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February 28, 2019 by Drew Kincius Leave a Comment

Your New Boss: The Team

02.28.19 | Chris Daily |

What’s one common experience that every individual has had at one point in their career or another? I’ll give you one guess. You nailed it:

A bad boss.

A common workplace nuisance.

Over the years, the term “boss” has really taken on a negative connotation.  In my mind, the term was so bad, that I would tell my teammates that the term meant the same as jerk or idiot.

My opinions about the term were a result of observations of my environment. Most of the managers and leaders that I knew were given the opportunity to be a manager or a leader based on one criterion: 

“Being the best developer, tester, product manager, etc.”

What often followed was an announcement and a congratulatory email.  The requirements and the associated knowledge that was required to be a manager was typically covered On the Job (OJT).

We all know how well that works, right?

The team as the boss.

So how did we get to Management 3.0? Good question.

A brief history of how we’ve gotten things done:

Management 1.0 is doing the wrong thing by viewing people as cogs in a machine.

Management 2.0 is doing the right thing, with the best intentions, in the wrong way with old-fashioned top-down hierarchical initiatives.

Management 3.0, developed by Jurgen Appelo, is doing the right thing for your team, involving everyone in improving the system and fostering employee engagement. 

What’s more, I’ve noticed a lack of concerted effort to train managers. OJT isn’t working. A different approach is needed.

I first heard Jurgen speak about Management 3.0 in London in 2011 at a Scrum gathering. I have been a believer ever since. Consistent with Agile values, Management 3.0 has foundations built on the need for more collaboration across our organizations.

Comprised of a variety of topics and tools, Management 3.0 can become the go-to toolbox of great managers and leaders.

What’s next?

Check out the Management 3.0 website. There is a ton of stuff on there that can help. Via beLithe, I am offering one day and a two-day Management 3.0 classes. 

Whether you’re a leader, or you work for a boss, take a look at Management 3.0. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Thanks for coming in today.

Chris

Let’s connect. 
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VAULT: dynamic, interactive workshops covering Agile methodologies, SAFe frameworks, soft skills, modern leadership and more.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: badboss, management3.0, modern leadership, teamwork, vault

February 26, 2019 by Drew Kincius Leave a Comment

Defining Our Intrinsic Motivators

Defining our intrinsic motivators.

02.26.19 | Chris Daily |

What truly drives us?

Last week I was watching the whiteboard animation of Dan Pink’s talk titled Drive, which takes numerous ideas from his book of the same name.

Every time I watch that video, I am reminded about how wrong I was in my early days as a manager. I am sure you have probably seen or heard the video. If not, check it out.

This concept goes against what I was taught over the first half of my career regarding management and motivators: that people are resources that can be moved around in a plug-and-play fashion.

Our solution to getting people engaged was often to give them a promotion, or if we had to, throw money at them. Quite often the promotion (and/or raise) was not justified by performance, but by the sheer fact that we were scared to lose people. Its impact was seen in how the rest of the team reacted to the news. These created inequities became more and more substantial over time.

Great leaders are embracing humanity.

The second half of my career has been a different story.

I’ve come to believe in the concept that people aren’t just resources. It’s our job as leaders to create an environment where our teammates can do their best work.

Sounds great, but how does this type of empowerment grow legs?

As many of you know, I am a proponent of a philosophy that embraces people as people, and that we need to address and embrace the complexities that come with humanity. This philosophy is Management 3.0, and I’m currently serving as a facilitator for Management 3.0 workshops.

Management 3.0 is a collection of concepts, practices, and tools that can enable managers in their role as the leader of engagement with their teammates. Two essential areas of focus are motivation and commitment.

In our workshop, we explore the Management 3.0 model for engagement termed CHAMPFROGS.

Hopping into our motivators.

As you can guess, CHAMPFROGS is an acronym. The model includes ten unique and distinct intrinsic motivators that fuel individuals in the workplace.

  1. Curiosity: I have plenty of things to investigate and to think about.
  2. Honor: I feel proud that my personal values are reflected in how I work.
  3. Acceptance: The people around me approve of what I do and who I am.
  4. Mastery: My work challenges my competence, but it is still within my abilities.
  5. Power: There’s enough room for me to influence what happens around me.
  6. Freedom: I am independent of others with my work and my responsibilities.
  7. Relatedness: I have good social contacts with the people in my work.
  8. Order: There are enough rules and policies for a stable environment.
  9. Goal: My purpose in life is reflected in the work that I do.
  10. Status: My position is good, and recognized by the people who work with me.

Watching the video last week, I decided to see how the ten CHAMPFROGS motivators aligned with Daniel Pink’s three principles of autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

I thought it would be pretty straightforward.

It was a little more difficult than I anticipated.

Here’s what I came up with:

  • Autonomy – Curiosity, Goal, Acceptance, Freedom
  • Mastery – Mastery, Power, Order
  • Purpose – Relatedness, Status, Honor

The Drive principles are very well known by most folks who have either read Drive or have watched the video. Yet they don’t capture the nuances that the CHAMPFROGS model does.

What’s important is that both models have a lot in common. They are both attempting to address the 800lb gorilla of most work environments: the ongoing challenge of motivating and engaging teams.

What’s next?

Take a look at the CHAMPFROGS model and become familiar with it. Incorporate the Moving Motivators game in your next team meeting. Playing the Moving Motivators game with your team will provide discovery for you and them as to their respective individual motivations.

As each team member has their own unique motivators, you can’t take a one size fits all approach. Once you discover what is motivating each of your teammates, you better meet their needs with motivators that matter.

In case you’re interested in learning more, we’re hosting our next Management 3.0 session soon. Or feel free to drop me a line.

We’ve also developed an entire series of workshops covering the importance of developing and nurturing soft skills in the workplace. It’s called The Interchange.

Thanks for coming in today.

Chris

Let’s connect. 
Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | www.beLithe.com

VAULT: dynamic, interactive workshops covering Agile methodologies, SAFe frameworks, soft skills, modern leadership and more.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: management3.0, modern leadership, vault

February 6, 2019 by Drew Kincius 1 Comment

Scrumban: An Agile Love Child

02.06.19 | Chris Daily |

It happens quite often: I have somebody ask me if Kanban is more suited for their organization.

When I dig in to try to understand where the question is coming from, I often get a response that Kanban will be easier for the organization to adopt because it doesn’t have the commitment to a two to four-week duration that Scrum does.

The typical follow-up comment is that Kanban also doesn’t have all the meetings that Scrum does.

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

As many of you know, Kanban comes from manufacturing and is a workflow system whose strength is visual workflow management.

Originally based using cards, its focus is on ensuring that work items flow through boards with lanes that represent process stages.

Teams using Kanban continuously plan, work, review, and measure the outcomes of their work. By limiting the number of items being worked at any one time, teams are more focused, and the complexity of the work is substantially reduced by incorporation Work-In-Process (WIP) limits.

Building on its manufacturing roots, Kanban teams measure lead time, cycle time, and use those measures to optimize their process with the goal of continuously delivering a predictable flow of value to customers.

In many ways, Kanban teams are more mature in their Agile maturity than teams that have adopted Scrum. As a stepping stone towards Kanban, teams will incorporate both Scrum and Kanban at the same time, which is often referred to as Scrumban.

Scrumban: Utilizing Benefits of Two Frameworks

Scrumban is used by teams who need the structure of continuous improvement incorporated in Scrum with the flexibility that a flow-based method such as Kanban offers.

For teams already using the Scrum framework, there are minor variations to the Scrum roles, events, and artifacts. The Sprint Planning event is one example of a slight variation. Teams using the Scrum framework enter the Sprint Planning event with the objective of, based on the order, identifying the Product Backlog items that will be completed in the upcoming Sprint. The artifact that is created is the Sprint Backlog, which essentially becomes the work plan of the Development Team during the sprint.

Scrumban incorporates the pull approach of Kanban: the team starts work when it can; therefore less emphasis is placed on forecasting what work will be completed by the end of the Sprint.

For a list of all the variations, you can download our beLithe Scrum vs. Kanban vs. Scrumban cheat sheet.

Scrumban vs. Kanban vs. ScrumbanDownload

Putting Our Ramblings Into Action

Scrumban is an Agile process that is a valuable tool to help a team when Scrum or Kanban alone don’t solve the problem.

Retaining the intent of Scrum while allowing for the flexibility and transparency of Kanban make Scrumban a powerful tool.

While many find it helpful in teams that provide services to other teams, I have seen that teams in areas outside of IT and software development (HR, Accounting, Marketing, Customer Support, and Sales) can benefit from using Scrumban.

The risk is low, so don’t be afraid to experiment for a Sprint or two. Given the minor differences, it’s easy to step on into Scrum or Kanban.

Are you currently adopting Scrumban? I’d love to hear how you’re implementing it. Drop me a line.

Thanks for coming in today.

Chris

Let’s connect. 
Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | www.beLithe.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Kanban

January 25, 2019 by Drew Kincius Leave a Comment

What the heck is Kanban?

01.25.19 | Chris Daily |

Kanban = Focus

It’s no secret that, as those of you who have worked with me in the past know, I sometimes have a hard time sticking to one thing. I often find myself drifting off to look at some new shiny object/topic that leads me down a rabbit hole. I call this “squirreling.”

So what’s the antidote? Does one exist? I have found over the years that time and time again, utilizing Kanban is powerful stuff.

I learned Kanban as part of my Agile journey and use it as a tool that improves productivity and the flow of work. It formalizes the concept of Visual Management by allowing a team to see the work that is in progress, as well as the relationships and risks that affect a team’s ability to deliver its work on time.

It has been widely used by IT service groups and software development teams.

Power in Transparency

Here’s a surprise: with its foundation in lean manufacturing, Kanban works for non-IT related work as well.

By adopting Kanban, anyone can see:

  • Work in progress
  • Impediments to completing work
  • Improved communication among the team
  • Improved engagement by the team due to better collaboration
  • The priority of the work, and where it is at in the process

Make it yours – KANBAN YOUR WAY!

Trust Your Eyes: Visual Management

Why does a visual approach to work matter? Because we, as humans, are visual creatures. Research shows that the brain can process visual information over 50,000 times faster than text.

Let’s look at an example.

Here is some wording to warn you of something to be cautious about:

“While you are traveling down this road, there is a chance that one or more rocks of varying size may fall from the slopes on one or both sides of you. You should be aware of this before you travel this way so that you are cautious of this particular type of hazard.”

Here’s a visual version of the same thing.

What is quicker? Reading a little more than 50 words, or looking at the sign? If you were driving down the road, which warning would you prefer?

This is the power of Kanban.

You can quickly get a sense of what is happening at a glance. This is known as visual management.

Visual management is a way to visually communicate expectations, performance, standards or warnings in a way that requires little or no prior training to interpret. By being visual, Kanban boards allow you to see the status and find information about tasks without having to sort through your email and then reading through the email thread to find out whether the work is complete or not.

As a leader, you can just say, “Check out the board!”

Now Planning: Everywhere

At its simplest, a Kanban board consists of three columns:

  • To Do
  • Doing
  • Done

With some sticky notes and some blue painter’s tape, any setting with a flat surface (wall, whiteboard, tabletop) can become a Kanban board. It doesn’t have to get any more complicated than that. It’s entirely up to you. How involved do you want to make it? Make it yours.

Kanban has some rules and practices that are defined, yet many people customize their use to reflect better what they are trying to accomplish.

Here are a couple of sites that have excellent info on Kanban:

  • Agile Alliance
  • Leankit
  • Trello

A Visual Plan for Results

Once you’ve created your Kanban board, the power of Kanban leaps out at you every time you take a look at the board. Things to look for include:

  • Items stuck in the same state for long periods
  • Amount of work in process at a given point
  • Waste in the forms of handoffs and wait times

Using a Kanban board creates transparency while improving effectiveness by improving collaboration. Instead of status reporting, project managers can focus on other items that provide more value. What’s more, onsite and remote team members can see the status of a project in real time.

Kanban can be used to identify waste visually with a goal of improving efficiency.

Kanban also helps teams to visually identify log jams and identify opportunities for improving the process. Effectively managing the work improves focus and engagement, resulting in an improvement in morale.

Common sense tells us people are more efficient when they can focus on only a few tasks at once.

Kanban is one of the simplest, yet most powerful tools in the Agile Toolbox. It’s applicable across industries and is even relevant in your personal life. We’re happy to provide a dynamic, comprehensive one-day “crash course” to get you comfortable and empowered with Kanban. During The Framework Series: Kanban 101, you’ll discover how adopting this framework will help you process lightly: to be lean, adaptable, and Agile during any step of your project’s journey.

Thanks for stopping by.

Chris

Let’s connect. 
Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | www.beLithe.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Kanban

January 18, 2019 by Drew Kincius Leave a Comment

The Glass Half Full: Manifesting Hope

Manifesting hope,

01.18.19 | Chris Daily |

I hope you’re ready: it’s time for a confession.

I’ve been noticing the “glass-half-empty” mentality more and more from those around me. I’m not without blame, either.

I’ve been wondering what the future holds. At times, I have asked if we, as a world, are heading to a place with no hope. Real challenges of modern society: global warming, immigration issues, trade tariffs, trampling of personal freedoms, dominate the 24/7 news cycle.

Add in the difficulties of starting a business, including an expanisve open-enrollment program, and I find myself getting overwhelmed at times.

An Inspirational Source

I decided to review older draft blog posts for inspiration, and an article by Steve Denning gave me pause, providing a bit of perspective. The piece focused on Steve tackling a societal retrospective, taking a look at how things have changed throughout recent history.

When you take some time and read the article, you realize that we’re making progress. We have reduced poverty, extended life expectancy, and, speaking in a very general manner, have made people’s lives better.

We have come a long way.

Most of the folks who were alive 100 years ago would have struggled to imagine the world we currently live in. Today is yesterday’s dreams of science fiction.

The Power of Hope

We have a come a long way, but there’s still so much to do.

No doubt the challenges in front of us are immense. We as Americans are divided on about every topic. Discrimination, sexual harassment, and racial hatred are still alarmingly clear and present dangers.

To survive in this environment, we have to find hope. We have to believe that things will get better in the future. Thinking that we will overcome the challenges and issues in front of us may seem like science fiction today, but without hope, what do we have? 

Do you walk on eggshells to avoid confrontations? We have to continue to push forward, being brave enough to face the challenges head-on, fighting the good fights, knowing that things can get better. We have to be living examples ourselves of the world we want to see.

After all, isn’t that what got our species to this point?

If you want to check out Steve’s article, you can see it here.

Thanks for coming in today.

Chris

Let’s connect. 
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Filed Under: Uncategorized

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