The Agile Master #5: Lessons on Agile Development from the Tao Te Ching

He who stands on tiptoe
doesn't stand firm.
He who rushes ahead
doesn't go far.
He who tries to shine
dims his own light.
He who defines himself
can't know who he really is.
He who has power over others
can't empower himself.
He who clings to his work
will create nothing that endures.

If you want to accord with the Tao,
just do your job, then let go.

- Tao Te Ching, Chapter 24

The Agile Master does not bring attention to herself and does not exalt herself. Don't rush towards a goal without bringing the team with you. You go together or not at all.

Code ownership will insure only that the code will be replaced as soon as someone else needs to maintain it. The more the team can share knowledge, the better the code will be and the easier it will be to maintain; the code will endure beyond the tenure of the individuals who created it.

The human body is recycled completely over the span of years and yet continues to be, fundamentally, the same person. So to the team. As members change nevertheless the team remains. The Agile Master encourages team knowledge above individual knowledge and encourages individuals to teach others on the team. In essence, the Agile Master strives for everyone on the team to become Agile Masters themselves.

You will fail. And in failing, succeed. You will learn and you will teach. This is the heart of the Agile Tao.

The Agile Master #4: Lessons on Agile Development from the Tao Te Ching

Throw away holiness and wisdom,
and people will be a hundred times happier.
Throw away morality and justice,
and people will do the right thing.
Throw away industry and profit,
and there won't be any thieves.

If these three aren't enough,
just stay at the center of the circle
and let all things take their course.

- Tao Te Ching, Chapter 19

In agile development, it is the team that is the center of everything, not individuals. Individuals trying to demonstrate that they are better or smarter will poison the team as a whole. Just as you should not blame one member of the team for an error, you should not praise one member. The team makes errors and the team succeeds.

Trust your team. Get rid of procedures designed to enforce expected behaviour. The team will do the right thing without it and they will do it for the right reasons - not out of fear. In the process, they will know true empowerment.

In the same manner, you should not institute individual rewards. The team should not be competing within itself for perks or benefits. This breeds envy and resentment.

The Agile Master should constantly evaluate what is superficial in order to get rid of it. Individual knowledge is superficial and dangerous; strive for team knowledge. Procedures are superficial and costly; get rid of those that do not benefit the team. Which ones are those? Ask them.

You will not be able to fix everything or everyone. Be calm. Be patient.

The Agile Master #3: Lessons on Agile Development from the Tao Te Ching

The Master, by residing in the Tao,
sets an example for all beings.
Because he doesn't display himself,
people can see his light.
Because he has nothing to prove,
people can trust his words.
Because he doesn't know who he is,
people recognize themselves in him.

- Tao Te Ching, Chapter 22

The Agile Master embodies what the team should be. He does not tell the team they need to change. Instead, he becomes the change. The Master will not draw attention to this, but others will notice. Through his actions, the Agile Master has earned the team's trust and respect. When he speaks, the team listens.

The Agile Master is not focused on himself, but on the team. He becomes what the team needs and, in doing, is a reflection of the team.

The Agile Master #2: Lessons on Software Development from the Tao Te Ching

When the Master governs, the people
are hardly aware that he exists.
Next best is a leader who is loved.
Next, one who is feared.
The worst is one who is despised.
If you don't trust the people,
you make them untrustworthy.
The Master doesn't talk, he acts.
When his work is done,
the people say, "Amazing:
we did it, all by ourselves!"

- Tao Te Ching, Chapter 17

The Master Agile practitioner leads from behind. Ideally, the team should not realize that she is a leader. Too often people embody their titles and try to fill the role it implies rather than the role that is needed. They end up being loved by their team, but not leading. Or feared and actively block progress. Or despised and there is no team.

You must trust your team. Assume greatness and they will accomplish it.

When the Agile Master works, the team achieves. The team should see all work done by any subset as work done by the whole.

The Agile Master #1: Lessons on Software Development from the Tao Te Ching

"Therefore the sages:
Manage the work of detached actions
Conduct the teaching of no words
They work with myriad things but do not control
They create but do not possess
They act but do not presume
They succeed but do not dwell on success
It is because they do not dwell on success
That it never goes away"

- Tao Te Ching, Chapter 2

Lets approach this from the perspective of an master Agile practitioner. The Agile Master must guide without guiding and teach without teaching. She will do this by being.

One does not merely write good code, but strives to teach others how to do the same and better. She does this not by creating good code, but by helping others discover how to write good code themselves. She manages the work of detached actions through others and teaches by letting others discover the correct path. Control is an illusion.

The greatest creation of a master is that which is created by others. The team will posses only what is created by all. None create alone. The team will succeed, but never dwells on success. Even failure is success. Therefore, there is only success.