This is the latest in my series of leadership workshop sessions; this presentation includes the exercises and learning points. To see some of the text properly, you will need to get the free font Dark Roast.

1. Agile Leadership 201:
EnrichingManagem
| Paul Boos

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Our Agenda
• Servant Leadership Defined
• What Specific Frustrations Have You Seen? (Exercise)
• Why Do Managers Resist Servant Leadership?
• What Can Enrich Management?
• How Can We Move from Frustrations to Enrichment?
(Exercise)
• Some Specifics on Delegation… (w/Exercise!)
• Closing…

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“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins
with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to
serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to
aspire to lead. That person is sharply different
than one who is leader first.”
Robert K. Greenleaf

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“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins
with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to
serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to
aspire to lead. That person is sharply different
than one who is leader first.”
Robert K. Greenleaf

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How many mana
aspire to ser
a first inclinatio

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“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins
with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to
serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to
aspire to lead. That person is sharply different
than one who is leader first.”
Robert K. Greenleaf

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So what frustratio
have you had
or seen?

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Management
Frustrations Exercise• You will be working individually.
• Identify frustrations you have had or have seen
managers have when told to be servant leaders and
serve their teams?
• Focus on the activities being told (ahem… coached)
to do, not on the feelings of frustration.
• Also what activities are being explicitly told not to do?
• Write these where you would like; index cards are
provided.
• You will have 3 min.

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Let’s Debrief
• Anyone want to share 1-2 key frustrations?
• How many of these get ‘coached at’ you?
• Did a theme for these frustrations emerge?
5 min

10. Assigned as / Expected
Activitiesthey are
Manageme
Identity
Manager
[e.g. Make Decisions]
Reminded

11. Expected
Activities
Servant
Identi?
[e.g. Support (ALL)
Team Decisions]
Assigned as /
they are
Manager
Reminded

12. Expected
Activities
Servant
Identity
New
[e.g. Support (ALL)
Team Decisions]
Assigned as /
they are
Manager
Reminded

13. Assigned as /
they are
Manager
Reminded
Expected
Activities
Servant
Identity
New
[e.g. Support (ALL)
Team Decisions]

14. New Expect
Activities
Manageme
Identity
[e.g. Delegate Decisions]
Assigned as /
they are
Manager
Reminded

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So What Are Some
New Activities..?
• Observe the Work System
• Resolve Emerging Problems Proactively
• Demonstrate Curiosity (The Purpose of a Gemba Walk)
• Reduce Demotivators
• Delineate Delegated Authority
In Integrating the Individual & the Organization by Chris Argyris,
he discusses enriching people’s jobs.
Why not management’s job as well?

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Observe the Work
System

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What to Observe...
Here are some:
• What is working between teams?
• What is not working between teams?
• What language is being used?
• What relationships have emerged between teams?
• What gaps in team relationships are there?
• What ‘inventory’ is created between teams that is wasteful?
• What has become habitual in terms of decisions and actions?

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Resolve Emerging
Problems Proactively

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Well, Why Not What
You See Here?
Areas of Concern:
• What is not working between teams?
• What language is being used? (Negative Use like ‘Us vs Them’)
• What gaps in team relationships are there?
• What ‘inventory’ is created between teams that is wasteful?
• What has become habitual in terms of decisions and actions?
(Habits w/Negative Consequences)
Remember: Involve those doing the work!

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Demonstrate
Curiosity

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Demonstrating
Curiosity
Builds Trust and Engagement by showing genuine interest in your
people and their work. How? Try Humble Inquiry…
• “How goes it?”
• “Anything interesting?”
Don’t jump directly to Diagnostic (problem scoping) questions?
• “Tell me more…” (after they finish) over “Tell me more about ____”
• “So?” over “So ____ seems like a problem, what do you think?”
If a problem presents itself, explore how they would solve it.
• “What options do you think would work?” (Diagnostic question)

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Reduce Demotivators
Th
e
beati
ngswill
continueuntilimproves

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Reduce DemotivatorsWhat Demotivates? Start with the opposite of what motivates:
• Autonomy:
What removes people’s decision-making authority? What prevents
them from taking pride in their work?
• Mastery:
What keeps people from building their skills? What makes the
work boring?
• Purpose:
What holds back or slows progress? What obfuscates the
meaningfulness of the work?
Look for these and find ways to remove them. Amplify what motivates.

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Management
Enrichment Exercise• Pair with another, consider someone you don’t work with directly...
• Identify shifts in behaviors or new activities that you could do
following the patterns: observing, pro-actively resolving issues,
demonstrating curiosity, reducing demotivators?
• Focus on activities you can take to reduce/replace the frustrating
ones.
• How many options for each one can you come up with?
• Which of these excites you?
• Use additional index cards if you like.
• You will have 8 min. (4 min per person)

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Let’s Debrief
• What pair wants to share some ideas?
• What did this do to how you feel about your
frustrations?
5 min

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Illusion of Control
• Trying to ‘control’ another won’t work the way you think?
• You get ‘compliance’ and –
• Low initiative
• Low creativity
• Low responsibility
• Why? In knowledge work, autonomy is a motivator.

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Delineate Delegated
Authority

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Delegation Poker -
Levels of Delegation
They make decision (you don’t even
need to know what it is)
They make decision and you want to know
what it is (inquire)
They make decision and you advise them
Jointly agree on decision
Consult with them and make decision
Make decision and sell them its the right one
Make decision and tell them what to do

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Delegation Exercise
You are the manager over a software team building a mission critical
application. This is the day after their 5th iteration review. The product
owner’s boss tells you of a defect he saw in the review. He does say
the team said they would handle it, but he is concerned.
• After you learn from the team that the problem was a missed set of acceptance
criteria that has occurred the last 3 iterations, but was covered in this past
retro, what level of delegation are you comfortable with..?
• You have 2 min.

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Let’s Debrief
• How many selected….

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Make these a radiator:
Delegation Board

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References
• Servant Leadership by Robert Greenleaf
• The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
• Integrating the Individual and the Organization by Chris Argyris
• Humble Inquiry and Helping by Edgar Schein
• Drive by Daniel Pink
• The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge
• Managing for Happiness by Jurgen Appelo

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What Did You Learn
Today? Take 1 min and write
down something you
will do different after
this session.

34. @paul_boos
703.307.4322
paul.boos@excella.com
http://nimblicious.com
Thank
You