Leadership is a skill, not a position

When it comes to developing custom software — especially using Scrum like we do — leadership is of the utmost importance. And I’m not just talking about the kind of leadership required of Tim Hamilton, our CEO.

I recently came across this article on Forbes.com about “Leaders At All Levels,” and it made me realize how using the Scrum workflow at Praxent also sort of puts us in the business of leadership training. The Deloitte team quoted in the article says an organization should “create a culture that broadens the opportunity for leaders to develop in new ways,” and I think that’s exactly what we do. When we train a new client to be a Product Owner, we are demonstrating for them a new kind of leadership. Every morning when I scrum with my two-person Dev Teams, I am helping them be leaders to each other. And even as ScrumMaster and de facto leader for all of our ongoing projects, I am learning to lead by facilitating, rather than dictating or controlling.

In the business world of the 21st century, leadership is a skill, not a position. We don’t have an explicit leadership training program at Praxent, but maybe we don’t need one. Because each of the roles defined in Scrum require both leadership and listening, we are practicing our own leadership strategies just by showing up for work in the morning.

What’s your take? Do you see both listening skills and leadership skills exercised in your experience of Scrum? Share your comments below…