This document discusses people management approaches in agile environments. It describes the author's experience with traditional corporate people development programs and their shortcomings. The document advocates for managers to focus on cultivating purpose, autonomy, mastery and inclusion for individuals in order to maximize motivation, performance and retention. It provides recommendations for agile people management practices like prioritizing 1:1 coaching sessions, helping people find deliberate practice in their work, and using clue/skills matrices to guide development. The overall message is that managers should create space for people to succeed and be awesome on their own terms.

1. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
AWESOME PEOPLE
MANAGEMENT WITH AGILE
agile.delivery
London, June 2016

2. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kodomut/3667608102/

3. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
I SPENT MY FIRST 10 YEARS OF MY
CAREER IN A BIG CORP…
… FAMOUS FOR INVESTING HEAVILY
IN ITS PEOPLE
AND FOR DEVELOPING LEADERS

4. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
MATURE PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT
Everyone had:
– A workplan
– A personal development plan
– A career plan, complete with skills matrices
– A manager (most of whom did give a crap)
– A coach and often a mentor too
– Monthly 1:1s, quarterly reviews, annual reviews
– 10 days a year to spend on training, etc etc

5. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
THE GOOD

6. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
THE BAD

7. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
THE UGLY

8. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
YOU CAN ADJUST THIS KIND OF
APPROACH WHEN YOU WORK
IN AN AGILE WAY …
BUT IT STILL DOESN’T FEEL
QUITE RIGHT

9. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
SOME WOULD ARGUE THAT WE
DON’T NEED MANAGERS AT ALL
IN AGILE.
I ARGUE WE NEED GOOD
MANAGERS, AND TO BANISH
BAD BOSSES

10. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
WE ALL HATE BAD
BOSSES
WE DESCRIBE THEM AS
• Clueless
• Empty suits
• Pointless
• Seagulls

11. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager

12. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
https://twitter.com/Caterina/status/6715084157

13. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
GOOD MANAGERS ARE
BULLSHIT UMBRELLAS.
BUT THEY ARE ALSO A LOT
MORE THAN THAT.

14. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Traditional management beliefs
are a pile of crap
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elephant_Dung.JPG

15. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
WHAT DOES WORK?
Sooo….

16. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Across industries, across
countries, the best
performing teams
answer certain
questions positively

17. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Predictors of High Performance
1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the materials & equipment I need to do my work right?
3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4. In the last 7 days, have I received recognition or praise for good work?
5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a
person?
6. Is there someone at work who cares about my development?
7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is
important?
9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
10. Do I have a best friend at work?
11. In the last 6 months, have I talked with someone about my development?
12. At work, have I had opportunities to learn and grow?

18. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager

19. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
UNDERSTAND
MOTIVATION
• Purpose
• Autonomy
• Mastery

20. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
MOTIVATION =
+ PURPOSE (Do I believe in WHY?)
+ AUTONOMY (Do I get a say in WHAT?)
+ MASTERY (Am I proud of HOW?)
- ANY NEGATIVE FACTORS THAT DETRACT

21. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Predictors of High Performance (remix)
PURPOSE
• Does the
mission/purpose of my
company make me feel
like my work is
important?
AUTONOMY
• Do I know what is
expected of me at
work?
• At work, do my
opinions seem to
count?
MASTERY
• Do I have the materials & equipment I
need to do my work right?
• At work, do I have the opportunity to do
what I do best every day?
• Is there someone at work who cares about
my development?
• Are my co-workers committed to doing
quality work?
• In the last 6 months, have I talked with
someone about my development?
• At work, have I had opportunities to learn
and grow?

22. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
And What Else?
OTHER FACTORS:
• In the last 7 days, have I received recognition or praise for good work?
• Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a
person?
• Do I have a best friend at work?
ESSENTIALLY, AM I RESPECTED & REWARDED
HERE?
CAN I BE MYSELF AND SUCCEED HERE?
I CALL THIS INCLUSION.

23. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
CREATE SPACE FOR YOUR PEOPLE
TO BE THE BEST THEY CAN BE
Your job as a manager…

24. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
FIND & SHAPE SPACE WHERE YOU
CAN BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE
Maybe you’re not a manager. As an individual, you
need to…

25. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
https://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/8451589322/in/set-72157633230231221

26. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
SPACE TO BE AWESOME =
+ PURPOSE (Do I believe in WHY?)
+ AUTONOMY (Do I get a say in WHAT?)
+ MASTERY (Am I proud of HOW?)
+ INCLUSION (Do I BELONG HERE?)
- ANY NEGATIVE FACTORS THAT DETRACT

27. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
REMINISCENT OF AGILE MANIFESTO?
Individuals and interactions over processes and
tools
Working software over comprehensive
documentation
Customer collaboration over contract
negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
http://agilemanifesto.org/

28. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
VALUE INDIVIDUALS & INTERACTIONS
Do great 1:1s
Make them more like personal retrospectives
They are about the individual & their skills, growth
& development. Not a status update.
Care about the whole person. Everyone needs to
be themselves at work.

29. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
CULTIVATE INCLUSION
Help people to succeed as themselves.
Best predictor of recruitment AND retention?
Someone’s ability to agree with:
“Someone like me can be
successful here”

30. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
“OK, BUT HOW ARE YOU GOING
TO BEND ‘WORKING SOFTWARE’
TO BE ABOUT PEOPLE, MERI?”

31. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager

32. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
WHY DO WE VALUE
WORKING SOFTWARE OVER
COMPREHENSIVE
DOCUMENTATION?

33. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
WE DON’T KNOW WHAT WE
WANT ‘TIL IT’S DONE.
To horribly misquote Joni Mitchell…

34. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
WE NEED THE FEEDBACK LOOP.
WE HAVE TO ITERATE AND
LEARN.

35. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager

36. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
DELIBERATE PRACTICE
• You must be motivated to attend to the task and exert effort
to improve your performance.
• The design of the task should take into account your pre-
existing knowledge so that the task can be correctly
understood after a brief period of instruction.
• You should receive immediate informative feedback and
knowledge of results of your performance.
• You should repeatedly perform the same or similar tasks.

37. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
IS YOUR WORK DESIGNED IN A WAY
THAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE
DELIBERATE PRACTICE?
CHALLENGING? FEEDBACK?
LEARNING?
Ask yourself…

38. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
AGILE MANIFESTO
Individuals and interactions over processes and
tools
Working software over comprehensive
documentation
Customer collaboration over contract
negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
http://agilemanifesto.org/

39. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
PUT DOWN YOUR SWORD.
YOU ARE NOT A ROMAN GENERAL.

40. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
VALUE THE WHAT OVER THE HOW
Know when people need telling what to do
(Hint: it’s not often)
Help them get what they need the rest of the
time (Hint: not just someone else telling them what to do)
Learn coaching skills
(Hint: start with GROW:
http://blog.geekmanager.co.uk/2014/01/20/stealing-from-sports-really-
useful-coaching-dareconf-mini/)

41. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
CLUE / SKILLS MATRIX

42. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager

43. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8250578@N06/8625641442/

44. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager

45. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
http://www.flickr.com/photos/provoost/2246718091/

46. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
SKILL DEVELOPMENT

47. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
https://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/9613972159/

48. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager

49. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
https://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/8642795506/

50. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager

51. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
SPACE TO BE AWESOME =
+ PURPOSE (Do I believe in WHY?)
+ AUTONOMY (Do I get a say in WHAT?)
+ MASTERY (Am I proud of HOW?)
+ INCLUSION (Do I BELONG HERE?)
- ANY NEGATIVE FACTORS THAT DETRACT

52. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
AGILE PEOPLE MANAGEMENT
• Do awesome 1:1s = personal retrospectives
• Cultivate inclusion
• Help make work  deliberate practice
• Figure out where people are on the clue/skills
matrix, and help accordingly
• Learn to coach (direct less, coach more)
• Remember the bigger picture, help people
have a fulfilling career

53. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
GO!
FIND/SHAPE/MAKE SPACE
BE AWESOME
BE INCLUSIVE
And thank you for listening  Any questions?