The new skill paradigm

In the past we hired managers because they could “keep the people under control” and they could “get things done no matter what”.
Although the first one is clearly in contrast with the self-organizing nature of Agile, some people still believe the second one… Well, I propose that the most important skill for managers today (in Agile software development environments) is “creating and growing a team”.

That is the basis for success in the highly complex, changing and fast-paced world of software today.

I’d even go as far as to say that, if a manager cannot motivate a team (morale), select for the right mix of skills and personalities (coherence and complementarity) and make them work together and independently of their job titles (cooperation) then I’d suggest you make that manager go through the proper training, as otherwise he will only be removing value form the software development process.

The new skill for the Agile managers is “making teams happen”!