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 →
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 →
Discussion I arrived in the tech office at 12:30 pm - coming from our other office. There were a few colleagues having lunch and talking about how they'd like to work. One of my colleagues especially had a strong opinion. Let's call him Ralph. "I think working in flexible teams would make everyone happier. I... Continue Reading →
