Badass Agile

In environments where we can’t control how the team is composed, how can we control the team’s attitude, commitment and performance? The culture you create has a lot to do with it. We think incorrectly about teams. The way the team functions is perhaps more important than any other component of agile. If the team is not bonded, aligned and committed, they’re not going to accept agile principles or scrum techniques, and it probably wouldn’t help much if they did. Although teams are made of primarily non-leadership people, organizational leadership alone determines the health of the team The leaders create the culture that allows the team to function well, or to condemn it to failure Teams need the same things all individuals need – to be Safe, Free, and Supported As an agile leader, you can help promote this by creating a Team Creed Team Creed can include the teams purpose, but also our code of conduct or behaviours The creed should be advanced by the agile leader as a template and baseline, but evolved by the team to help buy-in

A high-performing team doesn’t just evolve naturally. What are some of the things you can do that will help kick-start team synergy, trust, and communication, even on day 1? There’s a hack I use that is a hybrid of techniques for building trust, likability, understanding and acceptance Take them to a bar Ask 2 simple questions: Why do you get up every morning and come to do this job? What is something you think very few people know about you? These work to expose vision and passion – usually if the first doesn’t exist, the second still does – that you can use to anchor future conversations and find common ground. This technique is fast to use, easy to remember, and super effective. For even greater results, establish an culture of ‘helping you get what you want’ If you want a truly elite team, you want some kind of crucible experience. Easy to do in the Marines, not so easy in a corporate setting. You’ll be surprised at my favourite substitutes.

What could I do to set me apart from every other Scrum Master, Coach, or Leader? It’s fine to rest on the shoulders of giants and imitate their mindsets and habits, but you can’t imitate their innovations. You have to make your own Our practice only advances when new thoughts and voices come to the fore. Don’t waste a moment of your practical field experience – turn these into opinions which you can test and evolve into your own philosophy for adopting Agile, or just leading well There is tons of room for new perspectives. Don’t be afraid of the inevitable resistance. The resistance exists to make sure you have the stuff of true leadership.

Of all the Agile Keys we’ve discussed – ‘Team’ is the most mysterious, and yet the most powerful. How do you build great teams, and what qualities does a great team have? Done right, a team is not a collection of people stuffed together by competency or role…A great team is a tribe. Done right, a team is a force multiplier that is highly efficient and competitive. Tribes have very strong trust, strong values, unbreakable customs and very high standards A great team is a privilege to serve on, and can be the best part of your job. Very few people know how to create great teams.

In product delivery, there are so many variables and so much unpredictability. What’s the best way to manage all the unknowns? “There’s an app for that”. Begin with a standard role definition and simple agreement about how we manage scope. Use the car-owner mechanic or home-owner/contractor analogy to drive the point home The technique is based around ‘communicate, estimate, agree, execute” to get started and then when changes happen simply re-communicate, re-estimate, re-prioritize, and keep on rolling.

How the heck did I go from World of Warcraft to Technology Director, or Agile Coach? How can someone like me lead? You already have everything you need. The archetypal leader is not what we aspire to. We now value people who are pushing the edge of innovation, and that means a lot of scientific, technical people are making their way into leadership. The world needs more people of vision and passion The same skills that got you there will get you here. If you have some purpose, some change you want to make in the world burning inside you…you already know what you have to do. You need to get badass.

Why is there a dividing line between the Product Owner Role, and the Rest of the Solution Team? How do we run our interactions to honour that? The division is meant to enforce the freedom of teams to solve problems the best way they collectively know how This doesn’t mean the owner can’t have input, but the best way to communicate those inputs is as needs – requirements, stories, Definitions of Done, etc

A badass doesn’t respect positional authority. How do you pull that off? True authority is earned, and is service-based. A positional leader is one who has the title, but neither leads nor serves Disrespecting authority is not ‘the way’ – rather, do not blindly follow those with a title Beware the motives of those who crave power for its own sake Instead, lead respectfully from where you are. Let your vision and service guide your work

Do You Ever get knocked down? What do you do when you feel like you’re not winning? When you want to quit? Success Is Not The Absence of Failure The Goal is not to avoid getting hit…the goal is to avoid getting hit twice the same way Sometimes the failure feels devastating. Like you’re losing ground. You needed this setback to show you where the gaps are…so you can handle your business. Change your mindset. The setback is a gift. Learn to process it quicker and you’ll be on your way toward mastery.

What is the most ominous, highest priority barrier to Agile adoption that we should prepare for? The Resistance. From Teams and From Management To Overcome the Resistance, you have to activate your service-based mindset, your vision…get your head right first, and then start changing minds by showing them. Remember, if you build a spectacular fire, people looking to get warm will come to it.

How Long Before Agile Starts Paying Dividends? Agile is about change. Mindsets take time to change, and right action takes time to become habit Like anything else in Agile, work with the highest-priority fundamentals first, then continue to perfect and expand with time Like anything else in Agile, demo (show), and measure.

What makes a remarkable leader? A common person with uncommon resolve and steadiness when the safety and certainty everyone depends on suddenly changes The secret to this skill is the reprioritization habit – focusing on responding to change rather than bemoaning or resisting it.

What mindset/habit pair moves you toward goals the fastest? The ability to be an adaptive planner begins with sharp focus on the things that matter most What you value determines your priorities, and figuring out the biggest, closest things that get you closer to your goals is the calling card of visionary teams and leaders

Why is failure such a dirty word? What effect does this have on teams, and how can you change it? Fear of Failure is the antithesis to experimentation and innovation It is impossible to learn and grow without failure. Big Failure. Early and often. Fear of failure is cultural, and change starts at the leadership level. Reason and logic can’t change a culture of fear. You’re going to have to show, measure, prove, and repeat…and as a badass leader, you’ll have to take uncommon accountability.

How do great leaders inspire others to work WITH them – how do they change minds and build support? How do truly powerful people seem to get whatever they want in life? The first principle is that your reasons have to be right. You can’t want influence so you can have power or sway over people. Your ‘argument’ – the thing you are trying to convince people of, whether its selling Agile to a monolithic management team, making a sale, or negotiating a contract – must come from a place of genuine service The other influence skills are the Badass Agile principles we’ve already been discussing – learning to leap, leading by going first, staying in control of your emotions, being persistent and resilient, remaining confident, being happy and other-focused, and learning and adapting from failure.

What’s the best way to plan projects to ensure success? You don’t really ‘plan for success’ at all, in the sense that you don’t plan for certainty or safety. As an Agile Leader, Adaptive Planning is your greatest asset. Minimize planning so that you can start, and adjust your plan as the environment changes.

What is the easiest way to make Continuous Improvement work for me? Ask yourself and your team one simple question – what can I cut? The biggest mindset shift we have to make is that of letting go of the old way. Constantly seek things we can discard that are weighing us down

We have started our Agile Journey, but I don’t see much improvement. How do we get better faster? Mastery is lifelong. And the first few steps are usually the most painful. Remind teams and stakeholders alike that the first few sprints are mayhem. This is true of individual development as well. The initial stages are tumultuous, frustrating, as if they were designed to shake off those who are not serious about mastery. By adopting a culture of continuous improvement, you will get better. Adoption and acceptance will be slow, and benefits accrue gradually at first – patience will be your most important quality Don’t expect too much too soon; and stay humble so you keep learning and growing

What Is the ‘Secret Sauce’ of Every High Performing Team? They create a culture of extraordinary – uncommon people who are unusually committed to uncommon results Build a team that others envy

I can see the imbalance and injustice everywhere. What is the badass meant to do about it? * As a leader with a clear service-oriented vision, only you can decide what causes you serve * But once you’ve decided, you need to act with courage if you expect to build and maintain trust, and truly lead.

What is the single biggest change you can make today to shift your clunky, bureaucratic teams into high gear? * Stop Planning for Perfection * Focus on Go

What do legendary leaders have that the rest of us don’t? * Superhuman Accountability – the refusal to blame others, but rather the acceptance that all of our outcomes are within our ability to change * This is what allows people to achieve the impossible….they own their outcomes and know the only thing that influences their destiny is THEM

How do we level-up feedback skills to build a super-charged dream team? * You will have to go first * You will have to be vulnerable * You will need to leverage and build trust * You need to build a sense of accountability and duty

What is the badass’ contribution to Agile at Scale, or any large scale organization? * The bigger it gets, the more it seeks certainty and safety. There’s nothing theoretically wrong with that * Scaling will alway be a compromise between predictability and agility * Try to infuse agile mindsets and principles everywhere you go. That alone has the potential for massive improvement. * A badass is not strictly agile. A badass is someone tenacious enough to work tirelessly to find the right balance

How do all these podcast episodes make you more badass? * Integration of all the mindsets and habits are key. We focus on fundamentals * Each episode gives you some practical implementation advice – use it. * Review old episodes – as you grow, they will provide deeper wisdom * As you listen to this checkpoint, decide which areas need work and go back to revisit the appropriate episodes

In Personal and Team performance, How do you overcome blind spots so you can see your own gaps – and that of others – clearly and objectively so you can supercharge your continuous improvement? * You need to be in tune with Actions and Reactions, and what causes them – both yours and other people’s * You need to be able to separate stimulus, or triggers, from the automatic responses and thoughts they invoke * You need to learn how to put some room between triggers, your responses, and action * Use Silent Reflection and In-Flight Internal Checks to build this skill * See Also Episode 18 on Control

Why do we fail to address areas of greatest need by never really getting to the big pain points? * We need to measure ourselves against goals we set for achieving our vision * We need to practice looking at our strengths and gaps every day

THIS IS A CROSS POST from my podcast for artists and entrepreneurs. I accidentally posted this to Badass Agile and removed it; however it was one of my more popular episodes so I added it here anyway! See you next week.

Why do we really do retrospectives, and what qualities must they have to be truly powerful and effective * Retrospectives are about a continuous improvement mindset * Making changes should be aggressive, prioritized and experimental. * Everyone is involved. Executive/Leadership too. * Feedback must be meaningful, honest and democratic. Outcome-based is better than behaviour-based.

How do you become the leader you’ve always wanted to be? What qualities does a badass have that makes other people trust and follow their leadership? * A Badass Leader exhibits control * We discuss Two kinds of struggle – chaos (fight-or-flight, rational fear) and triggering irrational fear (ego-based) * How you react is everything. Negativity, fear are self-propelling and spread virally * Finally we discuss 9 rules for staying in control, and how this affects the kind of leader people perceive and experience you to be.

In this episode, we explore some techniques that are often overlooked when examining team performance and productivity – being able to focus exclusively and free from distractions. From team co-location to multitasking to room noise, distractions cause people to shift focus from what’s important to whatever is popping up in front of them. In these environments it is difficult for teams to thrive. We look at the importance of freedom from distractions for doing focused work in this final episode of the series on Focus.

The quality of the decisions we make determine our success. That’s a lot of weight to carry, and as a result we place too much importance on being ‘ready’ to make decisions – so we make them slowly, and the outcomes are seldom better than when we decide quickly. In this episode we are reminded of Badass qualities, how they can help us make better decisions faster, how Agile can support and foster more efficient decisions, and how to get the courage to make more decisions and stand up for the consequences – on behalf of ourselves or our teams – so we can become better leaders.

Continuing our series on the mindset/habit pairs that create great leaders and great teams, this episode discusses two very important elements of Doing Focused Work – Discipline and Resilience. The ability to work consistently and reliably, as well as the ability to endure hardship (and in fact embrace it) bring serious competitive edge to you, your teams and your organization. We discuss how Discipline and Resilience affect performance in an Agile setting and outside of the team – in your daily life. Finally we discuss simple techniques to grow your discipline and grit.

While recovering from a nasty head cold that has destroyed my voice, I’ll keep you guys busy with a short tip on that helps with new mindset/habit pairs – using a habit tracker. If you truly want to become more badass and develop mastery over your leadership game, you will need to change and correct a number of behaviours. Pick a few you know you want to change and use technology as a lever…habit trackers can help accelerate wherever it is you want to go.

In this interlude, we consider the edge you can claim by looking for people who are unsure in social situations. The habit of paying attention to your body language and that of others allows you to negotiate and influence much more effectively. This short podcast suggests some tips to get you started.

In this episode, we touch on the sometimes delicate issue of people who resist change. More than any other skill, our economy demands adaptability. The landscape is ever-evolving, and we are expected to be more than ‘trained and knowledgeable’. What was relevant yesterday may not be relevant tomorrow. Agile teaches us adaptability – the skill of reacting to a changing current and course correcting with grace and speed. Particularly in new transformations, your team must adopt this mindset and skill to survive the the change.

In this episode, we look at the nature and motives of a ‘hater’, and, recognizing that they are inevitable but wholly irrelevant to your mission, address the best mindset for handling them.

This episode continues the ‘Focus’ series of Badass Agile Mindset/Habit pairs by examining how breaking larger goals into smaller chunks makes them more achievable. Similar to the Sprint concept of scope management, inherent in this technique are a number of mind-hacks that make it easier to stay motivated and focused when faced with overwhelming difficulty or complexity.

In this episode, we discuss the first of the mindset/habit pairs that comprise Badass Agile – Focus. Focus has many variations and components; in this episode we will look at the importance of prioritization. Although we commonly think of prioritization as being directly related to the product backlog and value delivery, it needs to be applied to everything we do as practitioners.

If great leaders and badasses are made, not born, how do you become one? This podcast discusses a number of different techniques. but this episode reveals one of the most overlooked and underused – keep yourself inspired every chance you get. We have so many options in the physical and digital realm to learn new things, and to get ‘virtual coaching’ by reading and hearing the words of the masters who have gone before us. To experience it once is to learn; to hear it repeated over and over, at times when we need it most (and sometimes when we don’t) ensures that your game is continuously improving.

In this Episode, I’ll discuss the source of so much mindset dissonance in spreading Agile (and elite leadership) in large-scale organizations. The need for safety, certainty and sameness – and outright fear – govern so much of how we think and how we build and lead. The solution rests with us – the Badass Agile tribe – and our ability to ship something incredible, one team at a time.

An exploration of why Agile really ‘works’ – creating better product, hopefully more quickly and efficiently, with happier teams. These principles – Focus, Continuous Improvement, Adaptive Planning, and ‘Team’ are the mindsets and behaviours that actually produce the results – and they are the same principles and mindsets used by athletes, artists, achievers and leaders around the world.

Whatever you think to be real is real, whether its true or not. Your perceptions and interpretations of the world create automatic physical responses in your mind and body that further reinforce how you think and feel. The actual truth of the situation may not be available to you – you go on what you know. So let’s try Knowing differently. This podcast examines the methods and effects of simply believing your own leadership skill and capacity to achieve.

In this episode, we discuss how to spread excellence through an organization using Agile means and mindsets. Rather than analyzing and and strategizing endlessly to roll out Agile to an entire organization – which will take way longer than you can afford to start yielding any sort of benefit or advantage – simply choose a high-priority project that feels like a natural fit for agile (can ship early and often, has a willing and supportive business and technical team, etc) and focus on doing that one project with excellence. You will attract the right kind of attention from people who are willing to try something new. Create an awesome fire and allow others seeking light to come to it!

In this short episode, we look at why “reason for doing” matters when influencing and leading others – both Your reasons, and Theirs. We discuss a tip for building trust with new teams – a technique that is often overlooked but builds instant connection and allows you to keep that connection level high going forward.

In this episode, we forge a creed for our tribe; a statement of beliefs and values that define our culture. This is your National Anthem Like all things Agile, this will be refined and improved over time. For now, if you wish to be part of something exceptional, adopt this creed, if it inspires you, or create your own.

Welcome back. In this episode we will carry on with the idea of ‘Becoming Badass’. Remember Why we’re here. To create an elite tribe of leaders, using the principles of Agile to strengthen our personal practice; and to bring your improved game back to our teams and our leadership. We started with an orientation of the principles and philosophies, then, we took on the fundamentals of making a commitment to serve, setting a vision for ourselves, our teams and our product, and how to break down all previous notions of what you are and what you’re capable of so we can build back up stronger. Mindset And Habit Pairs Now its time to integrate new mindset and habit pairs. These pairs are all about choosing a new way of seeing, understanding, AND new ways of behaving. The mindset powers the habit, and the habit reinforces the mindset. Review – Badass Mindset/Habit Pair – The Body The body will not betray what the mind thinks and feels. Your face and your body is the interface through which the world will experience your massiveness. Your badass self. Adopt the posture of the confident person. Stand straight up, with your chest out. Chin up. Make your body still; when you do move, move with purpose. Move intentionally. Think about what movements you are about to make before you make them. Do this for a week. Does it change how others respond to you? More importantly, did it change how you feel about yourself? Check out Ted Talk – Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are. Assuming you have done that for a week, the next step, as covered in Podcast 2 was to have a picture of your future. Know who you are, what you stand for, where you are going. Before we hit the next step, your assignment for this week, let’s recap the Badass principles: A badass: 1. Has a Compelling Picture of The Future – know what they want. know what they stand for 2. Doesn’t care what others think 3. Doesn’t care about positional authority 4. Won’t rest until they’re the best 5. Is always In complete control of their states – emotional, physical, mental Everything they do and say oozes badass. And they don’t even have to try. 6. Is Already good enough – never seeking approval of others, attention 7. Is Unafraid to fail and be wrong, learn by experimentation, completely accountable for their mistakes 8. Always goes first 9. Never Quits 10. Values their time as a precious commodity 11. Doesn’t value certainty or safety, so they break rules repeatedly. They live and learn best at the edge of their fears. 12. Maintains humour and levity 13. Never Apologizes for Who they Are So now that you have your vision, what do you do? Start to live by your core values. No matter what. Look at the following badass values: 1. #2 – Doesn’t care what others think 2. #3 – Doesn’t care about positional authority, 3. #11 – Doesn’t value certainty or safety, so they break rules repeatedly. They live and learn best at the edge of their fears, and 4. # 13 – Never Apologizes for Who they Are A badass lives and learns best at the edge of her fears. Fear of rejection. Fear of loss. Fear of uncertainty. Next time you are asked do something you don’t believe in doing, something not aligned to your values and vision, just say “sorry, that’s not what I do”. The secret to being hyper productive is to do things that you believe in and truly want. Being aligned to your core values. Living your vision. This week, find a way to live with courage, to re-think how you and your team operates so that it aligns to what you truly believe.

In this final episode in the orientation section of the podcast, we talk about how we have to tear everything down so we can build it up again – unlearning bad mindsets and habits so we can replace them with new, badass ones.

In this Episode we take the Badass Philosophy Further by discussing the importance and benefits of Visioning. We introduce the first Mindset+Habit Pair to help you create a personal vision as a leader, a vision for your team, your product and your sprints. We discuss: -Where We are in the Badass Learning Arc -Reintroduction to the Badass Agile Philosophy -Vision is Badass, Vision is Agile, Vision is Excellence -An Example of Vision -What is a Great Visionary? -Why Vision? What will having a vision do for you? Why is it essential -Mindset + Habit Pairs -Creating a Vision for You -Creating a Vision for Your Team (The Team Creed) -Creating a Vision for the Sprint -Creating a Vision for your Product -Next-Level Pro Tip

We are here to build an elite tribe of leaders. People who advance the cause of agile by bringing excellence to their practice. By bringing those leadership skills that allow you to make a difference. And people who advance the cause of leadership by rising their people up improve our collective leadership game. This journey starts with a decision to be badass. The Decision To lead.. In a way, you “answer the call”. We need people who are 1) willing to do the hard work of doing what they say they will do, 2) prepared to share their wisdom with others, 3) willing to not only teach but nurture and develop talent in others….But most importantly, we need people who are willing to lean into the fight. This is hard work. This is sacrifice. This is constant, lifelong learning. And demand for this skill set will never disappear. This is not like learning a new computer skill, new process, or new methodology. The need for great leadership will never die. And the skills required will never change. There are no shortcuts. There is no instant fix. If you start today you will be one day ahead of anyone who starts tomorrow. And years ahead of people who decide to wait. People who haven’t yet heard the call. When you make the decision to lead, you’re making the decision to not just be an active member of the team, to be an incredibly hard worker, but instead to be willing to go first. You’ll often be required to put yourself before others, you will often be required to stand in front of your team in harms way. You’ll be required to hold yourself to a higher standard than everyone else-all eyes will be on you. But if you’re ready for the challenge. If you’re not only willing to be different, but if you feel it burning in your soul to be exceptional, to effect real change in your world, then you have already answered the question. You have already put your hand up. Congratulations, and welcome to this very elite club. You are now a member. You may be imperfect, like all of us, but you are growing. You are now a leader. Stay badass.