Badass Agile

Time to move on from this “Agile is a super-secret funky method for developers” thing we do. At this point, the fundamentals of Agility belong everywhere work happens. In every department, at every level…whether you’re dealing in products, projects or not.

As you know by know, I love old-school wisdom.  “Practice what you preach” being a great example.  If you expect your teams to behave with awareness, self-control, accountability, and growth mindsets, then you should start with you.  How do you react to challenges, feedback, change, or new ideas?  How you react is the most impactful teacher; providing a living example of how a leader s...

I like universal, timeless wisdom.  One of the things I’ve come to learn is that often, we must be the opposite of what we want in order to get it.  So in order to make Agile bigger and better, we must focus on keeping it simpler.

Being a hero doesn’t mean going crazy with tools and processes – sometimes less is more.

As a learning living leader, one of the first things that you need to sort out is how to be quiet and listen. How to offer yourself as a broker of solutions, not as a dictator, or an originator of solutions. As a leader, you are there to help people find their own best.  If they need support in difficult and anxious times, you are there. If they need help, resources – and they have the...

A cross-functional teem doesn’t require that everyone has technical skill. Simply being available to help is the only required trait – but it also requires that people know how to ask for help. Learn more about how in this episode.

Do you want the challenge? When things get tough…do you rise to the occasion, or do you ask to make things easier? Scrum teaches us that we have options in changing conditions – to ask for help, to change the scope or modify MVP. When you think about it, that’s another way of saying that we never, ever make excuses or fail the mission.

Looking for a formula to be successful with Agile? Start with intention. Define the problem. – What does success look like? What experiment might work and what are the three things we can do today to move us closer to success? execute, take action, fail. Repeat. That’s your formula.

With the toll, risk, and sacrifice of a global health crisis, we’re learning new things every day. Wouldn’t it be a shame if we did what we’ve always done – and forgotten them as soon as this is over? What’s the right way to handle our lessons learned? Lessons have to be studied – properly documented, visited often, and put into practice – until you can truly say ‘you&#8217...

This is our time. Do you feel the call to lead? We want to create an uncommon tribe that not only adapts and assists, but leads the way. Let us not be at the mercy of the changing times, but architects in our emergence from them. Our community needs to know the way. Our clients need to know the way. When times are uncertain, be certainty. Stay tuned to this podcast, along with my twitter (@badass_...

The kind of certainty people really want can’t be had with more process, more documentation, more planning. It comes from a leader who is in control of their actions.  Who impacts the world, rather than letting it move them. It should come from you.

If you have teams under your care, and you are looking to improve so you can show up for THEM…here are the areas you should integrate into your daily practice and improvement. -Acting With Intention -Awareness and Attention -Selflessness and Service -Outcome Independence (Freedom from Attachments) -Committed Practice and Patience

We all used to want to ‘be the boss’…king of the hill.  But leadership has changed radically.  It requires something completely different – in fact, it would seem to be a complete contradiction that ‘the boss’ doesn’t actually get to boss anyone around.   A leader must lead without imposing their will instead.

Leaders are traditionally considered to be the ones who set and enforce rules, or ‘standards’. Yet, if we are being asked to innovate, and to fail forward fast, are rules the right construct to motivate and guide collective action to a common goal? It could be argued that rules themselves create fertile ground for agile resistance.  Find out more in this episode!

What are your wasteful things?  Remember that productivity is not about jamming more stuff into a limited time window, but rather stripping away the things that distract you and muddy your attention and focus. This week, commit to examining your work.  Monitor how you spend your time.  You might be surprised how much you can reclaim for higher-value things.

What is negativity doing to your team room, and your leadership?  Time for a spot check….are you making this problem better, or worse?  Do you engage in the negative talk, both in your mind, and in the public domain?  Do you spread complaining and excuse making to others?  If so, try redirecting your thoughts to solutions.   Learn more in this week’s episode!

Sometimes, its good to step away.  We tend to forget that other people are dying to lead too.  The silence, or deference of others may be due to you…taking up too much leader space.  Rotating chairs are all well and good, but its actually more fun to just not show up once in a while, with no warning, as it forces others to step-up with no prep-up.  It’s exactly the kind of challenge th...

Nothing invokes the image of a badass like a special operator. In 2014, this guest changed the course of my life, and set me on a path that sparked my career and personal trajectory, which included launching this show in 2017. Mark Divine is a retired US Navy SEAL and owner of SEALFIT.  He is the author of several bestselling books, including “Unbeatable Mind”, “Way of The S...

As always, start with the willing.  Find people who already have an interest in agility, in change.  Help people who already ‘get it’ to make tiny increments of change.  Build your own dream team by adding value around the organization wherever you can – a minimally invasive, grassroots campaign.  Go do some agile ‘stuff’ wherever you stand; bottom up.  Create an insp...

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Do you live life with your limiter on?  Is your output artificially capped?  Do you resist “GO!”?  Do you rely on permission? If you knew that it was your failure to leap that inhibits your output, yo...

As I’ve launched the new Badass Agile leadership learning experience, I had something I wanted to ramble about the partisan politics and binary thinking around modern education and certification. Be cautious of absolutes.  There is value in all education (if not necessarily certification), but there is a limit to how much you should attend, read, or memorize about any field of endeavour...

This year, let’s keep it simple.  As frameworks and tools pile up, it’s helpful to return once again to fundamentals.  To clear the space, to question our established rules, and look for our own sources of waste.   Let’s take some simple practices from the fundamental badass agile way and make sure we are applying them to our individual and team practice.

A lot of people talk about improving, but very few people are willing to do the work it takes to actually improve. No matter how much they may say they want change, when faced with actual change….some people just aren’t ready. Change is hard.  Even a small commitment is better than waiting until you’re 100% ready…but until your reason is strong enough, you won’t...

If you are struggling to do anything consistently, you could be biting off too much.  The secret is to create ANY consistent habit, and then increase the scope and ambition once it’s habitualized.