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

These are good rules.  I used to explain to people that as a manager, I like to introduce myself thus: "Hi, I'm Steve.  Its my fault".  Of course, Chet has usurped that responsibility!
 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, February 10, 2003 8:50 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [xpAdoption] Re: Do C-Level managers, and business drivers really need to know about XP?


Hi all,
 
Seems my empowering statement got some nice feedback, perhaps I should explain how I have achieved the empowerment in my staff, not all are IT I hasten to add.
 
First of all, a few rules I have used
 

1.	Never empower all at once, Never. 

2.	Find people that are motivated (personally motivated) in teams and empower them first. 

3.	Watch for abusers of empowerment 

4.	Never abuse empowerment as a way of abdicating responsibility 

5.	Always assume overall responsibility/accountability for your empowered teams. 

6.	Impose checks and controls (simple backlog lists, and public standup meetings are more than enough) 

7.	Advocate trust in a team-mates abilities, and a willingness to help/assist

Pretty simple rules really, however the hardest one to avoid is empowering to much, empowering is the enablement of people to do thier best not the handing on of all responsibility and work to someone else, someone has to be globally responsible, that is the manager. If this is borne in mind, you will watch for people and thier attitudes to work, and you will find ways to empower people.
 
The biggest issue is that of human nature, and that of laziness. By nature if given complete freedom, people will abuse it through laziness, that is why checks and controls must be inplace, these checks do not have to intrusive however.
 
Scott Worley - ranting as ever.
 

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Jim  <mailto:[email protected]> Standley 
To: [email protected] 
Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2003 9:09 AM
Subject: Re: [xpAdoption] Re: Do C-Level managers, and business drivers really need to know about XP?

Your note reminds me I had one wonderful manager who managed by empowering. 
He moved from the operations side of the house and knew nothing about 
programming or AD for that matter.  He knew lots about people and project 
management and he had contacts everywhere.  He saw his responsibility to 
the team as keeping the crap off our backs and getting us the fun projects 
- new technology & high visibility. When I was but a young pup he took me 
to the home office and stood me up in front of some very senior officers to 
present a new system instead of hogging the light for himself.  The team 
just loved the guy!

At 08:10 PM 2/10/03 +0000, you wrote:

>Hi Ron,
>
> > In my consulting, I would say that truly empowering managers are in
> > a very small minority, surrounded on one side by command and control
> > managers, and on the other by hands off then fire people managers.
>
>That fits my experience.  I find that most managers mix the three
>styles (command-and-control, abdicate, empower).  They use different
>styles in different contexts (e.g. how much pressure they're
>experiencing), or about different tasks, or with different people.
>Most tend to favor one style over the others, but not exclusively.
>
>I've met very few managers who are *only* command-and-control.  My
>most recent VP was that way.  I think command-and-control is what got
>him promoted to VP, as a reaction to the mess caused by years of other
>execs' abdicating.  I've known a few managers who only abdicate.  They
>tend to be removed from management positions fairly quickly.  I can't
>think of a manager who managed only by empowering.  The most
>empowering managers I've known also abdicted much of the time.
>
>Dale
>
>
>
>
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