Redefining Leadership by Esther Derby & Don Gray

Traditional definitions of leadership emphasize position, formal authority and power, vision, heroics. Those definitions might have been sufficient in another time. Organizations that need to respond to a fast-changing environment and desire continuous improvement require a different kind of leadership and a different kind of leader.

Join us 7-March as we explore ways to lead knowledge workers. Participants will design a leadership experiment to try in their workplace.

Target audience: Not limited to developers, ScrumMasters, coaches, Product Owners and managers

Transcript

1. REDEFINING LEADERSHIP
   Esther Derby and Don Gray
   

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2. HOW DO YOU
   DEFINE
   LEADERSHIP?
   

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3. LEADER ATTRIBUTES
   • In your group, agree on three activities
   leaders do.
   

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4. SOME COMMON DEFINITIONS…
   • Having a vision and inspiring others to work towards that vision.
   • Motivating others and channeling their energy
   • Being at the forefront, managing and guiding people towards a
   goal.
   • Being bold, and taking risks that others are too timid to attempt.
   • Gaining followers through charisma or strength of personality.
   • Holding a position of authority.
   • Having status or social standing with in a community.
   

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5. A
   DIFFERENT
   DEFINITION:
   Leadership is the act of
   adjusting the
   environment so that
   everyone can contribute
   creatively to solving the
   problem(s).
   ~Gerald M. Weinberg
   

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6. HOW DO YOU ADJUST
   THE ENVIRONMENT?
   Clarity
   Conditions
   Constraints
   

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7. CLARITY
   • People know what to work on.
   • They know how their work fits into the
   big picture.
   • They understand their customer, and
   the business.
   

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8. CONDITIONS
   • People have the means—knowledge
   and material-- to do the work.
   • Organizational structures and policies
   support their work.
   

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9. CONSTRAINTS
   • People know what should always be
   done, and what should never be done.
   • People can articulate their bounded
   autonomy.
   • People have freedom to find solutions
   and be creative, while knowing certain
   decisions have already been made.
   

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10. ANALYZE SCENARIOS
    • In you group…
    • Read the scenario, then answer these questions:
    • How would you evaluate the Clarity for this team?
    • Does this team have Conditions that enable collaboration
    and successfully completing their project?
    • Is this team over- or under-constrained?
    

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11. HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER THESE
    QUESTIONS FOR YOUR TEAM?
    • In your group…
    • How would you evaluate Clarity for your team?
    • Does you team have Conditions that enable collaboration
    and successfully completing their project?
    • Is your team over- or under-constrained?
    

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12. LEADERSHIP …
    • What is the smallest thing you could do, without asking
    permission to…
    • Increase Clarity
    • Improve Conditions
    • Adjust Constraints to be more appropriate
    

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14. Esther Derby
    esther@estherderby.com
    +1 612.239.1214
    www.estherderby.com
    @estherderby
    Don Gray
    don@donaldegray.com
    +1 336.414.4645
    www.donaldegray.com
    @donaldegray
    

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