I Manage an Agile Team. Am I Obsolete?

Robert Pieper

Summary:

Agile and Scrum Teams are self-organizing and self-managing. As a line manager, what's left to do? Traditionally, managers are responsible for the output of their teams. Sometimes they're even responsible for the for a team's delivery that they do not have direct oversight. This model is flawed. People are complex, a team of people is a complex system. May as well try to manage the weather. To get a handle on the complexity of teams, managers need to act differently in how they lead others. In other words, managers of agile teams will fail if they do not shift their thinking from management to leadership. We can't manage the complexity but we can help people navigate it. Just as we can't stop it from raining, we help teams find umbrellas and take supportive actions when things begin to flood. During this talk, Robert will explore the transition from management to servant leadership, how managers can support their teams in helpful ways, and how empowering other could become the favorite part of the manager role. If you’re a manager, project manager, or want to be a great manager, join us and learn simple yet highly effective techniques to use in growing those around you to get better engagement, cultivate intrinsic motivation, and build amazing teams.

Presenter Bio:

Robb Pieper has taught and coached thousands of people on agile frameworks and methodologies. He’s worked at all levels, from the team to the C-suite, as a champion of modern management, nimble thinking, and the benefits of business agility. Robb’s developed a strong ability to communicate difficult-to-grasp ideas in his long career in software development and client-facing roles. He’s a charismatic public speaker, inspiring business leaders and knowledge workers with new ideas to improve. He specializes in executive and management training and coaching but is also passionate about building solid relationships and teams, keeping first things first, and mistake-proofing.