Peter Pan

This week was the time for Scrum Gathering Barcelona 2012, the Global Scrum Alliance event in Europe.

Unfortunately I could not attend this year, like instead I did last year when I went to Scrum Gathering London 2011 (by the way I was one of just 3 Italians attending out of more than 300 people and was actually the only one working in Italy: don’t know exactly what it means, but it doesn’t smell very good anyhow).

On my way to England, I happened to read a nice article on the British Airways magazine describing Peter Pan as an ideal business man. 

Yes, you got it right: a business man! 

This made me think a bit.

Then I realized: Awesome! Peter Pan is also a prototype of a great Scrum Master or Agile coach.

He persuades and stimulates others, leads by example and isn't afraid to get hands dirty when needed.

As a mentor, he can take any young person and mould them into a fearless and vital member of the team.

Socially aware, Peter gives his team a strong sense of community and a reason to get up in the morning. The work is dangerous, however: battling pirates and crocodiles is not usually a career path open to the under-16s, but Peter helps his team overcome all impediments, show courage and face challenges looking impossible at a first glance.

Since he loves to fly and isn't afraid of confrontation, he is a perfect leader and by using unconventional tools out of normal practice (like brandishing a small sword in the boardroom), he gets great results.

His tendency to remain eternally youthful can be grating though: sometimes he can't understand why adults forgot their childhood and refuse to join him to fly. 

Thus, deep down he's lonely, with his only constant companion Trilly who sometimes he's not even very nice to. But as a good servant leader, he inspires trust and makes his team of young people able to do anything and get what they dream.

Well, I must admit I feel like Peter Pan sometimes (and be sure not because I suffer any syndrome).

And you?

Who (or What) is the Hook to defeat in your organization?