Francie Van Wirkus's Blog, page 14
August 9, 2018
Leading Unlikely
Successfully leading your team or family can sometimes feel impossible. But it’s really more unlikely. This is good news. It means you can absolutely be successful, but you will be one of the few, the rare people who can pull it off.
Leading the unlikely of…anything is challenging, exhilarating, and undulating. Leading Unlikely, book three in The Dominant Gene series,is a business novel to…
August 8, 2018
Batch Size
Smaller batch sizes allow for innovation, learning, and ultimately, can help you deliver value faster in an uncertain world of creating complicated software.
Traditional projects and waterfall methodology have larger batches. In fact, the batch size is usually the whole thing. Not much room for learning, is there?
August 1, 2018
Big Data & the Target
Some of the best big data advice:
Keep your eye on the target. Remember the business impact!
July 30, 2018
July 25, 2018
Telling Your Leader You are Cancelling a Meeting Series Part 4 of 4
Telling Your Leader You are Cancelling a Meeting Series Part 4 of 4
Blog 4 of 4.
The last three blogs explored the value of meetings. Now that you want to make changes, how to approach your leader about changing your calendar? This excerpt from Reveille, book one of The Dominant Gene series shows you up close and personal how one director, Joel, tells his VP, Lora, that he is no longer attending a meeting, because he neither gives or receives value from it:
Lora…
July 23, 2018
Intent for the Meetings You Own Part 3 of 4
Intent for the Meetings You Own Part 3 of 4
Blog 3 of 4.
The last two blogs explored the value of meetings. It’s important to know where you give value and get value in your interactions.
What about the meetings you own? Here are some powerful questions to ask yourself about those meetings. You may find they are no longer needed, or, you may find the intent has changed, and it’s time to re-assess as a group.
What is the intent of the…
July 16, 2018
Your Work Calendar & Value part 1 of 4
Your Work Calendar & Value part 1 of 4
Blog 1 of 3 on the value of your work calendar.
Let’s talk about your work calendar for the next few blogs. Your calendar is likely packed full of obligations. Maybe a bunch of one-on-ones. You may have even inherited meetings that used to be attended by the person who had your job before you. On top of the double and triple-booked meetings, you have a life outside of work that calls for your…
July 11, 2018
Legacy Judgement
So you have a team member who messed up in the past. Assuming you really understand what happened, and it truly was something they could do better (as opposed to making a better process), have you let go of that event?
Are you giving this person the same clean slate you would want your leader(s) to give you?
July 9, 2018
Quality vs Metrics
The moment you embarrass or fire someone or several someones, because off metric, your metrics program is over.
Quality competes with metrics.
How can you work smarter knowing this?
July 5, 2018
Reflection for Emergence
Emergent design is lightweight development that changes (for the better!) over time. It can be difficult to do, even with the best testing approaches.
One way for some free speed, a way to accelerate your work in this area, is to regularly include the practice of reflection.
Most things that come to the forefront don’t do it with great fanfare, rather they reveal as a nuance, a quiet convergence.…
