Francie Van Wirkus's Blog, page 21
November 8, 2017
"We Need to be Better at Story Writing"
“We Need to be Better at Story Writing”
Maybe.
Likely, a better place to begin is to change your mindset from all-or-nothing thinking to one of curiosity. When you do this, you are more likely to write a smaller story, with a single intention, and fewer dependencies.
Remember, your story is only a promise of a conversation.
November 6, 2017
Measure Software Development
Struggling to measure the value of software development in your organization? Someone looking at team velocities from a side angle and creating chaos? Code faster! Might be time to refresh your strategy for measuring software development. Your primary strategy should be grounded in measuring customer value. The only true way to measure customer value is through authentic customer use. Product…
November 1, 2017
Yes, but...
My Dad used to say, “Don’t give me but.” It was his way of rejecting my excuse for something. And, he said this a lot to me, because I had many excuses. You know from experience with your legacy systems that one bug can knock out an entire system. It’s real risk. One that has paralyzed teams and divisions for years, maybe decades. It’s a great reason to reject Agile methodologies. It’s also a…
October 30, 2017
Ready (enough) for a Coach?
Ready enough, because perfectly ready doesn’t exist. Maybe you are ready (enough), maybe not. So many times, coaches are hired before leaders and teams are ready for them. Honest personality differences aside, clients need to be as prepared to be coached as the coaches are. Maybe you are in a coaching engagement, and it’s not going very well. An honest reflection may reveal that you or your…
October 23, 2017
Your Protopia
Kevin Kelley defines protopia as a state of becoming, rather than a destination, when describing where technology is taking us. I’m inspired. Great leaders are not born that way. They become. Over time, through experiences, reflection, and learning. You can’t rush who you are becoming, or you won’t get it right. But you can jump start it, by giving yourself and your leaders time to immersively…
Leader Dojo
A better leader in four days? Yes!
But… can you and your team break away for four whole days for a leader dojo?
If you are too busy to become a better leader in four days, perhaps you are too busy.
October 18, 2017
"Comfortable Around Leadership"
“Comfortable Around Leadership”
It’s an old-school “competency” for employees: to say that someone is “comfortable around leadership.” And yet we still see HR using this measure in our organizations. There is a skill in speaking to groups and being able to connect with them. That is called understanding your audience, connectivity, and perhaps empathy. Yet there’s another side to why someone might not be comfortable around…
October 16, 2017
Specialist or Special Tools?
Yes, you need tools.
But…don’t mix up the identity of your team with your tools.
Organize by outcome, not by tools or activity.
October 11, 2017
Corporate Entitlement 2
Based on an AB2 Consulting Services YouTube video, this blog is the second in a two-part series on helping yourself and others work through change. Sometimes as leaders we get questions such as “why can’t I be promoted?” These are the situations many leaders dread; however, questions like this are an opportunity to build trust, or lose it. Begin by meeting your employee where they are, because…
October 4, 2017
Corporate Entitlement 1
Based on an AB2 Consulting Services YouTube video, this blog is the first in a two-part series on helping yourself and others work through change. Employees and leaders of American corporations have had to let go of many things in recent years. For all the right and the wrong reasons, the benefits we used to have no longer exist, or they are a shadow of what they used to be. We find ourselves…
