Coach Dan's Blog

  I was doing some reading on the topic of "servant leadership" last week, and I rediscovered an article in  Harvard Business Review  that I'd read a couple years back.  In it, the author explores the concept of leaders serving the people they lead rather than trying to exert control.   The author really highlights the point that the true value managers bring to an organization is not necessarily being a gatekeeper or order-giver, but rather creating an environment where team members (people actually creating value the customers consume) are enabled and empowered to innovate, solve problems, grow and improve.  This, of course, helps us all to create a culture that reinforces an   agile mindset !  Key Excerpts from the article ,  How Humble Leadership Really Works   "When you’re a leader — no matter how long you’ve been in your role or how hard the journey was to get there — you are merely overhead unless you’re bringing out the bes...

  The  first  shared agile principle is - “Our highest priority is to  satisfy the customer  through early and  continuous delivery of value.” - The Agile Manifesto When was the last time  your  team... talked about  your  customer?  Who is your customer?  Is  everyone  on your team working for the same customer? Is the work you're doing  today  creating value for your customer?  How do you know? How will the work you do today help to  satisfy  your customer? If your customer saw the top of your team's backlog,  would they agree  it's important and valuable? Is your team regularly engaging with the customer to inform the product direction? In the hustle and bustle of our day, it can be easy to lose sight of the "why we're doing this." Take some time this week, and invest in your team.  Talk about who your customer is and what problem you're solving for  them ...

Empowered teams self organize around a shared objective, and optimize themselves around achieving it. That all starts with team members who feel empowered, and frankly... that starts with you!  “I want you actively to train your people on how to think for themselves” - Eiji Toyoda "Think more like a gardener, less like a general." - General Stanley McChrystal It's often faster to solve the problem instead of challenging people to stretch and grow. How you interact with your team tells them a lot about how empowered they are to self-organize and optimize. Every interaction is a chance for you to help a person feel empowered. The next time you interact with a team member, challenge them to decide...  Are your team members... ...asking for permission? Instead of "Yes" or "No" ... try: "What would you say if I was asking you for permission to do this?"  "How does this help you to achieve your team's shared objective?"  "How ca...

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The most important people in any company are the ones who make valuable things for your customer. In our complex world, very few things can be done without the help of teammates, partners or other critical helpers. Take a moment and acknowledge the people who help you create and deliver value. Showing genuine appreciation for the work others do to deliver value for your customer is proven to increase productivity and reduce mistakes! Coach’s Challenge for next week - Keep track of how many times you  genuinely  share appreciation for someone at work.  Grab a scrap of paper or a sticky note and make a mark for every time you genuinely tell someone you appreciate what they do.  Are you surprised (pleasantly or not so much) by the result? A genuine “thank you” costs you nothing, but can make someone’s day.   Two tips for showing appreciation   Highlight the outcome, not just the task … “I appreciate what you did to help build that feature for our users”  ...

  An open, letter to leaders, from a candid agile transformation coach. Dear Leader, I am writing you to share some observations I've made as I've supported leaders through all kinds of transformations for almost 20 years now. I attempt to be candid and direct in sharing these observations.  For some of you, they may be challenging to read. They may make you feel uncomfortable.  You may think “he’s talking about someone else.” That’s fair.  If you do have that reaction, I might suggest that you pause for a few moments and ask yourself: 'where is this reaction coming from?'… We can't improve if we don't inspect! So, without additional fanfare or disclaimers - 6 (candid) observations that I hope leaders learn as they begin (and continue) a transformation.  Observation 1 - Don’t say you want to change, if you don’t really want to  change . "The road to perdition has ever been accompanied by lip service to an ideal."- Albert Einstein It’s pretty easy to sa...

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