The Gift of Professional Development
As a leader, what is the best gift you could give your team this holiday season? Especially with holiday parties taking a hiatus this year, why not give your employees the gift of professional development? While annual raises are always a viable and appreciated option, investing in your employees through professional development is a personal […]
Creating a Positive Company Culture Extends Beyond the Leadership Team
Recently I have been “leaning in” and listening to conversations which are happening as co-workers wait for their coffee to be ready or their lunch order to be called. 9.5 times out of 10, these conversations are complaint sessions about co-workers, managers, projects going south, or a loathing of their work. Which makes me start […]
Partnership: Moving from ME to WE
In most cases, managers and even executives don’t get to choose their partners. They have “partnerships” not because they want to, but because they are obligated by contracts or by the structure of their organization. Here are things I hear from clients who struggle with partnerships: “I am dependent on this group (or partner) to […]
Permission to Slow Down
I like many others have seamlessly made the switch to 100% virtual work. My home office is my new haven, my camera and microphone on my computer are working just fine. My calendar looks just like it did before we all went into mandated stay at home orders of self-isolation. We are getting into the […]
Effectively Using Product Roadmaps for Agile
What is an agile roadmap? A product roadmap is essentially an action plan for how a product will evolve to completion. Product roadmaps can be incredibly useful to outline your product functionality and showcase a timeline for when new features will be implemented. Multiple agile teams can utilize a shared product roadmap. When employed in […]
The Beauty of Blank Space
I was in Portland, Oregon a couple of weeks ago attending Agile Camp 2017 Northwest. I had a day before the conference to explore and decided to go to Portland’s Japanese Gardens. They are quite beautiful and invite peace and quiet as you enter the gates. As I hiked through the gardens, I stumbled upon […]
I Carved Out This Time For You
Has anyone ever thanked you for taking time out of your day to speak with them? I recently connected with a person who seemed almost apologetic for taking up my time, as if she wasn’t worthy of my attention. I reassured her this was not the case; I had happily carved out this time specifically […]
Does Your Agile Coaching Build Roadblocks Instead of Relationships?
A big part of my role as an Agile coach is guiding clients through roadblocks. The roadblocks come in all shapes and sizes—organizational, team related and personal. I’ve encouraged reluctant executives, pacified anxious stakeholders, and coached old-school “waterfallers” into becoming agile advocates. But the one roadblock that continues to baffle me, comes from the most […]
