Badass Agile

Some people want direction.  But for those that don't, leading means helping them get where they want to go.  That starts with great questions. When you lead, you can't often push.  You may know where you want to steer people, or you may want to leave that up to the individual or team.  But part of coaching is bringing your expertise and certainty to the game...so how do you do that? Questions hel...

Seeking certainty costs you time and money.   Think about how much. This topic isn't new, but it is perhaps the most pervasive cause of failure and disappointment in teams of every kind. It is also the toughest problem to crack. Seeking certainty means placing a higher value on consensus or evidence BEFORE acting - building, releasing, etc. No one is immune to this problem.  It's everywhere We see...

I was recently caught in an online conversation about how its inhumane to give teams stretch goals. We've been fooled into believing that this is how people are getting more and more stressedStretch goals do not mean longer hours or added performance pressure.  It means getting people to find ways to get better.  To produce more with less effort.  To be more effective.  To bring more passion to th...

If you want to work for "the best companies to work for" - make it yourself. Great companies must model the ability to venture into the unknown and the uncommon in order to attain and sustain greatness. It is possible whether the organization is large or small, but large organizations carry an additional challenge of overcoming negative will - the tendency to push back against progress to keep the...

We don't like to hear about it, but there's a certain kind of practitioner who is certain and confident in every situation.  Either they know what to do, or they'll figure it out.  They have no natural predators Nobody likes to hear it, but there is such a thing as the person who doesn't need rules, instructions, or best practices.  They don't need permission to do anything.  They can't be bought...

Too many agilists seek out bank jobs and pretend they are going to innovate and advance the craft.  When you go to banks, you ask questions like "what is the salary, comp, vacation: or "what do the opportunities for advancement look like:".  The right question is "what can I innovate, build or change".  That's how you blow the roof off I say often - it's possible people won't get you, and that's o...

When you measure the wrong things, you get the wrong results.  What you incentivize has deep impact on behaviour.  Can you help your organization realize that shaving the bottom line can kill the top line? 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:/...

LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE!  - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/ There is a tragic story arc that is becoming more common with Agile teams - start big, get hammered, lose confidence, lower the bar. You can imagine why this would be a problem.... We start with grand ambition and vision, which is great. We move into planning and executionSomewhere along the way we lose...

It's possible we all will have a lifelong relationship with your inner critic.  It begins with acceptance that its there...something that guides your actions, and possibly limits your greatness.  Oddly, it's supposed to be your friend, protecting you from harm, but it doesn't understand the modern context of danger and risk, so it often overshoots the mark. Once you understand that it exists, you'...

LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE!  - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/ All agile failure is a failure of courage in action we're reporting back that there is an increasing rate of failure in terms of transformation and investment.the problem is not your grasp of agile, nor your tools, nor your teamswe need to demonstrate courage in conversations, being direct, saying what'...

Ultimately, if Agile doesn't make for happier customers, profits won't flow; and history shows that rapid and certain decline will follow as the industry looks for something new to solve the problem. Does that mean Agile is flawed?  Not at all...but it's up to us as practitioners to make sure that we're solving the problems that matter.***JOIN THE FORGE***Sign up for more info about our online lea...

High Performing teams are not a secret, but we often fail to observe and apply the right principlesMaking people flow with productivity is easy to say, easy to teach, but hard to doWE fail to connect with the individual values; without this, team dynamics and agile processes won't helpChampionship teams have the right individuals with the right reasons, motivations, training and mindsetIn big-box...

Books, social media, courses, video, blogs - there is so much content to help you grow, but how much of it is useful? When something becomes so widespread that it feels like everyone is talking about it, its time to walk away. ***JOIN THE FORGE***Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/****** Follow on CLUBHOUSE: https://www.joinclub...

Great leadership has no recipe no script no singular definition. Leadership must be balanced - a dynamic position between two opposite poles that can only be perfected in the moment as its being experienced. No book, no video, and no meme can provide the experience that is required to find the proper balance and fit, and to absorb the wisdom required to advance your practice. This is true when bal...

Do more for your clients, teams and customers.  We're used to thinking of incremental improvement as 1-2% improvement or delivery over time...but when it comes to innovation, you need to have ideas that are way bigger than that.  Multiply your ambition. Don't think 10% less waste reduction...think 80%5 New Products this year instead of 1Don't just fix a problem for your team, fix it for the whole...

The next turn of business requires bold thinking and decisive action.  How can you have strong ideas? -Don't wait for perfect ideas -Don't worry about having - or conform to - popular ideas -Don't ask for permission for your ideas -Don't hedge your ideas with the word 'maybe' -Don't have expensive ideas - make 'em cheap and easy to break -Don't lean on or imitate other people's ideas ***AGILE MAST...

Employee Thinking - allowing others (or the firm and its rules) to limit how far you can expand, what you can achieve, who you can talk to, what you can say, how fast you move, and what you do.  Permission-based thinking. If you don't have autonomy - the freedom to make decisions related to your job, including growth and passion - you're not going to enjoy your job very muchYou can't let clients o...

Make a choice to be Comfortable with the Uncomfortable Fear impacts decisions, and decisions dictate resultsIts a huge mistake to avoid scary in order to feel safeNothing happens until you choose the uncomfortableSo ask tough questionsSay controversial thingsRepeat until comfortableThen...stretch into the uncomfortable againI know I'm speaking to certain people...the 1% who are ready to explore, t...

The quality of your leadership, your ability to inspire others and your ability to make decisions is based entirely on what you let inside your head - your social circle, social media, the people you take counsel from, the books you read, your environment at work, at home and beyond. Read great books - not just those that agree with you, ,but also those that don't. Read beyond agile books - philos...

***JOIN THE FORGE***STARTING APRIL 1 2021 - The next Cohort of the Forge begins!  Sign up for an info session by clicking here:https://badassagile.com/the-forge/ ****** GET US 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/badasslis...

Too often, we're looking for the easy answer; the quick fix. There's no single thing you can do or say to make a team more successful.  No two teams are alike.  To build trust, energy, efficiency and flow, you're going to have to earn it the hard way - by doing, failing, learning and repeating.  There's no single book you can read, podcast you can listen to or video you can watch to 'do it right'....

Always a great conversation with Vasco Duarte!  This time we discussed:-his new Scrum Master Summit - happening in may (don't miss it!!!) - www.scrummastersummit.org-why Scrum Masters feel 'ashamed' of the Scrum Master role-how Scrum Masters are essential in helping teams take ownership and delivering value-what interviewers/companies should look for in a potential Scrum Master-the most important...

My special guest this week is Johanna Rothman, renowned author, speaker and consultant.  In this episode, we discuss her most recent release - "Modern Management Made Easy" includes three volumes - Practical Ways to Manage Yourself, Practical Ways to Lead and Serve Others, and Practical Ways to Lead an Innovative Organization.  You can find Johanna online at https://www.jrothman.com/ ***JOIN THE F...

***THE FORGE SPRING COHORT NOW OPEN***Sign up for an upcoming info session about the Spring Cohort Starting April 1. Click HERE For an upcoming info session or to sign up for The Forge today! ****** Follow me on Clubhouse - @fusechamber (or search "Badass Agile") Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews! https://www.fac...

***THE FORGE SPRING COHORT NOW OPEN***Sign up for an upcoming info session about the Spring Cohort Starting April 1. Click HERE For an upcoming info session or to sign up for The Forge today! ****** 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/ We're also on YouTube!  Fo...