Categories
Coaching

The Joy (and Pain) of Leaving

This day always comes and it always will. But it never gets any easier. In the post “An Exit Strategy for the Agile Coach,” I discuss the journey from the time a coach arrives until the time has come for them to go. Well, this coach is experiencing the later as my time in the […]

Categories
Incredible Teams Scrum Master

Becoming a Radiating Team

An agile team was recently asked by a manager to prepare and distribute a weekly status report. What is your reaction when you read this? For some, this may seem quite normal. For others, you may need more context behind the request before reacting. If your reaction is anything like mine, you’re probably thinking something […]

Categories
Change Agents Culture

Creating an Environment of Confidence

When I enter an organization as a coach, I often find people (and sometimes whole teams or departments) suffering from low confidence. For individuals, this could stem from being in a new role, a history of not being given a chance to speak what is on their mind, or a mistreatment after they made a […]

Categories
Culture Leadership

Disposable, Invisible, or Valuable

What do managers really think about the people who report to them? I have been in many conversations with managers about their direct reports and it’s fascinating how the dynamics of the conversation shift based on who they are talking about. Some people are their “rock stars” and when mentioned a manager would often perk up or […]

Categories
Culture Incredible Teams

Becoming a “Move Together” Team

One of the pleasures of what I do is having a front row seat for the adventure people experience as they form and grow into incredible teams. While working with these teams, I am often reminded of a technique groups of mountain climbers will often use. When navigating glacier routes prone to crevices, climbers will […]

Categories
Leadership

Two Things Leaders Should Be

In an earlier post, I discussed two phrases leaders should genuinely say to their people as often as possible. In addition to saying those two phrases, there are a couple of things an effective and transformational leader should also be. The role of leaders and managers is evolving – and it must. Future generations of […]

Categories
Leadership

The Strongest Words in Leadership

Leadership is hard and the leadership journey is littered with many lessons learned along the way. While its obvious leaders are human and will always make mistakes, leadership behavior will always have a direct impact on the well-being and satisfaction of the people they are privileged to lead. It’s been said people don’t leave organizations, they leave […]