There’s an old English proverb that I had always taken for granted. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” In my experience, this had always been a universal truth because people I've met the world over aren’t much different from each other when it comes to resisting change. The older I got, the more … Continue reading A Good Time to Teach Old Dogs New Tricks
As I started to think about this post, I developed “Writer’s block”. In the hopes of clearing myself of this condition, I decided to start with a better understanding of what the term means. Here’s what I found: "The condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing” … Continue reading How I Cleared My Writer’s Block
"Yeah don't hold backTrust your gut reactionBe bold, be bold babyIf you don't take chancesYou won't make advances"– The Rolling Stones, Hold Back. As economies around the world slowly emerge from the devastating effects of the pandemic, most, if not all businesses are reflecting on their pre-COVID business models and business goals to forge a … Continue reading What’s Holding Managers Back from More Agile?
“Agile, what value art thou now that we are remote and apart?” I, like many Agile practitioners, have been and continue to be impacted by this endemic pandemic. Degrees of impact ranging from digitizing interactions, events and Post-it notes to a dearth of jobs. It’s been all fun and games as I have enjoyed the … Continue reading 4 Plus 12 Reasons Why Agile Now More Than Ever
Agile team members working apart or remotely from the rest of the team have long been a thorn in the side of Agile purists. Those who staunchly stood by the Agile Manifesto principle touting the efficiency and effectiveness of in-person face to face conversation, would often rail against the few team members who personally preferred … Continue reading Work From Home: Privilege to Policy?
How will physical safety impact and affect the psychological safety equity built up over time within our teams? Will psychological safety become a casualty of physical safety? I had a chance to ask these questions and more at a recent virtual Toronto Open Space. I proposed a session titled “The Death of Psychological Safety” [...]
“I thought I was playing unconscious, but Borg beat me 6-4, 7-6 tonight, and he is in what we call the zone. (That comes originally from “twilight zone” and translates, more or less, into “another world.”) The kid has no concept of what he is doing out there—he is just swinging away and the balls … Continue reading What Will Flow Look Like Post Pandemic?
“When pigs fly.” According to Wikipedia, this phrase is known as an adynaton - a figure of speech so bizarre that it describes an impossibility. Here are some more examples of adynatons: “It’s raining cats and dogs” “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse” “If my significant other catches me, I’m dead!” All adynaton … Continue reading When Will Chickens Become Pigs?
“It’s just basically a failure to adapt to the battlefield as the battlefield changes that has left us really flat-footed.” – David Fisman, Professor of Epidemiology, University of Toronto. During this protracted period of COVID-19, it goes without saying that we are living in interesting and uncertain times. Not only more so than ever before, … Continue reading What Kinda Feet Do You Have?
“No fire fighter ever got criticized for using too much water” – Stephen Poloz. Like the tree that falls in the forest when nobody is around to hear it, if we speak into our microphones while we’re teleworking from home and nobody responds, did we actually say anything? Or, were we just on mute? 🤐 … Continue reading Is There Such a Thing as Over-Communicating?
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