People don't resist change, they resist being changed. Awareness enables individual, organisational, and social transformation.
I was talking about feedback to a C-level of a startup the other day: "Criticism as feedback is a learned skill, but there are ways to warm up people to it", I said. "I don't think it's a good idea to call it criticism or negative feedback. It has quite a harsh connotation. I would... Continue Reading →
If you google "organisational change", you get 45.300.000 results. You'll drown if you dig for some practical information you can apply now. Google no more. This blog post will give you all the information you need on organisational change and resources to look into for more. As a bonus, the centrepiece of the blog post... Continue Reading →
I believe all Agile principles are equal in importance, and they work together holistically: focus on customers, iterative development, self-organised teams, technical excellence, and continuous improvement. But this last principle is "more equal than the others": Continuous improvement is the heart of Agile. Without reflection, there is no learning, without learning, there is no continuous... Continue Reading →
The fireball: my first feedback story It was one of my first jobs, the debut of my career. I was working for Procter & Gamble in Bucharest. The Romanian branch had just opened a procurement centre (intending to transfer all procurement activities from Brussels and Geneva), and I was employee number four of the new... Continue Reading →
Empathy and emotional intelligence are the focus of management and leadership research. Not only that but it's considered a core skill for just .. being human. The success of teaching children empathy brought the idea that adults can be taught too. Fortunately, there are a lot of tools to learn empathy, and here's one of... Continue Reading →
I've been living in Malaysia for over five years, working for a company that employs more than 60 nationalities. My first Scrum team had eight nationalities (out of eight team members) spread across all spectrums of cultural differences. My family is also multicultural (my son has Romanian-Malaysian genes, plus influences from Romanian, Chinese, Malaysian and... Continue Reading →
An Agile Coach wears many hats - coach, trainer, teacher, mentor, consultant, conflict navigator - but my favourite role as a Coach is by far is facilitating groups. There is an immense satisfaction in being the force behind group problem-solving, helping a group navigate through their issues or conflicts or get clarity and create ideas.... Continue Reading →
The way to mastery is a long journey. Yet if you're passionate about your craft, be it writing, designing, building virtual products, building physical products, or just want to become a master at whatever you're currently doing, pick up this book - Apprenticeship Patterns. Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman, by David D. Hoover and... Continue Reading →
How much can you learn from a former creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi? A true creative genius, Paul Arden spent 14 years with Saatchi & Saatchi, working as a consultant for them since he left. He built iconic ad campaigns for Toyota, British Airways, Fuji and many other big brands during his career. Paul... Continue Reading →
In 2017 I managed to read over 80 books. It is a personal record - I never read more than 30 books in a year before, and I realised that we can easily read one book a week. It does require some organisation, triggers and reminders, but it is also enjoyable and rewarding. It started... Continue Reading →
Agents of Awareness 