I taught a Geographically Distributed Agile Teams workshop in Israel this week. During the simulation, the “tester” led the “developer”: as in “Let’s do this,” “Here’s what done means,” “ We should do it this way.” Someone commented that this was “Test(er)-Driven Development.” I laughed. Then I realized. Aside from “back seat drivers,” this happens […]
Who Is Driving Your Bus? Read More »
I saw this post and video last week: I’ve fallen. Now how do I get up? Scroll down to the video where the therapist discusses all the ways you can get up from the floor. I have to admit, I had no idea I should leave my head down when I got up from the
Are You Solving Problems MacGyver-Style? Read More »
I’m in a workshop this week. There are signs all over, that say, “You are responsible for your own career.” It’s true. Each of us is responsible for our own careers. Do you act that way? If you work for an organization, do you push for one-on-ones each week with your manager, and discuss your
Who Is Responsible for Your Career? Read More »
Many people see themselves as their titles. “I’m a tester or developer or project manager or business analyst.” You are not your role. You are not your title. You are your values, your mission. You are most definitely not the number of people in your organization. You’ve heard managers say, “I have xx or xxx
How Do You See Yourself? Read More »
When you solve problems, do you find that you start with one question a lot? I often ask “Why” or a question like that. Not in the sense of “How did things get this way,” but “Why do things work like this?” For me, it’s a sense of curiosity. Here’s an example. For years, when
What Questions Do You Use to Solve Problems? Read More »
When we were purging the house, I asked the question, “Does this thing enhance my life?” It was a good question to see if I wanted to keep or eliminate whatever I was holding. It’s not quite the same question as “Is Anyone Using This?” That’s a question from the outside. “Does This Enhance My
Does This Enhance My Life? Read More »
In previous questions of the week, I’ve been focused outward, on the system. In this question, I invite you to focus inward. How do you matter, to yourself, and to others? We don’t ask ourselves this question enough. Too often, we suffer from Imposter Syndrome, where we think we are not good enough. Sure, we
How Do You Matter? Read More »
I often discover that I want to start things that I have no idea how to do. Does that ever happen to you? When I wanted to learn needlepoint back in high school, it was easy. I learned that from a book. I made several needlepoints. I practiced until I got good. I mastered it.
How Do I Start Something When I Don’t Know How? Read More »
I write a quarterly newsletter for this site. Subscribers received this newsletter August 22, 2014. If you like the newsletter, you can sign up in the right navigation bar. Where Did the Pencils Go? At the gym this week, I searched for a pencil. I use a pencil to track my workouts. Am I
Where Did the Pencils Go? Read More »
I was speaking with a coaching client the other week. We were talking about all of her responsibilities. She talked, I wrote. I’d written a half-page of responsibilities, some of them tactical, some of them strategic. I asked, “What else are you doing?” She paused, and said, “I think there’s more, but I have to
Are You Taking Time to Think? Read More »