There is no secret ingredient!

But a good leader can create the illusion! 

“There is no secret ingredient. To make something special, you just have to believe it’s special! »

No, this sentence is not from Eckart Tolle or the Dalai Lama but from Kung Fu Panda, or to be more precise, from Kung Fu Panda’s father (well, he is not really his father but Kung Fu Panda does not know!), the cook that makes a soup, so popular, that everyone thinks he uses a secret ingredient.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7DnFGdqT8c

When I saw Kung Fu Panda during the holiday season, immediately, this sentence made me think of what I have seen with accompanying teams on IT projects. And also, the special role a leader can play with these teams. Of course, comparison are odious, and mine is perhaps not great but let me explain anyway (after all, I do what I want, right?).

In fact, it often happens that teams focus on the unknown of a project. Have you ever heard: « My God, it’s never going to happen! », « We will never have the time! », « There is a lack of resources! », « The project is too big! », « The subject is not clear! » (Choose or add your « excuse! » )

This fear can paralyze an entire team

How to avoid it? Many methods propose to detail the project, with even more detail, decompose in finer tasks, plan, plan, plan … This may help.

Personally, I have observed too many times some teams loosing time by trying to provide too many details, too early in the project, asking people, who do not know (objectively), to write « detailed specifications », to plan everything … I prefer a much more pragmatic approach, initiated by a minimal effort to describe the project (at least time boxed), followed by immediate actions and a process of continuous improvement. It therefore, gives:

Prioritize -> Select -> Do -> Deliver -> Analyze -> Adjust -> Start again

Well, if you still have not well understood what I’m talking about, it is agile methods. But, this is sometimes not enough. The process, the method is important, but injecting the secret ingredient is even better. And the secret ingredient, for a team, is to have the certainty that it can rely on an agile manager, a leader, able to support them in important moments.

This leader must be able to

• Listen actively (really!) to the team
• Reassure the team when they are questioning themselves
• Protect the team from all the noise and disruption that surrounds, so the team focuses on what is important

Basically, be the transmission belt with top management, by asking the latter to take his own responsibilities when necessary (« You are asking to have your cake and eat it, too! Choose what is most important to you! »).

In the eyes of the team, this leader becomes the secret ingredient

With this support, the team will take confidence and avoid wasting time, on matters over which it has no control.