Coming back from Vacation.

For the last two weeks, I have traveled and attempted to get caught up at the office.  Vacations are fraught periods for professionals.  The business world continues to churn as we try to disconnect from the office.  It has a nugget of anxiety built into the experience because, if things run smoothly, you look unnecessary to the organization.  If work goes sideways, you have not organized your teams correctly—either potential is a way to undermine your enjoyment of your time away from the office.  I had the good fortune to spend time with my life partner touring the natural sights of Kentucky and Tenessee.  Taking time away from the office makes you reconsider a few things.  

Spending time in caverns, caves, and rivers enjoying nature allows you to appreciate how trivial the conflicts at the office are.  It takes hundreds of thousands of years for water to create a cave.  Caverns require the labor of countless humans to excavate.  Caverns and caves become a strange combination of darkness, cold, and dampness, which with the help of water and limestone, create fantastic structures which look like abstract art.  The experience is humbling, and everyone should enjoy a little humility courtesy of nature. 

It takes a long time for nature to construct its wonders.  Thanks to gravity, time, and water, a fifty-foot waterfall was carved into the middle of the Tennessee wilderness, and I was fortunate enough to witness it.  It brought to mind the work of Lewis Walter on the “Then and Now” YouTube channel.  He has discovered how to make philosophy interesting for the internet age, and his documentary on Spinoza should be required viewing for any college kid learning about philosophy.  Spinoza is so interesting because he talks about looking at the world from a global view of nature.  We have only fleeting moments in this world, and we must appreciate our lives as we live them.  Taking some time off has a way of discovering that appreciation.

I am sure regular readers are wondering why I am talking about an experience so transient as insight gained while on vacation.  The answer is simple.  If we are ever going to do our best in the office and create organizational change, we need to spend time away to recharge, enjoy nature, and gather some philosophical insight.  Read a book that is not work-related.  Rent a kayak and go a few miles down river.  Do something anything because the reality is that work will always be there, but we will not, and we should draw some measure of enjoyment from our lives.  Not everything needs to be toil and struggle.  

I am a dedicated supporter of the agile reformation.  I will continue to dedicate my life to making the workplace better.  However, I must accept that I have a family who loves me and needs me to be present in their lives.  It is a tricky balancing act but one I am willing to try.  It is good to be back, and I look forward to more blogs about the agile reformation.  

Until next time.  

The Slow Road to Agile

Organization change resembles the story of Sisyphus.  As punishment for cheating the god of the underworld Hades, Sisyphus was doomed to spend eternity rolling a heavy boulder up a hill.  It would move back to the bottom when he brought it to the top.  The futility of the effort was the punishment the ancient gods inflicted upon Sisyphus.  Each day, as an agile professional, you struggle with similar challenges.  The stone gets further up the hill, and an executive or vendor will knock it down for spiteful or selfish reasons.  It is frustrating.  Today, I want to discuss why the struggle is worth the effort. 

It is easy to get discouraged when leading organizational change.  It is easy leading a crowd of people who are enthusiastic and committed.  The hard work comes when you have to motivate others to set aside their selfish needs for the greater good of others.  Cultural inertia will always be an obstacle to progress.  Still, the biggest challenge is the profound feeling of loneliness that comes with putting yourself in front of others who are doubtful of your mission. 

Agile began when a group of hard-working and committed people got together to point out that traditional approaches to work were not working.  These people created the Agile Manifesto and principles.  Since then, the agile reformation has become inclusive of each nationality on the planet.  Women are some of the most respected proponents of the approaches agile uses.  Finally, agile has earned the respect of executives and business people because it delivers more value to customers.  It is a slow road of progress. 

The industrial revolution and modern corporations have only existed for two hundred years.  The agile reformation has only lived for twenty, and businesses have come around to the values and principles of agile.  My work and countless others are starting to make a difference.  It feels good to be part of a social movement like that.  

As an agile coach or scrum master, it is essential to look at the progress made over the last twenty years.  Businesses are beginning to understand the old ways of operation are hurting profitability and customer satisfaction.  This realization points them toward people like myself to help show them a better way.  I can't think of a better calling for one's career and life.  The struggle is worth the effort.  

Thanks for following the blog.  I look forward to more writing when I return.  We will be taking time off next week for a vacation with the family.  

Until next time and have a happy Independence Day.