What Bill Murray's Meatballs Taught Me About Agile Leadership

Growing up, one of my favorite movies was a Bill Murray movie, Meatballs. The 1979 comedy follows an adult summer camp counselor as he trains the next generation of counselors, controls the chaos of a co-ed sleepover camp, falls in love, and helps a lonely camper fit in. It is a sophomoric teenage comedy, but it has aged well, and it inspired me to become a camp counselor. As summer winds down and people start heading back to school, it is necessary to explain why an agile coach is more of a camp counselor than a sideline mascot.

As a camp counselor, you are responsible for the well-being of younger campers. Rain or shine, you must keep them safe from inconveniences like poison ivy and dangers like drowning. Counselors also spend time teaching outdoor skills and act as role models. I thought my counselors were the coolest people I had ever met, and I have fond memories of the lessons I learned from them as a young boy.

In contrast, a mascot in a high school or college setting is all about enthusiasm and drama to get the home crowd fired up. It is a simple role often filled with performative cheerfulness. As an agile professional, you must aspire to be the camp counselor instead of the mascot.

Things go wrong when you are writing code or leading a team. It is important that you recognize it and try not to create enthusiasm where it is not warranted. People are going to get wet and muddy when it rains. Those campers should have rain ponchos and try to keep dry. In tech, production outages and scope creep are the downpours. A good Agile coach doesn't pretend it's sunny—they hand the team rain ponchos and keep them moving. As a counselor, you move the team forward and help them endure difficult times.

Some of the best leaders I ever met knew when it was time to clown around and when it was necessary to be serious. I respected those moments more because I knew they were looking after my safety and the safety of the others in the group. Their example pushed me to become a better leader.

So, like Bill Murray, I try to mix playfulness with a serious edge. I understand the difference between being a camp counselor and a mascot. I also know that counselors are the ones who create sustainable teams and get things done.

Until next time.