Hi again folks:

We have a lot of high-powered gurus on the UT, as well as people who are forced to accept guru status becuase they are the only one who understands VFP in their organization. I'd love to see some feedback from y'all on this one. It ranks as a pattern and anti-pattern.

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Cult of Personality
Problem: A team needs direction.
Context: A tight schedule, uncertainty of design, uneven distribution of skills among developers, and new technologies put a project into jeopardy. Perhaps drastic action applied to a SacrificialLamb has already occurred. There may even be a PeaceMaker in place, or even a DoorMat.
Forces:
*Powerful personalities can have profound effects
*Powerful personalities can have huge, destructive egos
*More than one Guru on a team may generate conflict or induce schism
*Gurus are very often the only possible hope for a project
*Reliance on Gurus rather than teams can lead to very low "truck numbers" (Thanks to Neil B. Harrison of AT&T for the metric!).
Solution: Bring in a legendary figure among the developers, or at least revered by management, to take over the lead.
Resulting Context: Guru-like figures who can inspire awe or at least intimidate team members can redirect a failing team through shear force of personality. When the Guru's name is spoken in hushed tones, or is used as a seal of verification ("Well, Archibald says that...") then the goal has been reached and the team is now manageable. Those team members who are not awestruck may need removal or reeducation if the charisma of the Guru is insufficient. Such heretics can be unsettling elements in a reformed team.
Rationale: At times there is no remedy in the face of disaster other than to throw a compelling personality into the mix.
Author: Don Olson