I like to learn. I like to read. I like to write. I like teaching people new things. I like the discussion that comes when people consider alternatives. When you combine all those things together, you can see I have just about a perfect career as a consultant who speaks, teaches, writes, and coaches. I […]
What Motivates You? Read More »
Have you ever asked, “Honey, where’s the milk?” You know where it’s supposed to be in the fridge. But, you can’t see it. Honey replies, “It’s right where it always is. In the door, next to the OJ.” You finally see it. “Oh, thanks so much.” You have (fe)male eye disease. In our house, we
What Do You Pay Attention To? Read More »
There’s a survey over on HBR, Assessment: How Resilient Are You? If you have read the resilience literature, you know how to answer the questions. The questions are all hypothetical, which make them even worse. Sigh. On the other hand, maybe you haven’t read the resilience literature :-) You might get something out of it. Not
How Resilient Are You? Read More »
Do you have gnarly problems to solve? Gnarly problems have many causes and many effects. Some causes can become effects, especially if there are delays in the situation. Sometimes there are time delays built-in. You can’t think about the problem as a straight line, in a linear fashion. The problems bounce off each other. They have a
Do You Have a Gnarly Problem? Read More »
I follow lots of rules. I stay inside my lane on the highway. I wear my socks inside in—or, if you will, outside out. I always take my medication and I always take it the way I am supposed to. I even floss at night, the way my dentist tells me to do so. But
Which Rules Should You Break? Read More »
A few weeks ago, I was at a writer’s workshop. One of the writers wore t-shirt that said, “I’m a romance writer. What’s your superpower?” That got me thinking. Each of us has a superpower. Do you know what your superpower is? In that workshop, a number of writers had the romance writer superpower. Some
What’s Your Superpower? Read More »
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 »
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 »