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 »
I’ve written before about how a Scrum Master can begin working with a new team, and lately I’ve been experimenting with a new technique. I won’t rehash what I’ve written already, but it’s important to understand that my previous advice still applies: When you’re not terribly smart, it helps to be a good listener. Jerry
A Scrum Master’s Guide to Working With a New Team Read More »
TL; DR: They’re more similar than many realize, and I think it matters. I get it why designers and devs feel they belong in different camps though. I just think they’re mistaken, and I suspect the myth began because of one obvious difference: Anyone can look at a design and offer an opinion, but it
Are Designers and Developers Really All That Different? Read More »
I’m a Technical Program Manager. At least, that’s what you’ll find on my business card, but it’s not what I enjoy most. I enjoy coaching. I enjoy helping people find the answers inside themselves instead of offering up my own solutions. After all, my teams are the ones in the trenches. They have the best
Start With Your Beliefs Read More »
No one’s perfect, especially me. Or you. Agile isn’t perfect either. Everything and everyone has their shortcomings, and I believe it’s important to acknowledge them. To be clear, I’m not talking about where a traditional approach is more suited than an agile one. No. Instead, I intend to talk about situations where an agile approach
Agile Isn’t Perfect Read More »
If this agile thing is so great, then why doesn’t it always stick? And if we can get it to stick, why does it require so much upkeep? Why can it sometimes be so fragile? Time and again, I’ve helped teams, people, and organizations with their transformations, and in many cases, I’ve seen it either
But Why Is It So (Fr)Agile? Read More »
So can teams rotate the Scrum Master role? Sure, but should they? No, it most circumstances I don’t believe so. First, I think high-performing teams can rotate the role, but I’ve run into only a handful of teams that I’d say meet that bar. Is your team one of those? Likely not. Maybe that’s cynical
Can We Rotate the Scrum Master Role? Read More »
I’m difficult but with purpose. I’ve said this about myself on numerous occasions, and I’m sure many of the bosses I’ve had over the years had a hell of a time managing me. Then again, like Grace Hopper said: You manage things. You lead people. And it’s not that I’m trying to be difficult. I
A Survival Guide for Navigating Conflict Read More »
