The Great Product Owner: Building Trust Through With Agile Teams Through Active Involvement
Mike highlights that great Product Owners are actively engaged with their teams and balance presence with external responsibilities. These POs ensure frequent collaboration, participate in ensemble programming, and create opportunities for the team to ask questions and receive feedback. The key is mindful engagement that avoids unnecessary barriers and promotes trust.
Self-reflection Question for the Great PO Section: How can you foster an environment where your Product Owner remains engaged yet empowers the team to make independent decisions?
The Bad Product Owner: Pitfalls of Combining Roles and Controlling Behavior
Mike discusses the anti-pattern of a Product Owner who doubled as a manager. This dual role often led to micromanagement, stifled team autonomy, and the exclusion of the Scrum Master from decision-making. In such cases, teams becomes dependent on the PO’s direction, eroding self-organization. Mike’s solution involves encouraging leaders to choose between being a PO or a manager to avoid power imbalances.
Self-reflection Question: How can you encourage balanced PO involvement without stifling team autonomy?
🔥 In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching! 🔥
Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people.
🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue.
About Mike Bowler
Mike is a seasoned Agile coach and trainer with over 25 years of experience. He focuses on technical practices, workflow optimization, leadership coaching, and human behavior, including neuroscience and psychology. His expertise extends from technical implementation to fostering psychological safety.
You can link with Mike Bowler on LinkedIn.
Publish on: 15th November, 2024, 10:05 CET
Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at
Josh is an Agile Coach at a financial institution. He has been through a few different Agile Transformations. And became a Scrum Master in one of the early transformations and loved the role where where he stayed for 6 years, after which he transitioned into an Agile Coach.