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.  

A Little Gratitude this Thanksgiving.

Mmmm Pie!

If you are working as an agile coach or scrum master you spend plenty of time working in negative situations.  Continuous improvement means finding things which are not working and helping others fix them.  It is an often a thankless process filled with personal and professional frustration.  This week I want to take a step back from my day to day struggles and reflect on the things which make me grateful.

I am grateful for the people who work with me.  I have developers spread over two continents, and they are smart and hardworking individuals who make my day easy.  The team accepts my faux cheerfulness in the early morning during stand-up calls.  The team also put up with my grumpy admonitions to follow good code practices.  The development teams I work with are a pleasure to work with, and any scrum master would be honored to work with them.

Next, I am deeply grateful to LSC Communications for allowing me to lead agile initiatives.  It has to be strange having an entrepreneurial person in your cubicles asking awkward questions and shaming individuals to do better work.  You embrace my enthusiasm and flakey nature to help make the organization better.  The world of business moves at the speed of the internet, and I am glad you allow me the opportunity to guide the firm in that direction.

I have an understanding group of friends.  I do not spend as much time with them as I should.  We play cards, board games and plenty of military simulations.  They keep me grounded.  They keep me clean and sober.  They have supported my professional decisions, and they have been there for me throughout the inevitable ups and downs of my career.

My family generates a fountain of gratitude.  As my parents have grown older, I have become close to them.  They show me the kindness and support that is sorely lacking in the other areas of my life.  In the aftermath of my divorce, they have prevented me from wallowing in loneliness and made sure I bought groceries.  I wish I were half as good as my parents.

In spite of all the difficulty of my career, I have a lot to be grateful; my colleagues, my company, my friends, and family make life worth living.

Happy Thanksgiving until next time.

A Thanksgiving Message

It is Thanksgiving time and all of us at E₃ systems are going to be taking time off to spend with our families and friends.  I want to devote a little time to what we are grateful for this year.

2013 has been a year of transition for our little company.  We have launched need products and jumped into new directions as the market has needed it.  I am very thankful for the talented people who provided help and direction during this time period.  I would also like to take time to thank the people in the Joliet Chamber of Commerce and Microsoft Bizspark for believing in our organization.  I also want to take time to thank the Will County farm bureau for its help in helping get the word out about our product.

2013 has been a year of transition for E₃ systems but we look forward to the new year and hope that you are part of the energy and excitement.

Until next time.

Giving Thanks this Time of Year

Give thanks and then pig out!

During this time of year, there are lots of reasons to be grateful.  The holiday demands that people take stock of their lives and families and what they have to be thankful for.  This year, I want to make a few mentions. 

I am deeply grateful for statin drugs.  With some luck, statins may break the cycle of heart attacks which runs in my family.  I am glad for clean drinking water.  Too many people do not have clean water to drink and I am grateful that I live somewhere where that is not a problem.  Finally, I am glad that the election is over and we can stop fighting about politics and get back to growing our economy. 

On a more personal note, I want to thank Mike Panone and the Joliet Chamber of Commerce providing me help and guidance.  I also have to thank my board of directors; Jen Green, John Zalanka, and my father for keeping me focused during some difficult times this year.  Finally, I want to thank each of you for following this blog and supporting us over the coming year. 

Contact us if you want to learn more about our Sully 2.0 software.  I look forward to more adventures in the coming year. 

Until next time.

Saying Thanks

Have a great Thanksgiving

The last ten years have been a huge challenge for me and for America in general.  I can understand why people are filled with anxiety and frustration. Yet, each time this year, I make an effort to take stock and give thanks for the simple things in life.  This year I am going to share that list with you.

• I am grateful for tap water which I can drink…over a billion people do not have that luxury.
• I am glad that I have my family and friends.
• I don’t know where I would be without the support and love of my fellow parishioners at Lifebridge Church.
• After a scary stretch, I glad that I am caught up on my mortgage.
• I am grateful that even during this period of economic hardship I can start a business and find clients who are interested in buying.
• I am proud that I live in a country where we have both a Tea Party Movement and Occupy Wall Street.  I hope the folks in the Occupy movement are as good at rocking the vote as the Tea party. 
• Finally, I am grateful to all of you who have read this blog and supported me as I go through the startup process. 

I may not have any clients on the books but I am close.  So in the spirit of optimism which all entrepreneurs must have I can gladly say my cup is full.  I am grateful that all of you have given me nourishment along the way. 

Until next time.