When I first meet with clients, we talk about the difference between mentoring and coaching. These two spaces share a lot in common so they’re easily conflated, and I’ve shared previously my pithy way of approaching the topic: Mentors answer questions. Coaches question answers. Even after we had talked it through, clients would struggle. I […]
The Four Levels of Coaching Read More »
I almost didn’t publish this post since it felt derivative. People much smarter than I have covered this topic in greater depth and elegance than I ever could. Lyssa Adkins comes to mind. Nonetheless, I think André Gide sums up why we’re here: Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since
Are Agile Coaches Actually Coaching? Read More »
Transactional leadership makes me cringe. Transactional leaders focus on title and hierarchy. They search for and crave prestige and authority. It all feels so political, and it’s a real problem for me. You manage things. You lead people. Grace Hopper Maybe it’s quotes like this that began my rub. Or maybe it’s my preference for
Why Transactional Leadership Sucks Read More »
People often talk about the value of a bias toward action. I know I did, but I believe I was mistaken. Why? No one thinks they lack a bias toward action. After all, busyness and productivity are hard to tell apart. For example, I remember a younger me who didn’t have GPS. When I was
No One Thinks They Lack a Bias Toward Action Read More »
I can’t tell you how many times I heard LinkedIn’s former CEO Jeff Weiner echo these words. Trust is consistency over time. There’s no shortcut for either. It’s great advice whether we’re an aspiring or experienced leader. And I think it’s just as appropriate for coaches. Why? We don’t have this pesky thing called authority,
Trust Is Consistency Over Time Read More »
Last we talked, I was arguing that if estimates are supposed to be accurate, we’d call them actuals. That’s not to say that estimates are meaningless. When used appropriately, they’re valuable and serve an important purpose. Instead, my point was this: Estimates are about mathematics. Expectations are about human connection. That difference matters. Speaking of
Introducing Conditions of Satisfaction to a Team Read More »
Almost everyone agreed that we need to get better at estimation. I heard this recently from a team. It’s not the first time, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Teams struggle with estimates; others needlessly obsess over it. And while I agree with the sentiment, it’s true but useless. It’s unactionable. In order
If Estimates Were Accurate, We’d Call Them Actuals Read More »
I find myself saying something often. It’s a thing implicitly taught to me as a Marine, but it wasn’t until years later that I heard it put to words: An organization cannot empower you. You can only empower yourself. Many times, it feels as if we’re waiting for our manager’s permission to explore a new
You Can Only Empower Yourself Read More »
I was getting breakfast with a colleague last week, and we were talking about leadership. Specifically we talked about polish. I told her that I preferred unpolished leaders; she disagreed. For me, it’s examples like General Mattis that come to mind as an excellent and unpolished leader. I had the honor of serving under him
We Need More Unpolished Leaders Read More »
We all want to build relationships when working with a new team, and in my previous post, I wrote about one technique to do so. Since I revisit this theme frequently, click here to find out ways to approach these conversations, and today we’ll add another to that list. Before we dive in though, a
Build Relationships By Asking About the Work Read More »
