Drew Kincius
Creative Director | beLithe
dkincius@belithe.com

We’ve all been there.

Dealing with THAT boss at work.

The manager who always seems to want to bring others down. For them, nothing is good enough. Nothing is ever a good idea.

Unless it comes from them.

What creates the awful boss?

Now that I’ve got you rolling your eyes, let me instigate you again: I would actually argue that most of these types of personalities, deep down in their core, are actually not wanting to sabotage workplace culture. I believe that a lot of these people have their hearts in the right place.

And no, it’s not because I’m a manically optimistic person. It’s because I don’t blame them wholeheartedly for their terrible execution as leaders. Why? Because it’s not entirely their fault. They’re asked to thrive in a system that is broken.

What is this broken system, you ask? The “dictatorship role” often given to managers. The result of a raise or promotion that suddenly grants full control to an individual is a top-down approach that spells certain doom: one person telling many what to do without even knowing what’s really going on or how to do the work himself.

Why is this approach so widely accepted? Because individuals crave power. With power comes control, and with control comes predictability and sanity.

But only for the manager. And only for so long.

A miserable place of instability.

But for everyone else? It’s just the opposite – prolonged instability.

Deadlines are shortened, the “definition of done” is muddled and always changing, and therefore no one feels like they understand what’s expected and how to deliver “success.”

If I asked you if it would be easier to push a car with five people or just one, you’d be looked at with a crazy side-eye if you said, “one.” And yet, organizations are consistently set up where only a few people have real power. Thus the potential collective impact from countless inspired and hard-working individuals is wasted.

Give. Let go. Let them shine.

Management 3.0 is a different way of looking at the way organizations structure themselves regarding the allotment of power. It covers the importance of managing the system, not the people. It’s about putting the power of success and failure into the hands of the people, giving them the greatest ownership over the work. I believe this emotional ownership, combined with diversity in thought, is a sure path for breeding innovation and your best solutions.

Management 3.0 manifests itself as a two-day workshop that covers eight core modules, providing the tools for your teams to know how to continuously move forward with confidence. Adding a new member to your organization? Play Delegation Poker and assign tasks and roles. Know of a team member who isn’t fulfilling their promise? Use the Competency Matrix to list out what skills are needed for your projects to be completed and who’s best at meeting those needs so that everyone feels valued and seen.

These tools become rooted in the idea of the team first. And in the end, the leadership at your organization won’t feel the pressure to come up with giant, overarching solutions for your team to tackle your biggest challenges.

Your teams will already know what to do right away and get to it.

You hired these folks for a reason. Let them shine!

Moving ahead…

We’re bringing Management 3.0 to Cincinnati soon. Click here to join us on November 14th and 15th and discover why giving the keys of your business to your team is not radical or merely idealistic – it’s crucial for breeding the mindset to grow your organization now and into the future.

We’re big fans of the transformative power that Management 3.0 can provide for entire teams and organizations.

If you’re interested in bringing this dynamic program to your workplace, let’s chat.

Be well, and stay agile, my friends.

Drew

Drew Kincius
Creative Director
Be agile. Be empowered. beLithe.
dkincius@belithe.com

In the Agile world, the words “Scrum” and “Kanban” are as common as zone and man-to-man defense are in basketball. Both the Scrum framework and Kanban processes apply the Agile methodology to managing and implementing workflow in a way that promotes both quality and efficiency. But what’s the difference between the two, and how do you decide if one or both are best for your business? Let’s break down the biggest differences between Scrum and Kanban, no sports knowledge required.

What is Scrum?

Scrum is an application of the Agile methodology that hones in on carrying out complex processes by simplifying them into shorter, speedier projects. This project management style emphasizes communication strategies and the production of high-value deliveries and rapidly, repeatable iterations.

What is Kanban?

The Kanban method is centered on being able to visualize workflow and processes with the objective of identifying and correcting bottlenecks and roadblocks that could slow down or disrupt progress. In Kanban, deliverables are broken down into smaller tasks that are represented as touchpoints on the Kanban Board.

The Team Perspective

Scrum

Groups utilizing Scrum are given one of three defined roles: Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Team. Each of these roles commits to specific work responsibilities and executes those tasks repeatedly until the project is complete. The Team itself in Scrum is cross-functional, meaning each member has a particular expertise that equips them for a unique contribution and prevents team members from being siloed in a particular skill set or task.

Kanban

On the other hand, Kanban has no set roles. Flexibility is the name of the game with Kanban, so responsibilities can shift depending on who is facing an obstacle or delay. Every member on the Kanban team is a leader collaborating on the most creative solutions to reach the end goal. The Kanban team is specialized so that any individual can tackle any task within the backlog.

Obstacles and Obligations

Scrum

Scrum processes revolve around the planning and preparation of a repeatable schedule referred to as “ceremonies”, one type of which is the sprint. These sprints rely on regular and punctual output that is reviewed and revised on a loop. The Team focuses on task completion while other roles, such as the Scrum Master, are responsible for removing any obstacles that arise so the Team members can execute.

Kanban

With an emphasis on adaptability and flow, Kanban consistently re-evaluates processes and obstacles in order to constantly improve the process and maximize efficiency. Kanban tasks are based less on specific deadlines, timeframes, and deliverables and more broadly on a continuous flow of productivity.

In typical Agile fashion, we have further broken down the differences between Scrum and Kanban in an easy-to-read visual for you to reference.

Still have questions about Scrum and Kanban, or need help deciding what’s right for your team? Contact an Agile expert at beLithe today.