How to be a good leader // Beyond Coding #18 - Patrick Akil with Robby Coelho

Transparency

Transparency in leadership is crucial for creating a supportive and effective agile environment. Robby Coelho emphasizes that stress often arises not from workload but from a lack of control and information, which can be alleviated by open communication 1. He highlights the importance of leaders sharing information with their teams to foster collaboration and innovation. Patrick Akil adds that this approach can lead to "creating magic" in team dynamics 1.

Leadership plays a very important role into this because I don't like to use him often as an example. But the one thing really, really liked about Steve Jobs was the fact that Steve was able to. To excite you, to take you onto this journey to a place where you want it to be, because it's cool and it's exciting.

--- Robby Coelho

Coelho further discusses how leaders like Steve Jobs could inspire and motivate teams by clearly communicating their vision and involving everyone in the process 2.

   

Facilitation

Facilitating teams effectively requires empowering them to become self-sufficient and successful. Robby Coelho shares his experience with "zombie scrumming," where teams go through the motions without truly understanding or committing to agile principles 3. He stresses the importance of recognizing when a team needs help and providing the necessary support to foster genuine collaboration. Patrick Akil agrees, noting that building lasting relationships within teams is crucial for long-term success 4.

If you focus your whole day on the zeros and ones and writing good code, and you miss out on all the joy of working, of doing this as a team. I'm not saying as a group deliberately as a team.

--- Robby Coelho

Coelho emphasizes that true teamwork involves more than just technical skills; it requires emotional investment and a shared understanding of goals 4.