I got training as a product owner, but it was nothing like what awaited me at work.
My team didn’t have anyone in a position of leadership except for me. The functional managers thought it was just fine for them to add to any given person’s backlog instead of telling me what they wanted.
I got fed up and called a meeting. I told them that adding more work to anyone’s list of work was no longer acceptable. They would funnel requests through me or the team wouldn’t do any of that work.
One of the managers asked, "Aren’t you a servant leader?" I said I was. The manager then said, "Well, you need to serve us."
I saw red. I said, "No, I serve the team. You want me to serve you? Act like a team." I walked out.
After I took a walk around the block, I went back and knocked on my manager’s door. I told him what I’d done. He said, "Good for you!" We discussed who served whom more and I was much happier about the entire situation. Oh, and we got someone to be the agile project manager so I didn’t have to fight those battles.