Send Talented Jerks Packing with Agile and SAFe

One of the biggest stereotypes in the business world is the talented jerk who leads by pure force of will.  Through bullying behavior, intimidation, and promises of advancement, these individuals create an environment of fear to forward their business goals.  It is often an exploitive process where your enthusiasm and eagerness to please often are transformed into a weapon.  I have spent plenty of time working with these individuals as a professional.  As a coach or scrum master, it is up to you to call out the toxic behavior and strive to do better.  The contemporary office should be less “The Devil Wears Prada” and more humane. 

The Agile manifesto principles and the SAFe Lean-Agile principles explicitly state that domineering jerks are not the way to lead teams.  The Agile manifesto recognizes that organizations should “build projects around motivated individuals, give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.” SAFe says, “Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers.”  These statements are an open repudiation of the top-down command and control approach championed in popular culture. 

I have had plenty of misfortune working with awful people.  They were emotionally erratic, and you spent your time in the office waiting for an explosion or a well-directed torrent of abuse.  Power is misused, and when something goes wrong, they are the first to deflect blame.  You are right if it sounds like abuse.  Office workers and blue-collar folks suffer through the experience of potent jerks, which changes them.  Instead of enthusiasm and professional pride in what they do, abused workers slog along doing the bare minimum to collect a paycheck.  

Forbes magazine points out four possible paths to power in organizations:

• Dominant-aggressive Behavior: using fear and intimidation.
• Political Behavior: building alliances with influential people.
• Communal Behavior: helping others
• Competent Behavior: being good at your job 

I think organizations that promote based on helping others and being competent will be more successful than those that concentrate on power and politics.  It is also why both the Agile manifesto and the SAFe lean-agile principles use similar language to describe how organizations and teams should operate.  

I have rallied against talented jerks my entire career.  It is a natural response to being their target for most of my life.  As I have grown older, I have discovered there is not much intellectual difference between the mean girl who treated you like a grub in geometry class and the marketing professional who expects the web developers to write content for the website with multiple revisions.  It is best to sideline and expose these people because they will undermine the organization in the long run. 

We see plenty of cruelty, inequality, and denial in media, business, and politics.  The only way to fight it is to be kind to others, competent at what we do, and provide an environment where those traits are discouraged.  I am not perfect at this, but I strive to get better each day and be an example for others. 

I joined the agile reformation because I felt there was a better way to work.  Today, I feel just as strongly, and the first step is to create an atmosphere of kindness, cooperation, and competence at the office.  Next, it is exposing talented jerks.  Finally, breaking the cycle of abuse we all experience in a typical business environment.  I will take that any day over a Prada suit.  

Happy Easter and until next time.