I was recently called an Agile Whisperer by a client. He was referring to my soft-sell pull approach for introducing agility elements into his organization rather than the alternative hard-sell push approach. I was pondering that label of Agile Whisperer as I sat down to watch an episode of The Walking Dead on Netflix. And … Continue reading What Do The Walking Dead and Agile Have In Common?
Anna: “But, I thought I was going to learn first?”Dorothée: “Practice beats theory” From the movie, Anna (2019) Most car accidents happen within five minutes of home. In fact, a 2001 survey of 11,000 drivers by Progressive Insurance revealed that 52% occurred within a 5 mile radius and 77% occurred within a 15 mile radius. … Continue reading Why I Hit the Pause Button
It’s late afternoon on a lazy July day. The sky above the trees is downtrodden, overcast and grey . The pelting staccato of rain on brick keeps me from venturing any farther into the yard. I just stand and listen. A siren wails in the distance as one by one, the swish of cars drive … Continue reading Random Mind Etchings
I grew up in a working-class neighbourhood. As a teenager, I took any and all opportunities to make a little spending money. I wasn’t picky about the job. It was either that or shoplift the things I longed for. After being escorted home in a police cruiser following a failed attempt by my brother and … Continue reading You Want Me To Do What?!?
Great advice when cutting a piece of lumber but life is not a piece of lumber. Nor are people. Measuring my life at different times would’ve yielded different results. What I sought when I was younger is no longer what I seek now. What cut it for me then, wouldn’t cut it for me now … Continue reading Measure Twice, Cut Once?
How can one teach when one is still learning? How can one learn when one is expected to teach? Ignorant are those who know it all When the cat’s in the bag, a hole will appear Of what use is the hole?
”The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”- Lao Tzu After more than 15 months of global and personal uncertainty, I recently reflected on a blog post called Micro Agile I wrote over 2 years ago. As I reviewed the post, 3 ideas stood out for me in the midst of our … Continue reading Micro Agile Revisited
“Just tell us what to do!”- Manager Many years ago I stood across from the role I am today. A wonderful Agile Coach named Mark. I was the sponsor for introducing Agile ways of working into our organization. Agile ways were new to me and I had a lot of questions. I had retained Mark … Continue reading The Coach’s Dilemma
“The right people don't need to be managed. The moment you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you've made a hiring mistake.”- Jim Collins, From Good To Great A recent news story described how many companies want employees back in the office as they slowly get vaccinated against COVID-19. The reason cited by an … Continue reading What Would You Do If You Were Ordered Back To The Office?
“We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.”(The Borg from Star Trek) The Dollarama button batteries didn’t fit. I didn’t even try. One look and I could tell. The diameter and voltage matched but wrong thickness. I was hoping for a cheap replacement battery for my dual powered calculator but alas, I’ll … Continue reading Let’s Fit a Round Peg Into a Square Hole
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