A focused, myopic view through a lens keeps you from seeing the bigger picture.

A Myopic View of Your Work Leads to Strategic Failure
How value streams make you enterprise-aware and align software development to your strategic objectives

By

According to David Norton and Robert Kaplan, authors of The Balanced Scorecard, 90% of organizations fail to execute their strategies. There are many interrelated reasons for this failure rate — enough to write a book about. For a quick rundown, check out my blog on the topic. One common problem is a lack of strategic focus.  Many […]

A Myopic View of Your Work Leads to Strategic Failure

How value streams make you enterprise-aware and align software development to your strategic objectives
Read More »

Girl feeling free and happy.

Has Anyone Ever Made You Mad? No, They Didn’t.
How I learned to be in control of how I feel, and more importantly, how I respond to people around me.

By

I was once asked, “Has anyone ever made you mad?” My response was a quick and easy, “Yes! People make me mad all the time.” My mind raced through various scenarios where people pissed me off. In traffic. Why can’t anyone drive? In conversation. Why can’t others understand things the way I do? In relationships.

Has Anyone Ever Made You Mad? No, They Didn’t.

How I learned to be in control of how I feel, and more importantly, how I respond to people around me.
Read More »

Man toasting his glass.

Anything Worth Doing is Worth Doing Poorly
Why you shouldn’t let the fear of not being ready stop you from pursuing what’s important

By

You know the adage, “if you’re not going to do it right, don’t do it at all.” I admit this perspective feels better than suggesting a thing worth doing is worth doing poorly. When would you ever want to do something poorly? I know I don’t. You’re a leader. People expect you to make quick,

Anything Worth Doing is Worth Doing Poorly

Why you shouldn’t let the fear of not being ready stop you from pursuing what’s important
Read More »

You Should Stop Measuring Cost Per Story Within Your Agile Teams

You Should Stop Measuring Cost Per Story Within Your Agile Teams
Measure the cost to impact outcomes instead

By

Your software development teams are focused on delivering value and a strong return on investment (ROI). You have to. Gone are the days where you receive a budget without the expectation to validate the investment. I see the daily struggle within information technology and software development organizations. You are under tremendous stress to prove your

You Should Stop Measuring Cost Per Story Within Your Agile Teams

Measure the cost to impact outcomes instead
Read More »

Confident Woman

How to Overcome Your Fear of Inadequacy and Achieve Your Full Potential
These 3 tips helped me reduce the impact of Imposter Syndrome

By

People affirm your abilities, but you don’t believe you’re as amazing as they say. You have an extensive list of achievements, but you’d struggle to name just a few. Opportunities keep coming your way, but you don’t feel like the best person for the job. You don’t see yourself as others see you. In your

How to Overcome Your Fear of Inadequacy and Achieve Your Full Potential

These 3 tips helped me reduce the impact of Imposter Syndrome
Read More »

Showing Delivery Status

You’re Not Delivering the Value You Think You Are
Why the delivery of planned commitments is not business value

By

Microsoft conducted an experiment a decade back and learned about 65–70% of ideas failed to improve the metric they intended to improve. This problem still lingers today. Worse, many teams don’t recognize they are failing — their metrics tell them they are successful. Odds are this is you. “Every feature built by a software team

You’re Not Delivering the Value You Think You Are

Why the delivery of planned commitments is not business value
Read More »

Training session

You’re Hurting Your Business by Taking Silence as Consent
There are hidden nuggets of gold inside the silence. The trick is uncovering it.

By

  You present a plan, seek input from the group, and crickets— it’s silent. After an awkward pause and some uncomfortable prodding, you say something like, “I’ll take silence as agreement.” I’ve been there many times. It’s both awkward and frustrating. You’re trying to include others but they don’t participate. What’s wrong with these people?

You’re Hurting Your Business by Taking Silence as Consent

There are hidden nuggets of gold inside the silence. The trick is uncovering it.
Read More »

Woman reaching up for help

Statistics Suggest You Will Fail to Successfully Execute Your Strategies
Learn 3 reasons strategies fail and 3 keys to strategic success

By

In their book The Balanced Scorecard, authors David Norton and Robert Kaplan note that 90% of organizations fail to execute their strategies successfully. That is an alarming statistic — one that likely includes, or will include, your organization. Before you dismiss this claim as too unbelievable and not something you could possibly fall victim to,

Statistics Suggest You Will Fail to Successfully Execute Your Strategies

Learn 3 reasons strategies fail and 3 keys to strategic success
Read More »

Two Men in Conflict

The Antidote to Unhealthy Conflict
An introspective look at conflict, why people argue, and how you can grow through the experience.

By

“Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict — alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, alternatives to violence.” ― Dorothy Thompson You’ve surely dealt with people that dig into their ideas and do whatever it takes for those ideas to win the day. Those people are

The Antidote to Unhealthy Conflict

An introspective look at conflict, why people argue, and how you can grow through the experience.
Read More »

Scroll to Top