Working with People: Of Agility and Emotion

SHARE
Request to reuse this
Add to my favorites
Topics: Agile, Scrum

If we are going to create an environment that is open to change, interactions and collaboration, then we also have to be prepared to deal with difficult emotions and decisions. 

Managing people in an agile environment requires social acumen. It is interesting to me how over the years the stories and issues change, but the emotions are still very much the same. For example, read through this list of words attaching a personal experience to each of them: angry, happy, arrogant, humble, competitive, passive, manipulative, helpful. Now read them again as though you were 16. What makes us feel--and how we respond to it--may have changed. But the raw feeling is still very much the same, and continues to permeate our life and work environment.

Given that emotions are here to stay and will continue to play a part in decision making, how can we work with these emotions when difficult situations arise? For me, I try to find ways to separate out the feelings from the behaviors. Like creating a list, with behaviors on one side and feelings on the other. Some people like to talk it out. Others may like to draw it, or use physical objects to represent the various factors involved in the situation. Whatever works, what's important is to put some distance between the behaviors and emotions involved. This allows everyone to look at it in a more objective manner.

Many of …

Please log in or sign up below to read the rest of the article.