I took a science fiction writing workshop last week. It was great fun and I realize I remain a work in progress when it comes to my fiction. Yes, I’m a work in progress on just about everything, but for my fiction, I am in the midst of the change model where my performance varies […]
Where Are the Flaws? Read More »
I’m working on that document project I mentioned back in Do You Want Feedback? We, the writing team, explained how we would pair-review and rewrite where necessary to use more of the tone and less casual language. And, more importantly, we would correct the problems the original editing created. We did that last week. We all
Who Gets the Credit? Read More »
I talk a lot about adaptability on the blog. In case you missed it, let me set the context by defining adaptability. Adaptability is an effective change in response to an altered situation. Here’s why your adaptability matters. Life changes. Work changes. Our bodies change. No, you don’t have to have vertigo to realize your
CAL Tip #1: What is Adaptability and Why That Matters Read More »
Given that I’ve published so much, I meet people who say, “I want to write. But, I need to wait for a good time to write.” Or, they say they need an outline or permission from someone—a boss or a spouse. I can be pretty sure about one thing: these people will never write anything. The
What Are You Waiting For? Read More »
In the agile community, we have a saying, “Fail fast.” It means we are supposed to feel safe to fail, and that we want to fail fast so we can use that learning to iterate on the requirements. We have opportunities to improve. I like the idea that it’s safe to fail. No one berates
Are You Failing Fast or Learning Early? Read More »
I attended an Agile New England event this past week. One of the roundtable facilitators mentioned there was a difference between collaboration and cooperation. When you collaborate, you work with other people. When you cooperate, you do your work and make sure the work fits with other people’s work. I thought that discrimination was quite insightful.
Are You Collaborating or Cooperating? Read More »
I like getting “credit” for my work. Not just the work I did, but the work I didn’t do. When I write articles or books or whatever, I start by writing it “all” down. Some of these words are not useful. I look back at them and say, “What were you trying to say??” Sometimes
Do You Give Yourself Credit? Read More »
We all have assumptions. I recently flew on JetBlue. They are beta-testing their wi-fi. I assumed I would have to pay for it. Imagine my surprise when it was free! I was thrilled. (There was no wi-fi on the return trip, and that was fine with me.) When I teach my agile and lean project
What Are Your Assumptions? Read More »
On vacation, I saw a young girl—maybe 5 years old—throw a ring into the pool and carefully put her head into the water to retrieve it. When she started, she wasn’t very good. Over the course of three days, she became quite good. She hesitated less. She threw the ring farther. She started using her
Can You Think, “Until Now”? Read More »
I announced that my estimation book was done and ready for sale today. (See Predicting the Unpredictable is Available.) When I started to manage my book projects myself (as opposed to working with a publisher), I was not sure what to expect. I didn’t know how long anything would take. I didn’t know if I
What Do You Expect of Yourself? Read More »