The more we try to learn the ‘rules’ of Agile practice, the more we should be learning that there can be no rules. ***JOIN THE FORGE*** Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience. https://badassagile.com/the-forge/ ****** Follow on CLUBHOUSE: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews! https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/ Follow...
Feb 11, 2022•7 min
Here’s how you know you have no competition. When you interact with people, notice if: -They make promises and then don’t keep them -They make excuses -They become harder to find when work has to be done -They complain about not knowing what to do, but fail to observe definitions, instructions or frameworks -They avoid conversations and actions that require change mindset -They talk about work, but never do any real work….plans are in spreadsheets and powerpoints, but nothing ever gets built. **...
Jan 24, 2022•10 min
At the end of each year, I like to look ahead to the currents and opportunities of our craft. While I see some progress here and there, I don’t see potent shifts. I’m learning that it’s better to create them. Will you join me? Despite the prevalence of retrospectives and the value of looking back to celebrate wins and inventory lessons, I’ve found it more powerful to look ahead. The future is ours to design, and I’ve discovered that part of leadership is the will to design it. So let’s get busy ...
Jan 06, 2022•8 min
In the debate on measurement, we seem to have strong views on what we DON’T want to examine, but little to say on what we will put our hands up to be accountable for. We can’t forget that a team is not just accountable to itself and the end customer. ***JOIN THE FORGE*** Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience. https://badassagile.com/the-forge/ ****** Follow on CLUBHOUSE: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile L...
Nov 30, 2021•9 min
One of the best things that has happened because of this podcast is inspiring courage worldwide. There’s a fine line between recognition and impact. I like hearing when people enjoy the show, but I like it more when what I say breaks your patterns of thinking and challenges you to not only think differently but to DO differently. To be bold. To do more. The only way to generate courage in the world is to model it. To do it. You can’t just talk about it or read about it. It’s nothing to get inspi...
Nov 22, 2021•9 min
Nothing good – no uncommon outcome – is easy, otherwise, everyone would be doing it, and it wouldn’t be uncommon. How do you know if you’re performing like an uncommon badass? Here are some guidelines -If you are comfortable, you’re not growing -If you’re locked into a predictable pattern that you can do in your sleep, you’re not growing (think of the RULES that we’ve defined for running standup, for example. Do those rules make us better, or do they avoid tackling the harder issues that make gr...
Nov 07, 2021•11 min
What are the key learnings that made me radically more effective? After 200 episodes, it’s time to reflect! -First, some gratitude. Thank you to all who have listened to and supported the show. To all who have become members of The Forge, and supported me across multiple platforms, products and experiments. You have taught me everything I know, and I’m nowhere near done. -Next, let’s think about which principles and guidance (which are really all my reflections and thought experiments( have work...
Oct 24, 2021•11 min
We have a duty to seek the truth, even if it doesn’t align with our existing beliefs. To red-team our ideas; to challenge what is accepted and permitted without scrutiny. Otherwise, we fall to dogmatism and to preaching what we think is right just because we think it’s right. ***JOIN THE FORGE*** Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience. https://badassagile.com/the-forge/ ****** Follow on CLUBHOUSE: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile Don’t forget to joi...
Oct 20, 2021•7 min
In a race to keep your talent, offering what YOU think they will like is a short route to failure. People want to matter. That can be hard to do when dealing with one person, much less 10,000. Nevertheless, if you want to be the envy of your industry, start thinking about how to make people feel like they matter. ***JOIN THE FORGE*** Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience. https://badassagile.com/the-forge/ ****** Follow on CLUBHOUSE: https://www.joinclubhouse.com...
Oct 14, 2021•19 min
Let’s have a little controversy today. People are afraid of commitment. They’re starting to say we should change the word – eliminate it all together. I’m fine with minimizing estimates. I’m super fine with re-negotiating scope based on changing priorities on the ground. But I’m not OK with allowing words like commitment, accountability, and promises to leave the lexicon. Agile is about change. Change – transformation – or improvement of any kind implies movement. We must move from where we are ...
Oct 13, 2021•10 min
It’s my experience that what you avoid – whether it’s because it scares you, or you believe you’re no good at it – will find you. Specifically, your inability to face and conquer your discomfort will continue to cause pain in your career, your happiness and your personal life. ***JOIN THE FORGE*** Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience. https://badassagile.com/the-forge/ ****** Follow on CLUBHOUSE: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile Don’t forget to jo...
Sep 30, 2021•8 min
THE ONE FAILURE THAT KILLS ALL TEAM PROGRESS…..and how to solve it. Perhaps the most important thing Scrum teaches us to do is make and keep small commitments with consistency. On these points, I’ve spoken many times but I want to reveal that of all the human challenges I encounter in teams, it is this. Why can’t people keep their word? -This problem exists everywhere – within our projects and beyond -Talk is cheap, and true action and fidelity to our commitments is rare -We all do, but it is a ...
Sep 26, 2021•12 min
-Across the world, people are leaving – or thinking of leaving – their jobs and careers in stunning numbers. -Is the solution in Agile? -Perhaps because of the pandemic, people are waking up and lighting up to a different future. -It may be the case that they’re realizing that what they had been told was an unthinkable model of work is actually quite doable, with little or no downward impact on productivity. -People have enjoyed less commute time, more family time, more choice in how and where t...
Sep 21, 2021•10 min
One of the critical pieces of leadership is strength – strength of character, ideas We’re never taught how to be strong so strong has become a bad word, associated with bullies or pushinesss or anger or worse Strength means the ability to manage and control the thoughts and emotions that launch in response to injurious words or actions. It means the ability to stay centred and unswayed. It means resolve and grit. it means internal certainty. No MBA and no certification will teach you that. -Lash...
Sep 13, 2021
The secret to boundless energy and consistent forward momentum is to stay hungry every day. Keep reaching, stretching, learning, and acting as if you’re starting from zero. Assume you know nothing, and nothing is guaranteed. ***JOIN THE FORGE*** Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience. https://badassagile.com/the-forge/ ****** Follow on CLUBHOUSE: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook...
Sep 07, 2021•11 min
When looking for the cause of delivery issues in teams, think of the three P’s. Permission Perfection Past ***JOIN THE FORGE*** Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience. https://badassagile.com/the-forge/ ****** Follow on CLUBHOUSE: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews! https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/ Follow The Lin...
Aug 29, 2021•11 min
Most teams are composed of people who have other day jobs. This will be particularly true of a product owner who has multiple priorities and projects, but increasingly true of all team members – they have multiple accountabilities across the organization. So how do you work with a team like that? They may not be living agile values every day…they may be getting different versions of it…agile is something you have to live with as a way of BEING, but you can’t BE it for 30 minutes a day and expect...
Aug 27, 2021•8 min
A dark stage, a single light, and a stool. The feel of a live room (that we all miss) is the perfect crucible for a contemplation that becomes a rallying cry. What if we feel called to do more, be more? Is it out duty to lean into the uncomfortable? What happens if we fail to oppose a prevailing force that we know is wrong? ***JOIN THE FORGE*** Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience. https://badassagile.com/the-forge/ ****** Follow on CLUBHOUSE: https://www.joincl...
Aug 24, 2021•15 min
Too much of what we “know” about in the field of high performance comes from books, memes, or youtube videos. Inspiration is essential, so is knowledge, but it is how you ACT upon both of these that is a difference-maker. Can you identify what courageous leaps you took today? What you were humble enough to learn? What you were disciplined enough to earn or get? If not, you are studying, NOT practicing. Rehearsal trumps learning any day. I used to be like this. I used to memorize all of the sayin...
Aug 22, 2021•11 min
Was someone unjust in their words? Or are you just bad with criticism? Were you really just observing, or just scared to jump in? Are you working on yourself, waiting for the right moment, or scared to leap? Is something out of your league, or do you just tell yourself it is? This is shadow work. What tapes have you been playing your whole life that keep you from getting to another level of skill? Rehearsal is not good enough – if you rehearse the wrong things, you will deliver a wrong performan...
Aug 19, 2021•8 min
Picture a smoky club. The spill of the stage light, hushed chatter, and the chiming of glasses and plates carrying good drinks and passable food punctuate the mood. A well-worn house mic and PA are the vessel. This is a space to create and connect. A true experiment in agile creativity. A completely fresh offering. Like a song with no melody. A verse with no meter. An abundance of logic has gotten us only so far. Could this be different? Join me in this very agile experiment. Unfiltered. Unedite...
Aug 17, 2021•19 min
Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage. This is what most people mean when they put in air quotes “Agile”. A blessing and a curse, we use this to make our product more nimble and responsive, but in truth, we use it to excuse sloppy prioritization and execution when we allow new requirements to be suddenly added to the pile at any time. This principle is important in fighting the tendency to oppose change be...
Aug 15, 2021•10 min
You cannot ascend if your beliefs, routines thoughts, experiences and emotions are limited to your present circumstances and reality. Think and feel bigger than your environment. Artists see. So do innovators and problem solvers. Therefore agile itself is a form of artistry…. LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! – Get it here for iOS – https://getshuffle.app/ ***JOIN THE FORGE*** Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience. https://badassagile.com/the-forge/ ...
Aug 11, 2021•9 min
“Come With Me If You Want To Live” – The Terminator. At any stage in a transformation or ramp-up, mayhem or uncertainty can undo some of your progress. The consequences of standing still aren’t obvious to everyone – it just feels safer. You can almost feel the confusion and frustration of your team members or clients. Sometimes you just have to extend your hand and say “come with me if you want to live”. LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! – Get it here for iOS – https://getshuffle.ap...
Aug 08, 2021•8 min
The pride that comes from creating more output = although not necessarily expending more effort – than anyone you know. This comes from working with clients who feel everything they do is a herculean lift, and the mindset shattering that occurs when you show them how easily you can produce 10x what they think is reasonable without blinking an eye. LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! – Get it here for iOS – https://getshuffle.app/ ***JOIN THE FORGE*** Sign up for more info about our on...
Aug 05, 2021•7 min
Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software. Do we do this? No, we don’t. It’s one of the biggest problems with Agile. -The key word here is actually ‘priority’. When you watch teams at work, you see what their priorities are – metrics, safety, certainly, plan, budget, and speed -“highest” priority means that you can, of course, commit time and energy to the other things, but they’re not supposed to take as much time and energy as cu...
Aug 03, 2021•12 min
I can change your culture in 5 minutes. It’s commitment and consistency that take time. It’s overcoming the disbelief and old attitudes. The first thing we do wrong when trying to change culture is to plan it and approve it. Culture change requires, like good software, continuous delivery of new value. The most important thing to get right is inspiration. Next, the implementation has to be swift and small BUT it must be driven by passionate, focused individuals. It can’t be left to those who are...
Jul 28, 2021•8 min
One way to begin to change the arc of your life as a leader is to ask “what is the boldest thing I can do today”? Your day will present you with opportunities and choices. What you choose reflects your attitude toward comfort and risk. How do you force yourself to take the road less travelled; to do the thing that you most fear, to continuously live in the fear zone? By asking yourself this simple question first thing in the morning. ***JOIN THE FORGE*** Sign up for more info about our online le...
Jul 26, 2021•11 min
The most profitable and in-demand agile practitioner will be the one who can solve important, complex and valuable problems efficiently and confidently. LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! – Get it here for iOS – https://getshuffle.app/ ***JOIN THE FORGE*** Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience. https://badassagile.com/the-forge/ ****** Follow on CLUBHOUSE: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile List...
Jul 21, 2021•13 min
The greatest, most revealing question isn’t always “what do you need?”. It’s just as often, “what isnt working?”. Every pain reveals an opportunity. As agilists, we should be experts in resolving blockers. Finding and fixing pain points is what we do ….or do we? To get good at fixing pain and struggle, identifying it is only the first step. We also have to make sure that we aggressively ask “what else might work”? Dogged persistence to be the best problem solvers and MVP’ers in the world looks l...
Jul 18, 2021•13 min
