During a recent dental appointment, the dental hygienist asked me what I did for a living. If I answered truthfully “I’m an Agile Coach”, I knew I would get a puzzled look and more questions. I was there on the clock for a cleaning and didn’t have time to explain. Besides, it would’ve been hard … Continue reading What’s Behind The Title?
As a coach helping organizations uncover new ways of working to improve their outcomes and value delivered, I often feel like an anthropologist. Observing how people interact with each other. Mapping out how they get work done. Examining the artifacts that get produced along their value stream. Trying to understand why they do the things … Continue reading Waterfall Stories
One of my favourite books is The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes and Barry Posner. Of the five core leadership practices described in that book, my favourite core practice is “Model The Way”. As a people leader, nothing you do escapes notice. All eyes are on you, all the time. People watch you for … Continue reading What If Leaders (Won’t) Go First?
As 2023 draws to a close, I take a moment to reflect back on a challenging year of ups and downs, both personally and professionally. Personal tragedies and setbacks in the midst of global warfare and catastrophes have been a constant reminder of the frail nature of the human condition. Learning that resilience emerges when … Continue reading Year End Wrap
Former NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner’s life story is depicted in the movie “American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story”. One of the most poignant scenes is when he was cut unceremoniously by the Green Bay Packers. After four years of being undrafted, he finally got his shot with the Green Bay Packers. At … Continue reading Does Your Team Show Up or Amp Up?
I just finished watching season three of AppleTV’s “The Morning Show”. It’s about the behind-the-scenes trials and tribulations of a fictional commercial broadcast television network and media company called UBA. In season three, a billionaire tech entrepreneur conspires to takeover UBA and sell it off for parts by liquidating all its assets including its content … Continue reading Nothing Lasts Forever
What do you get when you combine Lean Manufacturing and Marie Kondo? Answer: 5S What is 5S? 5S is a lean methodology that results in an organized, uncluttered, clean workplace both physically and mentally. A workplace that nurtures and sustains quality, productivity and improvement. Each of the five S’s represents a Japanese word phonetically starting … Continue reading Using Lean’s 5S Methodology as a Change Tool
When you’re asked a question, what do you do? You have two options: You can either answer. Or not answer. Right? I recently observed a Scrum Master feel pressured to answer every question hurled his way by his team members. To offer solutions to every problem raised. Even though many of the questions and problems: … Continue reading Must Questions Always Be Answered?
Contract work can be very lucrative. Whether it be as a ‘contractor’, coming in to to do a pre-defined set of tasks or as a ‘consultant’ coming in to solve or advise on a known problem or objective. Contract work can also be fraught with uncertainty. Contract workers are usually the first to be let … Continue reading How Does Your Organization Treat Contract Workers?
The recent historic flash flood in New York City plunged the city under a month’s worth of rainfall in just three hours. It created havoc for its citizens, half-submerged cars and turned the city into a dystopian waterscape. The scenes of water-filled roadways and people wading waist-deep through the streets was reminiscent of the the … Continue reading Agile Coaching Is Kinda Like Being a Surfer
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