Sometimes, I find it difficult to see the data in front of me. I might think there is no data. I might make meaning of the data—possibly incorrectly. We need to see the data and what that data means. In one of my middle-manager jobs, my new boss canceled our one-on-ones every week. In three […]
What Does the Data Mean? Read More »
I was thinking about resilience and redundancy a lot this week. We had a big weekend last week (we gained a son-in-law) so this week was a week of what I like to call “preventative maintenance.” We had doctor’s appointments, car appointments, and the tree guys came to cut back some of our trees. I
Where Do You Have Redundancy? Read More »
It’s Olympics time. And yes, it’s time again for “the thrill of victory and agony of defeat.” I watched that agony as an ice dancing couple fell during their performance. One second, they’re gliding along, looking as if they’re going to medal. The next second, they fell to the ice. They got to their feet—gracefully, I
Who Is in Your Corner? Read More »
At the Agile 2017 conference last week, I volunteered for “Agile Therapy,” a chance to discuss a topic of your choice for 20 minutes with an experienced coach. I was the coach. Just in case you weren’t sure. One of the people who came to me asked about automation. We had a wide-ranging discussion which
What Is Your Obligation? Read More »
I am a reviewer for the experience reports track for Agile 2017. I finished evaluating all the proposals in the track last week. Here’s what struck me: too many proposals didn’t have enough information for me to accept them. The conference has guidelines for a good proposal. Too many proposals didn’t follow the guidelines. The
Why Not Ask for Help? Read More »
I love to take vacations. Yes, I love my work, and I love to take vacations. I just returned from 12 days in Israel. In the past, when I have traveled to Israel, I mostly work and have a little vacation. I changed that this time. I only toured and relaxed. I had a blast.
What Do You Learn from Your Vacation? Read More »
I’ve been thinking about support these last few weeks. I have found support networks quite helpful, both for my emotional and physical needs. Some people don’t want support. If you try to help them, you inflict help. Sometimes, I don’t want support either. When I lean on a door to open it, I use my
How Much Support Do You Want or Need? Read More »
I had a great day yesterday. I had some meetings that went well. I heard from the guy I’d asked to write the foreword to Agile and Lean Program Management. He said yes, and wrote a terrific foreword. Then, I received an email with the edits from an editor for an online magazine. When I write,
What Does Your Anger Reflect? 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 spent much of September, October, and November traveling. My rollator and I saw the world. (I’m delighted to be back in my office.) One question I hear a lot is “May I help you?” That question is often followed by someone grabbing the top bar of my rollator to “help” me up a ramp,
How May I Help You? Read More »