[lmm]

The reality is a lot of us are cogs in a machine. Anyone can make a CRUD webapp, and maybe I can do it 20% faster than someone else, with better craftsmanship that will make it easier to maintain, but fundamentally we're substitutable. Self-deception would upset me much more. I see standups as the opposite of micromanagement; they give me the opportunity to ask for what I need, and the format almost forces my manager to shut up and listen.

It does put a lot of emphasis on a single Product Owner, and there are downsides to that. For my money you get better products if one person takes responsibility for the decisions and you follow them consistently, even when on a local scale you have a better idea.