In their infancy, software teams are fragile organisms trying to create an immense about of value (software) while trying to learn what they are actually doing (coding). They come together, work hard, support each other, and slowly but surely that fragility turns into a strong base on which the team's future is built and expanded.
They build on these successes and keep churning out more products and code, further strengthening their delivery. When done right, the cracks in the team's foundation are plugged before they become gaping wounds (i.e., technical debt, deploying bad fixes, ignoring the processes that have helped them all the way along, etc, etc).
But to reach that goal, there is the one Constraint that can upend this progress and plateau the team at a level where they can’t grow any further and instead stay mired at the level they are at, trying to move forward but continually being pulled back.
Leadership.
Without a Leader, a software team will consistently be limited and constrained by their lack of leadership that could fundamentally change the growth and trajectory of not only the team but the individuals as well.
It’s not just about having someone in the role of Leader on your team, it’s about having a scary good Leader that is able to disseminate everything around them and…
