Coach Dan's Blog

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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...