It surprises me when people don't read and learn...

As a consultant at Improving Enterprises, I regularly have an opportunity to meet and interview potential consultants for our company. As a company we always strive for excellence and that includes continuing to learn. So I always ask candidates about it.

Appreciation in Agile teams - "Shout Outs"

Here's a simple idea that provides great benefits for teams. I was working with a team that started giving "shout-outs" at their retrospectives. Any team member could take a minute to recognize other team members for anything they did - whether it was to help someone, take on a task to help out, take on a role even if it's not their primary role.... how do you think this worked out?

Agile - now, for later

If you read my last blog you'll know that I pulled a card from a deck of 52 cards my wife has. I then decided I would try it again to see if the card provided impetus for this blog. Here's what the next card had on it: "Now or Later - If you desire a glorious future,, transform the present - Patanjali (circa: 2nd century CE). Living in the Moment by Barbara Ann Kipfer (a deck of 52 inspirational cards).

Some say Patanjali was a single person, others say Patanjali was a series of people who wrote sage advise and wisdom some 5000 to 7000 years ago. I've read some of Patanjali's works and find them interesting.

Back to the card. Ok, so maybe this deck of cards is a pretty good content generator. We'll see when I pick the third card for the next blog. Who knows maybe I have 50 more blogs ready and waiting.

Embrace your circumstances

Ever notice how some people and some teams seem to thrive in adversity. They seem to be at their best - it's like they're waiting for the chance to show everyone just how strong, how capable they are when the going gets rough. Last year this hit home for me during the NFL season. The New England Patriots, in particular Tom Brady their quarterback, have an extraordinary winning percentage in extreme cold weather conditions.