How small, of all that Agile teams endure, that part which policy or CEOs can cause or cure. (Samuel Johnson paraphrased)

If you think about it, the concept of empowerment is strange. we want the team to have the freedom to spend someone else’s money however they see fit. Within reason of course but still, that’s the jist of it.

Understandably, the person funding an endeavor would like to retain control. we don’t recommend that a team be self-managed because it is their right, we recommend it because reality dictates that a team needs to be self-managed to produce their best work.

Any time wasted reporting back and waiting for approvals is a potential competitive advantage if we manage to remove the need for it (responsibly).

My advice to investors and executives: Hire those you trust, and trust those you hire. Anything else and you are shooting yourself in the foot.

My advice to agile teams: being self-managed isn’t a right or a privilege, anymore than a paying customer is. If you want to be self-managed you’ll have to fight for it and keep fighting to keep it.

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