What I learned from Bruno Bucciarati as a game producer
Bruno Bucciarati is an anime character from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind
Recalling my experience watching the anime JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind, I was impressed by one of the deuteragonists, Bruno Bucciarati. In the anime, Bucciarati was the leader of a 6-people team within a Neapolitan gang, Passione. The ways he led his squad demonstrate several critical aspects of a professional leader, and I find some of them apply to me as a game producer. In this blog, I will highlight 5 key traits of Bucciarati that help me become a better producer.
Stay Calm
The first trait is that a producer should stay calm when making decisions. Maintaining a rational mind allows us to analyze available options, listen to other voices, and be flexible to change. In Episode 2, when encountering the protagonist, Bucciarati received the invitation to override Passione. After deep consideration, he accepted the offer and believed it was the best way to end drug trafficking in the city. What seems like a random insane invite turns out as a catalyst for Bucciarati to achieve his goal. It makes me recall the times on the sprint planning day. When I am hasty or don’t go through details thoroughly, the team usually wastes time on reprioritizing tasks, which dramatically influences working efficiency. When I can identify risks and coordinate with leads before signing tasks, the team would more likely tackle the challenges well enough to finish milestone deliverables on time.
Be Adaptive
The second trait is that a producer is adaptive when something unexpected occurred. Being adaptive is a resilient mindset that helps us stay on track, focus on tasks, and potentially bounce back from frustration. In Episode 28, one of Bucciarati’s team members got assassinated on the beach. When his team was grieving over their companion, Bucciarati led the team to move forward because he knew they hadn’t achieved their goal, even though he was distressed by this unexpected loss as well. For a producer, it could be a case that someone leaves the team suddenly, which disrupted the schedule for the rest of the sprint. Although it may be something out of expectation, we shouldn’t waste time complaining or finding an excuse but looking for some mitigations to keep the wheel rolling.
Clear obstacles for the team
The third trait is that a producer is capable of clearing obstacles and blockers for the team. The team can focus and perform at their best when they don’t get distracted about trivial things, such as technical issues, importing tasks on Jira, etc. And one of the tasks for a producer is to keep his members away from this type of concern. In Episode 15 -16, Team Bucciarati encountered two top-notch assassins, Prosciutto and Pesci, inside a train to Florence. Bucciarati chose to fight against them alone to avoid revealing his teammates. He instead risked himself by pulling Prosciutto out of the train and suspending his heartbeat to protect the team. As a producer, one of the tasks is to find the solution when the team encounters difficulties because we want to finish our milestone objective on time with quality. If these blockers keep bothering the team, they will simultaneously influence your deliverables’ quality and quantity.
Respect different voices
The fourth trait is that a producer understands and respects different voices from the team by action. In a group, we usually receive different opinions while making decisions. It will be better to provide various options for people to choose from so that everyone feels heard. In Episode 21, by the dock of San Giorgio Maggiore church, Bucciarati betrayed Passione and planned to take down the Boss. Before leaving, he carefully explained his motive and invited anyone who wanted to join without ordering. In the end, all members except Fugo came with Bucciarati because they trusted what he did was the right thing. This episode reminds me of the time when deciding on project management software. During the first day of the Vertical Slice milestone, I brought two software to my team, Jira and Monday.com. After a short discussion, the majority chose Jira over Monday.com except for one member. She somehow preferred the convenience and workflow on Monday.com and asked me if she could keep using it. Instead of forcing her to use Jira, I decided to take her suggestion and managed her tasks separately. The reason is that I want to fulfill my team’s reasonable request as much as possible, not rejecting it due to the inconvenience. Furthermore, in this case, managing both software was also a chance for me to improve my organizational skills.
Care your people
The last trait is that a producer cares about his people and treats them differently. It can be done physically or mentally, including buying snacks, sending gift cards, celebrating personal achievement, etc. The key is to find the most proper way to care for each individual because the one-fits-all method doesn’t usually work with everyone. In Episode 33, when Bucciarati was dying, he decided to send out his house to one of the team members so that she could enjoy a new life when the battle was over. It reminded me of the time when I held the sprint retro with my team. Till today, I still remember the frequency of check-ins for each team member. Some of them preferred to have check-ins when they finish the tasks, and some chose to have check-ins by the end of the day. If I run check-ins at a fixed time for the entire team, many people would feel distracted and annoyed. So, to care for your people, ensuring your support meets their demand is essential.
Conclusion
“To complete my mission and protect my men. Having to do both at once is what makes being a capo so tough. Are you ready for this? I know I am.” - Bruno Bucciarati
In my opinion, Bucciarati is a successful character in the JoJo franchise and the model of a great leader. He always stays calm and adaptive under different situations. He is proactive in clearing obstacles for his team. Meanwhile, he knows how to respect other choices and adequately take care of each member. The way Bucciarati supports his team inspires me a lot on how to serve my people in a game development team.
