because I ran up against a case where my natural tendencies and instincts weren't enough.  I feel that the mix I am providing has been a good one.  The biggest issue right now is to get more rapid feedback than once a year.

What would I change?  Due to this and other issues....probably my organization.  But meanwhile, I would personally love to give higher empowerment, slightly less control, and I would like to avoid abdication wherever possible. A little story from a company I used to work for, which describes my nirvana:  A couple of my team members came to my office(we all shared 2 to an office) and said "We ran into this, this, and this (organizational)problem.  This is what we decided to do about it.  These are the people who will be affected."  My job was to merely to make sure that the affected people understood and were happy with the decisions that were made.  In other cases, they would come to me for advice on ways to solve a problem, then go make their decision.  It was a real nice feeling.  As I explained to some fellow managers, my job is to make myself obsolete.  


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