Just Start - Damn the lizard brain!

Been reading Linchpin by Seth Godin (an oldie, but a goodie). So I'm pushing against the resistance, the lizard brain, all the things keeping me from posting a blog.

Glassblowing and agile

Danny and I had a grand time in our short visit to Seattle at the beginning of April. One of the best experiences was seeing the Chihuly Exhibit. The videos in the theater at the end of the exhibit prompted us to go back through previous parts, especially to see the Macchia. But the best part of going back was that we got to see a couple of folks blowing glass. The process is consistent (get the glass rod hot, add air, add color, shape it appropriately), but for each piece, there is an artistry to it. What's the external temperature? Humidity? And there's always the risk of failure (in the ten minutes we watched, the demonstrators noted at least 5 potentials for failure). But through continued practice, those risks are reduced, the choreography of spinning the glass, heating it, tapping it just right... all results in a final piece of art.

Do what you love, love what you do, and do better

Yes, there will always be parts of work that aren't enjoyable. But there is always the stuff that you fell in love with at the beginning. How can you do more of that?

Yes, things will break. That major project may fail. But, as Marilyn Monroe said, "Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."

Take a risk today. Do something you're not perfect at yet. Get better.

Lessons from the Secretary

I had the opportunity to attend the Korbel Dinner Monday night – one of the perks of being the wife of a Dean at the University of Denver. Dr. Condelezza Rice, alum of DU, was the featured speaker, and she was quite engaging, discussing the Middle East, Russia, and even football with ease and humor. When asked about managing the state department, my ear perked up. Here is a woman who has managed folks all over the world, dealing with major issues. Certainly, I could integrate a few tips from her into managing a scrum team! Indeed, there were three points that I could modify to manage a small team of IT professionals, rather than ambassadors and other international mediators.

First, problems don’t come in neat, single-disciplinary packages. Coming from a former Secretary of State, there are many examples that can be used here. But even in a development team, issues are often not neat, and rarely affect only one system! It’s very important to understand the complexities and connections when trying to resolve an issue. If one area becomes simpler, chances are another will be more complex. Where do you want the trade-off?

Second, policy is influenced by the people you train. This makes obvious sense for a school of international studies. How can it be used in a scrum team? It’s all about culture. Build the culture to encourage the behavior you want. Don’t expect that a great culture will just happen. Do you want people to be okay with making small mistakes, in order to learn and expand their knowledge? Celebrate those failures!

Finally, Dr. Rice talked about bringing people in who have been there. She has started the wheels turning on an endowed professorship, the Rice Family Professor of Practice. This position, I foresee, will be filled by people who have experiences of international relations that will enhance the studies and theory of the students. In other words, it’s important to tell the real stories. Books and theory are wonderful, but experience is the “secret sauce” – what really shows others how to integrate their knowledge into practice. Again, in scrum teams, listening to those with experience can be very useful – whether that experience is within the existing organization or from another company with a successful implementation of agile. Take all those stories, blend them together, and play with building a solution from that knowledge.

I love learning, in the many places I find myself!