Hey there, tech leads and engineering managers! 👋 Are you ready to level up your leadership game? Today, we’re diving into the delicate art of coaching self-organizing teams without accidentally morphing into the dreaded micromanager. Buckle up, because we’re about to walk the tightrope of hands-off management!

The Micromanager’s Dilemma

Picture this: You’re leading a team of brilliant devs. They’re self-organizing, they’re agile, they’re everything the tech blogs say they should be. But… they’re about to make a decision that makes your eye twitch. Do you:

A) Swoop in like a coding superhero and save the day? B) Bite your tongue so hard you taste binary? C) Find a way to guide without grabbing the wheel?

If you chose C, congratulations! You’re ready for the world of coaching self-organizing teams. If you chose A or B, don’t worry – we’ve all been there. Let’s explore how to nail that perfect balance.

The Golden Rule: Ask, Don’t Tell

“The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.” – Tony Blair

Okay, Tony wasn’t talking about tech leadership, but the principle applies. When you’re tempted to give directions, try asking questions instead. It’s like the difference between giving someone a fish and teaching them to fish – except in this case, you’re not even teaching. You’re just asking if they’ve considered using a fishing rod instead of their bare hands.

Example Time!

Let’s say your team is struggling with large, monolithic tasks that are slowing down the sprint. Instead of mandating “No task over 8 hours!”, try this:

You: “Hey team, I noticed our sprint completion rate is lower than usual. Any thoughts on why?”

Team: “Well, we have these huge tasks that only one person can work on…”

You: “Interesting. How might that be affecting our workflow?”

Team: “I guess it leads to a lot of ‘almost done’ stories at the end of the sprint.”

You: “Hmm, what could we do to address that?”

See what you did there? You guided them to the problem and let them find the solution. It’s like inception, but for project management!

The Five Whys: Not Just for Toddlers Anymore

Remember when kids go through that phase of asking “Why?” to everything? Turns out, they might be onto something. The Five Whys technique is a great way to dig into the root of a problem without telling the team what to do.

Here’s how it might go:

1. Why is our sprint completion rate low?
2. Why do we have a lot of long-running tasks?
3. Why are our tasks so big?
4. Why haven’t we broken them down further?
5. Why didn’t we realize this was an issue earlier?

By the fifth “why,” you’ve usually hit the root cause. And the best part? The team has discovered it themselves!

When in Doubt, Shu Ha Ri

No, that’s not a new sushi restaurant. Shu Ha Ri is a concept from martial arts that applies beautifully to coaching self-organizing teams:

• Shu (Follow): The team follows the rules and processes.
• Ha (Detach): The team starts to break away from rigid adherence.
• Ri (Fluent): The team creates their own rules and processes.

As a coach, your job is to recognize which stage your team is in and adapt accordingly. New team? Maybe they need more structure (Shu). Experienced team? Let them break some rules (Ha). Rockstar team? Stand back and watch them soar (Ri).

It’s a great way to introduce a process to them that isn’t overbearing, for example you can say how about we try “X” my way fora sprint or 2, see how you like it and evolve it from there.

The KPI Conundrum

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” – Albert Einstein

Al knew what he was talking about. When it comes to measuring the success of self-organizing teams, you need a KPI (Key Performance Indicator) that’s:

• Instantly measurable (because who has time for complex calculations?)
• Team-focused (no individual call-outs here)
• Connected to business value (because that’s why we’re all here, right?)

Avoid vanity metrics like lines of code or number of commits. Instead, focus on things like deployment frequency, lead time for changes, or even better – actual business impact metrics.

Why instantly measurable? it doesn’t necessarily need to be instant, as long as it’s timely, the sooner you know results the sooner you can change direction, and if its very timely you can even get to the point of gamification, but more on that in another post.

A good KPI sets the course for the team, can solve arguments and helps them course correct if they choose the wrong direction.

It’s also good to agree on SLAs for technical metrics (Quality etc) to make sure we don’t make a decision that trades off long term for short without knowing.

The Coaching Toolkit: Your Swiss Army Knife of Leadership

Here are some tools to keep in your back pocket:

1. The Silence Technique: Sometimes, the best thing you can say is nothing at all. Let the team fill the void. This will encourage your team to speak up on their own.
2. The Mirror: Reflect the team’s ideas back to them. It’s like a verbal rubber duck debugging session.
3. The Hypothetical: “What would happen if…” questions can open up new avenues of thinking.
4. The Devil’s Advocate: Challenge assumptions, but make it clear you’re playing a role, if you don’t make this clear you may come across overly negative and not supportive.
5. The Celebration: Recognize and celebrate when the team successfully self-organizes and solves problems.

Wrapping Up: The Zen of Hands-Off Management

Coaching self-organizing teams is a bit like being a gardener. You create the right conditions, you nurture, you occasionally prune, but ultimately, you let the plants do their thing. Sometimes you might get an odd-shaped tomato, but hey – it’s organic!

Remember, your goal is to make yourself progressively less necessary. If you’ve done your job right, the team should be able to function beautifully even when you’re on that beach vacation sipping piña coladas.

So go forth, ask questions, embrace the awkward silences, and watch your team bloom!

What’s your secret sauce for coaching self-organizing teams? Have you ever accidentally micromanaged and lived to tell the tale? Share your war stories in the comments – we promise not to judge (much)! 😉

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