The last week has been particularly brutal if you follow current events. It is relevant to me because my life partner is a teacher, and I cannot imagine her sacrificing her life to protect children from a shooter. The news and social media are awash in hot takes and lurid details. It is overwhelming and tragic. Amid all of this grief, we need to ask ourselves in the Agile community what lessons we can learn and how we can help others.
I have been adamant that I would not write about politics on this blog. There are plenty of people who have opinions on the political left and right. I will defer to them. When I talk about politics, it is often in business law and policy—being a professional as long as I have gives you a unique perspective on how a business succeeds and fails. A lifetime of experience colors your opinions. A kaleidoscope of people dominates the world of business. The foremost thing I have observed is that strong servant leadership is a force multiplier in the success of an organization. Outstanding leadership makes the difference between slogging away at a job and finding purpose and camaraderie at work.
I pointed out last week that mental health is a serious concern and business environments actively undermine mental health. Violence in the workplace is a symptom of deep sickness. It shows a failure of leadership and collective vision. It should not be this way.
A school or workplace should never drive a person to violence. It is up to people like me to help others be heard and understood. People want to work and learn with others in situations where they can succeed and thrive. The agile reformation was born because the business world was failing to deliver value to customers. That failure was impacting the lives of millions of people around the world.
I do not have easy answers, but I want to make the world less unequal, cruel, and stupid. I intend to do that in the context of the business world. First, I try to do my best to be a servant leader each day. I am an example of behavior, and it is the best teaching tool for small teams. If you have the back of your team when times are tough they will have your back. Others will either model the behavior or understand the norms accepted on the team.
Next, radical candor should allow you to communicate effectively with your team and others. Care personally about your people and challenge them directly so they can grow and develop. Not everyone will succeed, but you should allow everyone to try.
Finally, we need to stop treating people like “resources.” Each person is a unique individual with hopes, dreams, and families. Grinding people down like pencils is bad business because it will drive good people away from the organization. Burning out people will also turn potential customers into vandals against the firm. In the worst case, they will resort to violence.
Leadership is complex and a lonely road to travel, but it can make the world better if done correctly. It gives me a little small comfort as we attempt to make sense of the death of nineteen students and two teachers.
Be safe and kind to each other; until next time.
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