There is no good or bad, right or wrong. There is only what you need and want. And what you need and want will change over time. The same can be said about the type of Scrum Masters we look for. I was recently comparing Scrum Masters at a client. Assessing which Scrum Masters were … Continue reading What Do You Look For in a Scrum Master?
As a coach, my greatest moment of joy occurs when my coachee connects with me. That moment when we both arrive on the same page in the coachee’s story of growth and improvement. For some, the moment is instantaneous, as soon as we meet. For others, the moment takes more work to arrive at but, … Continue reading Ignition!
In the face of declining market demand for agile coaches and scrum masters, one question being asked explicitly or implicitly by some organizations is, “What’s more important, ensuring delivery of what people have committed to or growing the maturity of the people to deliver?” High performing agile leaders rely on high performing agile teams to … Continue reading Delivery or Maturity?
The sixth principle from the Agile Manifesto is, “The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.” Scott Ambler and Alistair Cockburn’s graphic contrasting the efficiency and effectiveness of different communications channels really hits this principle home. When the Covid pandemic hit in 2020, face-to-face conversation … Continue reading Is Remote Collaboration Cheaper?
Sitting on a plane waiting to take off for my destination. A lady sitting next to me. People seated across the aisle to the right, in front and behind me. We’re all passengers for the duration of the flight. Our role as a passenger has a set of common responsibilities. These include stowing our luggage, … Continue reading When It Comes to Role Clarity, Think Venn Diagrams
“We win, you lose” is a familiar mantra in the world of sports. At the end of the game, one team trots around triumphantly, the other hang their heads. This season, the Edmonton Oilers triumphed over the Vancouver Canucks to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup quarterfinals. Only one team could advance. This time … Continue reading Bind Not Blind
I have a pocket-sized AM/FM transistor radio in my bathroom. It’s an old school relic. It is simple, over-the-air analog and battery-powered. It has been my trusted and reliable companion every morning as I get ready with a dose of the day’s news, weather and traffic headlines. That is until recently, when the volume would … Continue reading Walk Before You Run With AI
How do you see your job? As a means to an end? Something you do to put food on the table and to make a living? As an end in itself? Something you do to develop and grow yourself? Both 1 and 2? How you see your job is a good indicator of how satisfied … Continue reading Experimenting With Spotify Inspired Chapters
There’s one idea that has stuck with me through the years since I first heard of it during a seminar in my “Philosophy of Science” university class. The professor asserted the idea that there hasn’t been an original idea since Christianity. He believed that every idea since then is not new but rather is only … Continue reading Value Stream Mapping Is Like A Swiss Army Knife
A good friend of mine who also happens to be an awesome Agile Coach, asked me for a coaching session to deal with a challenge he was having at work. The job that he loved and that he drew inspiration from was becoming a drag on his spirit. On one hand, leadership was expecting him … Continue reading Push Back On Being Stuck In The Middle
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