Give A Little Thanks to Help Your Agile Practice

Give thanks and let others
know you appreciate them.

The agile reformation does not happen by itself.  It requires numerous people working daily to deliver value to customers.  Scrum masters, product owners, and technical professionals come together each day and do the hard work of building new things.  It requires discipline and intelligence.  Each day, I am amazed at the new and innovative things the people I serve do.  We need to take time and express gratitude for the work we do for each other.  

The holiday season starts with Thanksgiving, which began formally as a holiday during the American civil war.  The Union was starting to turn the war's tide and hundreds of union and confederate dead were littered across battlefields from Pennsylvania to Georgia.  President Lincoln wanted to celebrate union victory but used the occasion to create an opportunity to reflect on what we were grateful for.  To our 16th president, being thankful and grateful was a means to unite a bitterly divided nation.  I like Lincoln’s sentiment; it shows his leadership was well ahead of its time.  

The Christian season of Advent and Christmas follow this season of gratefulness.  It is joined by the Jewish festival of lights and then Kwanzaa.  What unites all of these holidays is their focus on concentrating on what matters, especially during difficult times.  It is a shame that we need ethnic and religious holidays to remember this wisdom. 

As a coach, leader, or scrum master, it is up to you to let people know that you appreciate the work they do.  It is not touchy-feely goodness that inspires this sentiment, but detailed research by the Harvard Business Review and Forbes magazine.  Business researchers are discovering the common-sense notion of treating people with dignity can improve work performance.  A more humane office creates better results.  

Each day, I use the words 'please,' and 'thank-you.'  I refer to people by the names and pronouns they would like used.  I also want to pronounce the names of the people I work with correctly.  I have a funny-sounding foreign name, so I try to pronounce all the developers' names correctly.  It does not matter if someone comes from India or Chicago’s Oldtown neighborhood. You should be respectful of their name.  Respecting a person’s name respects them as a person and their culture.  Finally, before going home, try to meet your team members and thank them for a job well done.  I learned this at Harrah’s over twenty years ago, and it builds comradery on a team.  

The next few weeks will be a blur of work, shopping, stress, and COVID-19.  With all this flurry of activity, we should take time to express gratitude toward others and build respect, which will help us build a better day. 

Until next time.