People don't resist change, they resist being changed. Awareness enables individual, organisational, and social transformation.
From Journey to Center: Lessons in Unifying Body, Mind, and Spirit, by Thomas F. Crum "You do the "doing" part of facilitation well, you have to work on centering and entering the conversation", my manager told me some time ago. What does being centered mean? How can you learn to get centered? How does it... Continue Reading →
Ten years ago, I was having after-work drinks with one of my best friends. Her husband was reading 100+ books per year and I found it fascinating (I was in the 20-30 books per year category). I don't have time to read 100 books per year, I said, thinking of my (then) schedule, packed with... Continue Reading →
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 →
It's a beautiful, sunny day in April, 15°C in the mountains. I'm on top of the world, literally, in Bormio, a beautiful resort in Northern Italy. I've been snowboarding the entire day and I'm content in the warm sun. A week ago, when I arrived, I sadly looked at this slope from below; "I'll never... Continue Reading →
Story 1: The Interview One hour before I had the interview I changed my clothes, brushed my hair, put on some makeup (my son's having night terrors was taking a toll on my face) and prepared mentally. I checked my internet connection, Google Hangouts, made sure everything was functioning. I was ready. The interview went... 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, design, 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 →
Last year in November I attended the LeSS training with Bas Vodde in Singapore. After three days of immersion in LeSS and Lean I asked Bas: "Would you hire a Scrum Master who is not a software developer?" Bas: "No." The answer was expected. At the same time, earlier in the course, we discussed engineering... Continue Reading →
Agents of Awareness 