Blank faces, with the exception of the few who usually do all the talking. That’s what you are greeted with when you start your team’s usual retrospective. You were trained to run them by asking the usual questions, but don’t understand why nobody is offering anything new. You even changed the questions you asked trying […]
Read more "Your Ideation Sessions Are All Wrong, Here’s What I Changed"I would like to think I’ve always supported people that look and sound different than me. One of the friends I enjoyed most in high school was the only African-American kid in my class. I supported my mom’s desire to run her own business, knowing she would do well. When one of my best friends […]
Read more "Here’s Why Men Should Attend Women in Agile 2017"My first role on an Agile team was as a scrum master. The only product I had to sell at that time was my experience being the conduit between development and business. Previous roles in quality assurance had sufficiently prepared me if only to understand I had a lot more to learn. The next role […]
Read more "What Exactly Is My Product as an Agile Coach?"I can still remember the pit in my stomach when Steve Jobs tried to quiet the complaints of the newly launched iPhone 4 (the first I ever owned). The smartphone giant came out with a brand new design of the device, which included a new radio antenna. Instead of doing a mea culpa (which came […]
Read more "Executives Don’t Think We Are ‘Doing Agile Right’"When exploring a word, I often use the definition according to Merriam-Webster. It’s nice to start at the original intent of a word and step forward. And for the first time in forever, I couldn’t locate a word. I found refactoring on Wikipedia when referencing its combination with software. Developers know how to use the […]
Read more "My Thoughts On Refactoring Agile"“Being a consultant is like flying first-class. The food is terrific, the drinks are cold. But all you can do is walk up to the pilot and say, ‘bank left.’” — Greg Brenneman Speaking to an engaged audience is always a treat. Mainly because I have been in their shoes before, but there is also […]
Read more "What Have I Learned As A Consultant?"“Can I give you some feedback?” Take stock of how you feel after reading those words. Not great right? Your blood pressure and pulse probably spiked a bit. There aren’t many other sentences that put us more on edge in the workplace. Right out of college, the scariest thing one could tell me was the […]
Read more "Feedback Doesn’t Have To Be Scary"“It’s the year of Chris.” I didn’t understand what Allison was telling me. Having known her for a few years, I’m accustomed to her riddles. At Dallas Agile Leadership Network, I asked why she chose me to co-present with her at Dallas Tech Fest. That one sentence in January would change the course of my year. No comment on if […]
Read more "What A Year Of Conference Speaking Taught Me"The advent of this holiday season has brought a fair amount of discomfort for my family. My kids see family photo time as a reminder that their mom is celebrating the holiday somewhere else. My parents see their child and grandkids trying to make the best of who is and isn’t there around the table […]
Read more "How Can We Help In Times Of Discomfort?"“When you drop any new idea in the pond of the world, you get a ripple effect. You have to be aware that you will be creating a cascade of change.” — Joel A. Barker I love kick off week. New starts always gives me a jolt. Everyone’s filled with hope, or at least a desire […]
Read more "Fostering Change Is A Team Sport"