Slides of my "Agile" session: "Learn different leadership styles with Star Wars Coaches" (given 29/11/2012 during XP Days Benelux 2012) Description: Most of management and leaderships techniques are traditionally taught during executive trainings. However, as I’ve experienced these techniques in Agile Teams (with the role of team member, scrum master or coach) they appear to be very efficient and powerful tool of communication. This session is the opportunity to (re)discover them and to practice them. As I was not comfortable to do it alone, I will be joined by several famous coaches like Yoda or Darth Vador

2. Learn different
leadership styles with
Star Wars Coaches
@BrunoSbille

3. Introduction...
Check:
http://vimeo.com/54842679

4. Your Coach
Name: Bruno Sbille
Job: Trainer & Coach
Location: Belgium
http://brunosbille.com @BrunoSbille bruno.sbille@gmail.com

5. Prerequisites

6. The Empire (Bad Guys)

7. Rebel Alliance (Good
Guys)

8. Jedi Knights

9. Whatever
Management
styles ?
styles ?
Leadership
styles ?

10. How will we work ?
A clip
introduce
the style
We will practice
We explain
the style through
the style
role playing

11. Episode I

12. Your Coach
Nom: Darth Vador
(Anakin Skywalker,
father of Luke)
Job: Supreme
Commander of the
Imperial Forces
Location: Death Star,
Admiral Ship

14. Context:
Disagreement on a
subject
Employee made a
mistake

15. We call this...

16. The Blame Culture

17. Blame Culture:
characteristics
• Any problem is due to someone’s mistake !
• Usually any change is considered as a threat
• People doing mistakes must be punished
• Use of fear
• Point that all problems occur because of
the person’s mistake only
• “Because of you,...”

18. Someone did
already
experience
this in
professional
world ?

19. Episode II

20. Your Coach
Nom: Han Solo
Job: Space Pirate
Location: Millennium
Falcon

22. Context:
We are under attack
I give orders (I tell you
what to do)

23. We call this...

24. Directive Management

25. Directive Management:
characteristic
• I tell you what I want you to do
• I explain “How” I want you to do it
• The person has few opportunity to think
or decide by himself
• Every move is controlled

26. Someone did
already
experience
this in
professional
world ?

27. Episode III

28. Your Coach
Name: General
Dodoma
Job: Rebel Forces Chief
and Tactician
Location: Alliance
Secret Base (Yavin)

30. Context:
Our objective, destroy
the enemy base
We have some
constraints

31. We call this...

32. Management by objectives

33. Management by objectives
• I’m more interested in final results than in the
method. (What & Why > How)
• I explain the results I expect
• I define the framework where the action should
take place
• I identify resources (human, tools, finances,...)
• I explain both positive and negative consequences (if
the objective is reached or not)
• I explain the Timing

34. Example

35. • I need an operational Scrum Team. By operational, I
mean they can work using Scrum on our Web
projects
• I want 50% of internal employees and 50% of external
consultants (because of budget reasons and to keep a
certain balance)
• You need to collaborate with Sylvie from HR. We
have to respect our shortlisted suppliers
• The team must be ready by 1st February 2013
• If you can achieve this, we will use Scrum in our
organization. If not, there’s a risk for Scrum to be
considered as non-adapted for us.
• You will be the Scrum Master

36. Someone did
already
experience
this in
professional
world ?

37. Episode IV

38. Your Coach
Name:Yoda
Job: Master Jedi
Location: Dagobah

40. Context:
He is looking for a
hidden planet
Yoda ask if any trainees
has an idea

41. We call this...

42. Personal consideration

43. Personal
Consideration
• Doing something especially and uniquely
for the person. Consider the person as sole
and unique
• According to the person’s interests
• According to the person’s motivations
• Give the person the opportunity to shine

44. Someone did
already
experience
this in
professional
world ?

45. JEDI Workshop

46. Role Playing
• Via role playing, you are gonna experience
the different styles
• By giving them
• By receiving them
• By observing

47. Step I We are a
team of 4

48. Step II
I will be I will be
the employee Manager
I will be I will be
the coach the coach

49. Step III I choose a style I will
experiment
I choose a context, a
situation.
I can choose a context
from my personal
context, or I can pick
Employee Manager one from the context
list

50. Step IV: Let’s do
this during 5 minutes
Hello, I wanted to
talk to you about
Ha...?! something...
Coach
Employee Manager
Coach

51. Step V: Debriefing
within the team 5 min
How do you feel ?
What do you think ?
What happened ?
Coach
Manager What did you observe ?
Did you like to “give” this
Employee Coach style ?
Did you like to “receive” this
style ?

52. Step VI: Let do this again
but...
> Change the roles in the
team
> Experience a new style
Coach Coach
Employee Manager

53. Debriefing Workshop

54. Now FORGET
about the terms
“EMPLOYEE” and
“MANAGER”
Anybody can use styles
with anyone

55. Which style do you
prefer to give ?

56. Which style do you
prefer to receive ?

57. We are “day one” with
a brand new team what
style would you pick ?

58. What’s the best style ?

59. It depends...

60. Adapt Management &
Leadership styles...

61. To the person...

62. and to the context

63. Luke: “All right, I'll give it a try...”
Yoda: “No. Try not. Do... or do not. There
is no try.”

64. Other Styles
• Charismatic
• Visionary
• By exception
• By example