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…
Browsing CategoryScrum
Change Is In the Air
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…
Mindset Check
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…
The Empirical Process
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…
Progress NOT Perfection
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…
Benefits of Storming
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…
It’s All About Trust
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…
Storming Happens
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…
The Value of Reflection
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…