Imagine someone asks you to do something. You have three potential options: to respond with a yes, a no, or a maybe. In today’s world of instant gratification, and more things to do than we know what to do with, we’ve forgotten the meaning of of these words. Saying yes. We say yes because we are able and want to commit to the request. We…
Feeling safe is a fundamental need we all have. If we are raised in an environment filled with drama, exclusion, and ridicule, you may struggle feeling safe being yourself and contributing to teams. Our childhood shapes our ideas and beliefs. Our culture helps define how we approach life. Our experiences mold how we view the world. Each person on a team brings a unique set…
Every season brings change. In the spring (the formation of a new company), everything is fresh and new. Summer (the growth years), brings new and exciting opportunities. Autumn (stability), brings about an opportunity to let go of outdated products and processes. Winter (leaning out), provides an opportunity to get lean and plan for what’s next. Every decade there seems to be a new idea that…
As we’ve discussed before, a mindset is a fixed attitude, disposition, or mood. Your mindset is formed throughout your life and is shaped by your beliefs. When you are very young (0 – 6 years old), you begin forming your beliefs by watching how life unfolds around you. You are a blank slate and each of your experiences adds a bit of color. These are…
Transparency | Inspection | Adaptation Although empirical process controls are an embedded concept in the Agile values and principles, how to actually practice these simple ideas eludes many teams and organizations. Let’s break it down from a mindset perspective. Transparency: the quality or state of easily being seen through, recognized, obvious; open, frank, or candid. In essence, the first step in the empirical process is…
Be giving, forgiving, compassionate, and loving. These are not words we usually associate with work or how we would describe our interactions with co-workers, but what if it was? What if everyone on a team and in an organization actually practiced being more giving and compassionate? In this day and age of lawsuits, people are so concerned about being politically correct, saying the right thing,…
Remember the saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” It’s a clever visual representation that encourages us to break down the work so we can accomplish more than we could have ever imagined. Think about it. When you take on a project, whether it’s at work or home, you usually consider the goal, identify the best approach for achieving this…
As a kid, my mom really tried to help me be “perfect,” but I often fell short. It was way too difficult trying to meet someone else’s expectations, so instead, I focused on doing my best, learning, and growing from each experience. I had no idea that was what I was doing; I was only in elementary school, but I knew it was important to…
We think of the ripple effect when we drop a pebble into a pond and watch the ripples begin to spread. The flow seems to continue moving outward forever. Perhaps you’ve seen how this works in the real world. When you smile at someone, have you noticed how they will usually smile back? Another example could be when you do something kind for someone, which…
Whenever I think of the team development phase called “storming,” it makes me feel excited. Storming is that phase after the honeymoon period, where we start to feel comfortable with our surroundings and we allow our bad habits to eek out. When a team comes together (forming), they are filled with hope and anticipation. Then, they start to get into a groove, which begins to…
This is a sticky subject. In all the books about Agile and Scrum, there are comments regarding the importance of having co-located, dedicated, persistent teams. The idea is that teams who work together closely and consistently daily will grow together, perform better, and be more predictable. In this day and age, co-located teams are not the norm. With most employees working from home and teams…
In 1965, Bruce Tuckman identified the five developmental stages a team goes through: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. When you first join a group, whether it’s a team at work, a community project, or even becoming part of a family, you enter the act of forming. In my experience, whenever a person is added to or removed from a group or the group’s focus…
2020 has forced people to become more Agile, whether they wanted to or not. As the pandemic spread, companies were forced to change how they conducted business and these changes happened swiftly. So what prevents people and companies from taking action and adopting these same practices overall? Because change is difficult. Change feels uncomfortable, and as human beings, we don’t like to feel uncomfortable. In…
Insanity: doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. This quote is credited to Albert Einstein (and many others). Regardless of who said it first, it rings true in all aspects of life. As humans, we strive for continuous improvement, whether we realize it or not. No one wants to stay where they are because, if you think about it, that means…
According to dictionary.com, a mindset is an attitude, disposition or mood. If the Agile Manifesto is a set of values and principles that lead to a mindset, then it would make sense that the Manifesto is a guide to help teams and organizations formulate their desired attitude and approach for getting things done. Wait! After decades of working in a traditional manner where we focused…
If your organization is on an Agile journey, you’re probably aware that Agile is all about mindset; however, if you’ve only read articles in the past few years, you’ve probably seen the term being used more as if it’s a methodology. I just want to be clear that I think of Agile as a set of values and principles that lead to a mindset. Why…