Quitting smoking is one of the easiest or the hardest things that a person can do. For some who are not obsessed with smoking, quitting can be a cinch. For other, quitting can be like driving on a highway to misery and depression that smoking seems to be the only thing that keeps them alive and kicking.

This is why nowadays, there are a lot of people who are using electronic cigarette starter kits to get their daily dose of smokes without causing a long-term problem with their health and well-being. An electronic cigarette kit is a small device set that you can assemble and would somehow resemble a cigarette. It has all of the physical attributes of a cigarette, without the health risks that you can get from a conventional smoke.

However, just like any other electronic devices, it takes a good eye and a good sense of judgement to pick out an effective electronic cigarette kit that will make you eventually quit smoking for good. (Read more…) These devices should be treated with the same respect and the critical understanding of any other electronic device or gadget so that you will not miss your dose of nicotine and your habit while restoring your overall health.

Choosing your Kit

When you light up a cigarette, it’s just simple and quick; you get your cigarette, light up the butt of the cigarette with a match, a lighter or any other device and you can start puffing away. Smoking is a simple and pleasurable process for some people, which is why they take it in the first place.

Yet, it’s a different thing altogether when it comes to working with an electronic cigarette kit. You have to screw the filter to the cartridge and puff so that the device will activate. For some kits, it goes a little more complicated than that.

The bottom line then for choosing your starter kit is to choose the simplest one that you can find. If you find a cigarette kit that resembles almost the same habit as you would when smoking in a conventional manner, the more likely that you are going to stick with it and that quitting is a possibility for you. You can then have the chance of quitting more in a simpler form of an electronic cigarette than with one that has a lot of spare parts and small pieces that can go missing.

Purchasing your Kit and Pricing

There is no definite price when it comes to an electronic cigarette kit. There are expensive ones that can go for hundreds of pounds, while there are others that can be as cheap as a carton of cigarettes. Therefore, pricing is just a matter of preference and being resourceful. Just pick out the kit that has the best price for your budget.

As you can see, it’s not hard to buy an electronic cigarette kit. All you need to remember is that you can always go for the option of using the kit instead of smoking so that you can have a healthy life ahead of you, without becoming victim to the long-term problems of cigarette smoking.

published by stacerach545 on Coaching Agile Teams

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If you are living in the real world you know the many risks that smoking cigarettes cause. Now those who want to quit smoking or want the social appeal of smoking can use the electronic cigarette. You will also hear this referred to as the e-cigarette or the smokeless cigarette but they are all one and the same. It is a patented product that is legal for use in places where smoking is illegal or prohibited.

The electronic cigarette looks, feels and tastes like a traditional cigarette. They do not however function in the same way. They do not burn tobacco but you do get a cigarette like taste when you smoke. With the e-cigarette your inhalation activates a flow censor which causes a vapor of nicotine and propylene glycol along with a scent that is similar to that of tobacco. (Read more…) This allows you to still get the nicotine for which you crave without inhaling the glue, tar and various additives you would get from regular cigarettes. So right away you see that is a healthier smoking option than your conventional cigarette.
The next great reason you should use this product is because it is entirely legal to use. Since there is no tobacco in the electric cigarette you will be able to smoke it anywhere. So you will be able to use it in the work place, in restaurants, bars and even airplanes. Since there is no harm in smoking this in the presence of others and they won’t have to worry about second hand smoke they will also be comfortable sitting in the same room with an e-cigarette smoker.

The electric cigarette is a great choice for those who want to quit smoking. It uses cartridges that can be refilled with different nicotine strengths. So as you start using the e-cigarette you can lessen the amount of nicotine you use until you are entirely off of the addiction. They also come in a variety of flavors to mask the nicotine for those who would rather not have that nicotine flavor. You will find it in flavors such as menthol, apple and strawberry to name a few.

If you are trying to quit smoking the electric cigarette may be a better alternative than nicotine patches and gum. The reason they provide a better alternative is because they not only give the user the nicotine but they also mimic cigarettes and how they are smoked so you have the same feeling you had when you were smoking regular cigarettes. You inhale the vapors into your lungs in just the same way you would with regular cigarettes and then since it is actually water vapor it leaves the atmosphere around you a lot quicker than regular cigarette smoke.

There are a number of versions of the electric cigarette that have been around for a number of years. In recent times there has been an advance in technology and since cigarette smoking has become so restricted the e-cigarette has become very popular. If you think that this electric cigarette may be for you then you are right. It is a healthier and safer choice, so what are you waiting on? Get your first e-cigarette today and start down the road to a new and better you.

Cheap deals on e-cigarettes buy electric cigarette, more info here uk supplier of e-cigarettes

published by richken894 on Coaching Agile Teams

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With e-cigarette, you can smoke freely without being worried about the health of your loved ones that second hand smoke will pass on to them. An E-cigarette is a safe and clean smoking alternative. However, if you smoke this e-cig as you should, you will be run out of cartridges soon because most of the starter kits have only a few week’s refill supply. We are a number one supplier of electronic cigarette cartridges refills. From our large range of products, we can provide you with right type of e-cig cartridges that fit perfectly.

E-cigarettes
Thanks to these e-cigarette and e-cigarette cartridges that you will be free from any tobacco smell on clothes, hair, furnishing or car. These smokeless e-cigarettes are like traditional cigarettes in look but these are smokeless. These cigarettes feel and taste like a normal tobacco cigarette but without any harmful effects. (Read more…) They do not contain substances like tar and carbon monoxide. With these cigarettes, you are free to smoke at places like shopping centers, restaurant, and nightclub or even in movie theatres. You can enjoy these cigarettes comfortably at places where traditional cigarette is prohibited. E-cigarette is comprised of three main components; the cartridge on the top, the atomizer in the middle and the battery at the bottom. E-cigarette cartridge is available in a whistle-shaped, tapered or rounded shape. In a traditional cigarette, filter is the counterpart of cartridge.

What makes an electronic cigarette cartridge?
In an e-cig cartridge, there is a piece of absorbent lint-type fabric that acts as cartridge filler and is filled with e-liquid. This liquid is dried up gradually over the period of time. When it is exhausted, you can either opt for another pre-filled e-cig cart or opt for re-cycle it by refilling the e-liquid. We recommend that before you refill the e-cig cartridge, you should look at a few important things.
Type of E-cigarette Cartridges
When you are looking for e-cig cartridges for your e-cig and if you want to change the brand, make sure that it is compatible. However, original company will never tell you to switch brands (for obvious reasons). Cartridges from most of other brands fit. You can browse through this website to get useful information.

How it tastes like!
If you have been regularly smoking traditional cigarette, you might love the smell and flavor of menthol. However, if you want to try another taste, we give you an option to try different flavors. Some of the popular flavors include traditional, menthol, chocolate, cherry, vanilla, strawberry, cola, coffee, morel and peppermint. You can get the e-cig cartridges of popular flavors in all sizes. Add to this, you can save a decent amount if you place order for bulk cartridges.

Check the pricing
Pricing for different e-cig cartridges vary, but at our website, you will get any e-cig cartridge at most competitive prices. In addition, you will save money, if you place a bulk order. Otherwise, you can buy a sample pack from a good company to check the flavor. Once you get the right flavor, you can save lots of money.

How long can you use an e-cigarette cartridge?
How long can you use an e-cig cartridge -is a question that most customers ask before they buy one. The length of its usage depends upon the model of the e-cigarette cartridge and how often it is used. Although there is no set formula, with experience, it can be said that if you smoke 20 traditional cigarettes a day, you would need 3-5 cartridges if you use e-cig.

At Electronic Cigarette Cartridge Refills, you can place your order in a most convenient way. Moreover, nobody can beat our prices as we cut out the intermediary. We are a trusted and reliable UK retailer and we accept only Paypal for credit card information and Electronic transfers.

Huge discounts on e-cigarette products here e-cigarette cartridge, more info cheap e-cigarette cartridge refills

published by jonfrank605 on Coaching Agile Teams

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Top Women Agile Thought Leaders

I was so very happy when my dear friend and agile coach colleague, Kris Blake, let me know that I was listed in agilescout’s “Top Women in Agile Thought Leadership.”  What’s most exciting about this is the company I keep.  The “big hitters” are on the list – Esther Derby, Johanna Rothman, Deborah Hartmann Preuss, Diana Larsen, Mary Poppendieck, Jean Tabaka, many more – the women I have learned much from and who are the bedrock of the agile community.  The best part are the few names I didn’t know and the “new kids on the block” that I do know – Angela Harms, Karen Greaves, Donna Reed, Ellen Grove.  Welcome, ladies!  You are in my agile coaching tribe and I am very happy to see you take your rightful places as thought leaders.   Read what these women write — it’s worth it.

(Read more…)

published by Lyssa Adkins on Coaching Agile Teams

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“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”  ~ Bumper Sticker


You are the ones doing it!  Tell those people who say it cannot be done to just stand back and watch.  Check out the latest agile coach stories about how coaches are using all the wonderful and sometimes “edgy” ideas in the Coaching Agile Teams book.  The agile coach journey haikus originated by John Sinkankus are quite a kick.  Thanks, John!

What will you prove can be done this week? (Read more…)  I can’t wait for your teams and organizations to find out!

Lyssa

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The above “love letter” is an example of the Inspiration Emails I send out every Tuesday morning.  It’s been going since last August without a skipped one — that’s how important these are to me and to the 500+ agilists that receive them weekly.  No spam. Real meat only.  Sign up.  It’s only your name and email that’s needed.


Got a story to share about something you used or riffed on from the Coaching Agile Teams book?  Please share it. It only needs to be a few paragraphs and pictures are worth a thousand words.  Help other agile coaches through your experiences.

published by Lyssa Adkins on Coaching Agile Teams

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How do I motivate them?

You know, they just sit there saying nothing.  When they do talk, it’s the same old ideas over and over.  How do I get them engaged?

How do I get them to make good on their commitment?

How do I deal with one that just doesn’t get agile and taints the rest of them? (Read more…)

These are some of the questions I hear repeatedly from the agile coaches I encounter.  And, agile coaches, I have this shocking news to tell you…it’s hardly ever them.   If you notice a lack of motivation, commitment, engagement and openness look to yourself first.  What are you doing – actively doing – to create an environment where people are free to be naturally motivated, engaged in dialogue and new ideas, focused on their commitment, and open enough to address the uncomfortable parts?

Natural motivation – There is nothing more motivating than knowing you have done a good day’s work and created something that someone else values.  Forget the bowling outings, forget the “team-building exercises” (ok, do these for fun if you want).  Instead, focus on an important boundary condition that allows people to create value: does the product owner (and team) know why we’re doing what we’re doing?  why it’s important?  can every single person on the team articulate the “why”?

True commitment – Do you ever claim commitment on their behalf?  In the sprint planning meeting do you ask, “OK, so we’re committed to this, right?” and then pause only 2 seconds before you move on to the next thing?  Commitment does not confer from one person to another.  It must be taken up by each person, on their own.  So, don’t confer your commitment on them.  Instead, ask the question and be silent.  Stay silent until someone else speaks.  Then, let them talk it out.  Let them dissent and push back if they need to.  If you don’t help them do exactly this then you are just teaching them that you don’t stand for their commitment.

Engagement – If most of your agile meetings look like people sitting around a table, taking turns talking and being polite you can forget engagement.  Engagement comes from being engaged in the current activity — where messy talking, thinking out loud, working on something together and interacting are the norm. So, instead of running meetings where take-turns-talking is the primary mode, design meetings that require people to interact with one another.  This means that you’ll have to do some preparation for each meeting, to pick the activities or modes you offer the team.  It’s ok, this is your job after all.

Openness with the uncomfortable – In the face of an uncomfortable moment or an uncomfortable topic, it’s easy to start jabbering on to fill in the “dead air.”  But, guess what?  The air isn’t dead.  It’s actually quite alive.  It’s alive with tension, perhaps confusion or sadness.  Instead of filling it, show a sense of openness, and even curiosity, about what’s happening.  Instead of shrinking from it, you can let the uncomfortable occur and then acknowledge: “It feels like a bomb just went off in here.  What’s happening?”

Of course, I know that some of thee ideas may feel strange to you, especially this one.  “How,” you might ask, “can I work with the uncomfortable when I’m afraid of what they might say?”  There’s no easy answer for this – each person finds their own way when they get more skills.  And, I hate to point you to my own work, but the truth is that those skills are built in the agile coaching classes offered by the Agile Coaching Institute.  It’s where you get them.  It’s where you practice them.  It’s from these classes that you start to operate as a much more skilled and centered agile coach who can stand the uncomfortable, engage others and ensure they have what they need to fly.

Now…back to your current world.

Once in a while you do have that one person who just won’t get involved, who bad-mouths agile at every turn and who poisons the team.  Notice that I said once in a while.  Why only once in a while?  Here’s what I have learned: Once you create an environment that supports interaction and commitment, you’ll find far fewer people in the “problem” category.  The team members respond to both the boundary conditions and the freedom within the boundaries to be naturally creative, resourceful and whole.  Because, guess what?  They always were.

Agile coaches…please share with one another in the comments…

What do you actively do to create an environment where people are free to be naturally motivated, engaged in dialogue and new ideas, focused on their commitment, and open enough to address the uncomfortable parts?

published by Lyssa Adkins on Coaching Agile Teams

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In this short video, I’m interviewed by Joseph Flahiff about agile coaches as transformation agents.  In it, I articulate why agile coaches are already transformation agents (whether or not they recognize it), why it makes sense for coaches to be in the transformation business and how an awareness of key competencies can aid their development and allow them to better help organizations change.  Why?  To get the utmost from using agile, of course.  Anything else is a travesty.

‘Nuff said for now.

Check out the video interview. (Read more…)

published by Lyssa Adkins on Coaching Agile Teams

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When I co-teach the Coaching Agile Teams class, a waft of some of my one-hit wonders flit through my brain every so quickly before I catch myself and bring my attention back to what’s happening in the class and with the students. One of these wafts happened recently, when a student wrote down that something she’d like to see in the world is “more ACTION, less TALK.” And, yes, she wrote it just like that. She was quite definite and forceful about it.

As her Sharpie formed the words on the flip chart, a waft of a memory came to me, just the barest edge of remembering a moment of great agile coaching. This was a couple of years ago. We were all sitting around a table, deep into a design discussion. Well, they were deep into a discussion. (Read more…) I was deep into wondering if I would grow old and calcify before they were done with the discussion (and whether they would even notice).

It had been going on for some time and they had long ago left the land of reality. They were ever-so-carefully traversing the misty glens of a theoretical landscape. I knew this because they were about six levels deep in a logic tree, trying to design what would happen if condition x and y were present and the user performed action m while also having data flag j flipped and…you get the picture. Only keep going. They were deeper than that. They had discussed a number of scenarios like this, all in an attempt to make some pretty daunting design decisions.

As they started in on what felt like the 100th scenario, a bolt of lightening hit my brain and I blurted out, “How many of these design decisions can you try out in the time it takes to finish this one conversation?” Their jaws dropped open. Their eyes bugged out. And then, slow smiles creeped across their faces. Little giggles bubbled up. The giggles grew and turned into peals of joyful laughter. “Of course!” they said, “Let’s just DO it. How stupid is it to sit around here talking? We know enough to try out the major theories and just get on with it.”

So, that’s what they did. They moved into action and tried out a few of the major bits of logic and – guess what? – they learned. They learned things they couldn’t possibly know by bumbling around in the mists of theoretical land. Those bits became reality and became the foundation for the next set of things they would try. The best part was that, while they worked their way toward a more solid design, they saved time. Loads of it. And, they had created one more way of creating together.

Coaches…blurt!  Action!

published by Lyssa Adkins on Coaching Agile Teams

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I’m recalling the first moments I trusted my daughter, then a toddler.  She certainly did nothing to earn my trust up to that point, yet I still granted her trust.  Albeit on a small basis…I trusted her to stay put while I ran to the next room to get something.  I trusted her to not draw on the walls of her room while I grabbed a quick shower.  And, as time went on, I trusted her more and more and gave her more freedom.  Even though she occasionally drew on the walls and worse as she got older.  Over time, she has earned my trust – and shaken it – so I grant it again, a little and then more and more until I feel she’s earned it again – and then she shakes it again – rinse, repeat.  I see the pattern of granting and earning, and yet I am drawn to those first moments of granting her trust.  Why is it that I was willing to do that, even though nothing in my experience with her would have said that was a good bet? (Read more…)  At age two, I can tell you it was certainly NOT a good bet.  Yet, I did it.

I think it’s because I am, above all, interested in growing a human being.  Not just any human being, but a glorious human being.  One who gives as much as she takes, improves the world and enjoys her life fully.  So, if you’re interested in growing a glorious human being, do you need to grant trust first?   I think so.  If you’re interested in growing a glorious agilist, do you need to grant trust first?  I think so.

What got me thinking about this subject was some work I was fortunate to do with Tobias Mayer and one of his clients recently, where I read this:

Trust — lead from a place of faith, not suspicion; follow likewise

Lead from a place of faith, not suspicion.  That’s what I was doing with my daughter.  And that’s what I believe agile coaches must do with everyone they coach.  More than that — I believe agile coaches must exemplify granting trust from a place of faith first and also exemplify recovering when trust has been shaken.  Why?  It’s part of an agile coach’s job to build a culture that has people thrive.  This is part of it.

Just allow yourself to imagine for a minute…What would it be like if everyone on the team and in the organization, at large, held this value of trust just as it is stated here?  Imagine what kind of team that would create, what kind of creativity that would unlock and what kind of results would follow.  I see an amazing view from this vantage point.

Trust is just one of five values articulated succinctly and beautifully by Tobias Mayer as part of his Business Craftsmanship work.  As an agile coach, I first ask myself, “How am I doing living these values?”  and then I make them a part of my conscious life (so I can be better at them) while I also introduce them to the people and teams I coach.   Because the view from here is just too good to pass up.

published by Lyssa Adkins on Coaching Agile Teams

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This is my riff on an open letter to the first Co-Active Summit originally posted by Michael K. Spayd.

The 400 leaders and coaches of the first Co-Active Summit in Marco Island, Florida, representing 22 countries throughout the world, make known the following Promise to our Co-Active colleagues, to friends and loved ones, to our communities, and to the people of the world:

We believe the human community is at the critical time to change the dream of the world, a dream we have created together, a dream that leads to the destruction of the planet through overconsumption, the wasting of our human environment through social injustice, and the loss of spiritual fulfillment through disconnection and fear.

We believe that by uniting together, We can make the critical difference. We are committing ourselves to changing the dream to one that envisions a sustainable environment, spiritual fulfillment, and social justice for all people and beings. We hold that by taking this stand, our decision can provide the tipping point that the world needs now. (Read more…)

Each in our own way, we will help change the dream: in our selves, in our families, with our children, in front of our friends, inspiring our communities. Because we are leaders, we are coaches; because we act inside organizations, we are human activists. Our weapon is love in action.

We have less than four years to take decisive action and to change the dangerous trajectory we are on. And, four years is enough time.  To change our own life, to change our world, to change our collective dream, to alter the Earth’s destiny.  For the sake of our humanness, for the sake of our grandchildren’s grandchildren.

If not us, then who? If not now, then when?

We are the ones we have been waiting for. The time is now.

Four years…Go!

What does this have to do with agile coaching?

Agile coaches are in the best position to affect the course of human history at this critical moment.  We are inside the machines that run the system of overconsumption through the belief that more is better — these machines are our modern organizations.  This is the place where massive change can happen which will positively impact the course we are on.  How do we do it?

  1. Live the agile values. As agile coaches, we simply live the agile values.  Openness, feedback, courage, focus, respect.  These create an interconnectedness and purpose between humans, and because of this, humans change the system.  We let our courageous example show the way.
  2. Focus on “for what?” We know that it’s not good enough to use agile to produce mediocre results faster because that’s not really progress. Instead, we help our teams and organizations focus on the “for what” of it all — for what are we creating this product? … this process? … this offer?  What good will it do, not only for this organization, but for the communities and the world it serves?  This is the beacon of business-value-driven-thinking, and we use it to light every situation we serve.
  3. Unleash the untapped potential. Agile coaches know that the real fuel of the world is the untapped potential of every single person we encounter.  We know that by untapping even a small part of this latent potential just lying around in modern organizations, we unleash a torrent of  brilliant ingenuity and solutions which easily change the direction of the world.  We take on the positive, uplifting and necessary work of untapping this great potential.

These are my promises to you, agile coaches, and to the organizations and people I serve.  Join me.

ps.  At this summit, agile+design thinking was introduced to the professional coaches and leaders present and — guess what? — THEY LOVE IT and see it as an important piece to strengthen their own efforts inside organizations.  Get ready to meet the professional coaches who will now join our agile community.  We’ll all be better for it.

published by Lyssa Adkins on Coaching Agile Teams

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Often, when I introduce agile newcomers to the retrospective, they say, “Oh…this is the lessons learned meeting.  Right?”  Well, no.  It’s not.  Tongue-in-cheek, I often say, “It’s like lessons learned, but with a purpose.”  This gets eyebrows raised and people’s ears turned on.  Then they are ready to hear why this “meeting” is so different.  Here are some reasons why:

It’s not about posterity, it’s about tomorrow. (Read more…) In my prior life as a plan-driven project manager, I held lessons learned meetings, often at the end of the project.  The idea was that we would be able to cycle those lessons “in” to the next project.  It never happened.  Not that I didn’t try – I did!  Neat tables, documented according to the latest template, offered up long lists of what the project team did well, what they didn’t do so well and what they *could* do about it.  The words would swim before my eyes as I scanned row after row of insights (?!) that never seemed applicable to my current situation.  Because they weren’t.  They were insights for a different team, a different business problem, a different time. It turned out that these lessons were captured more for posterity than for applicability.  In contrast, the few agreements that come out of a retrospective are directly applicable to the current team, the current business problem and the current time – now!  That’s why it’s like lessons learned, but with a purpose.  The purpose is to cycle those insights, in the form of real agreements, right into the next sprint with the goal of yielding improvement the team can see.

It’s not about airing everything, it’s about getting the top insights.  In the retrospective, experienced agile coaches steer away from facilitating the team to create lists of *everything* they did well and *everything* they want to change.  A new coach may start with this “plus/delta” format.  I did.  It’s OK as a starting point, but don’t stay here.  Instead, do what experienced coaches do — design an interactive retrospective that allows the team members to see the last sprint through a different lens or from a different angle, but certainly, with new eyes. (Great book for this: Agile Retrospectives) Everyone’s story about the last sprint is 100% right (for them).  And, the stories conflict with one another.  So, its not so useful to try to get “agreement” on what happened.  Better to design a retrospective that wakes people up and makes them think differently about what they just experienced in the sprint so they can uncover the top 2 or 3 insights about how to be better next time.  We don’t need lists of everything.  We need a short list of the important things.

It’s not about talk, it’s about action. I can often be heard asking, “What will you do?” as the retrospective draws to an end.  Thanks to Eric Willeke, whose post about gaining commitment on what the team members WILL do made me realize that I also coach the team into action.  I don’t badger, bully or force but I do heckle a bit.  I might say, “OK, this has been a lovely retrospective but means nothing if you don’t change something.”  With that small nudge, they do.   They always commit to change something for the better.

It’s not about feeling good, it’s about following through. After the retrospective, the retrospective is not over, at least not for the agile coach.  It continues throughout the next sprint as team members struggle with their agreed-to actions (or maybe forget them entirely).  This is when the agile coach remains on alert for that perfect moment when pointing to the retrospective agreements pasted to the wall provides a gentle and firm reminder that we weren’t just fooling around about making these changes.  A well placed, “Are these still relevant?” might be all they need to jog their memories and get them consciously practicing and improving again.

No 50-page document here.  Nothing stored on a shared server for audit purposes.  Just real, useful, insightful and timely agreements about what we’re doing NOW to be even better than we were last time.  That’s the retrospective.

published by Lyssa Adkins on Coaching Agile Teams

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Consider this…

The word dialogue comes from the Greek dia, which means through, and logos, which means word or meaning. So dialogue is about letting meaning flow through our words. In a true dialogue, we hear each other’s words to gain new understanding and find shared meaning. What most of us do is discuss, which comes from the same root as concussion and percussion, we try to shake things up and find the answer. In searching for that answer we often talk right past each other, jumping in, naming solutions, failing to leave the silence spaces that are needed to allow the meaning of what the other person has said seep into our heart, before we begin to form a response.  ~ Suzanne Marsh

How much does the team you coach engage in dialogue versus discussion?  If your team is anything like those of the other coaches I coach, I’ll bet it’s on the discussion side most of the time. (Read more…)  Yet, we all know that to get to astonishing results – the kind agile was created to produce – we need to move toward dialogue more of the time. This is why I encourage teams NOT to talk, at least not initially.  Instead, I coach them to use silent work techniques to get ideas out individually and collectively before we talk and start pulling them apart (or better yet, building on them to achieve real collaboration, but that’s a story for another blog post).

So, what are these silent work techniques?  Basically, anything that allows people to contribute their ideas before anything gets talked about.  This way, the quiet people are seen for the brilliance that was always there (and just couldn’t get a word in edge-wise) and the talkers also get heard but at the same volume as everyone else.

Some specific techniques I have taught are those for writing user stories silently.  I led a session on this at Agile 2010 and David Draper, who attended the session did a great job with this blog post, in which he runs down how the silent techniques worked so that you can do them yourself with your own teams.  I also gave this session at the Agile Development Practices/East conference and have these “metrics” to report for each of the 5 minute rounds:

Round 1: People sitting around a table talking.  The average number of user stories per table was 6.

Round 2: People silently writing their own user stories.  Average number: 31

Results of silent work techniques for writing user stories

One team's "metrics" of writing user stories using various silent techniques.

Round 3: People collaboratively and silently writing users stories, each person writing just one phrase of the user story format and then passing it on the the person beside them.  Average number: 12

Round 4: People collaboratively and silently writing users stories, each person writing just one phrase of the user story format and then passing it on the the person beside them.  This time, they wrote the user stories out of “order” – value phrase first, then specific user, then the “wants something” phrase.  Average number: 12

Round 5: Collaborative and silent mind mapping of product backlog items (didn’t bother with user story format for this “first cut” method).   Average number: 31

An important thank you to Tobias Mayer who introduced me to this user story writing technique.

over 500 user stories written in about an hour

Session participants proudly display the mountain of user stories written in about an hour

Let’s count it up…that’s over 500 user stories written in about an hour.  41 people, 500 user stories (well, actually way over 600 if you count the mind map ideas).   Are some silly and ready for the garbage pail?  Sure.  Are some brilliant and useful in ways no one could have foreseen?  You bet.  Do some contain the seed of a real money-maker, game-changing  idea that moves us toward the “astonishing”?  Absolutely.

Here’s the best part…everyone’s voice was heard and everyone got to contribute in meaningful ways to the outcome.  I wonder what would happen to your teams if this became the norm.

Try it and let us all know.

ps. You may have experienced it…that deathly silent moment that comes when the team moves into “tasking out” the work for the sprint?  (A collective groan would escape their lips if only they weren’t so polite).  Next time, keep it silent by suggesting silent mind mapping.  This time, the silence will be golden.

published by Lyssa Adkins on Coaching Agile Teams

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So what? Now what? These are oft-heard questions as the Coaching Agile Teams class moves through two days of experiential learning, deep introspection and personal transformation. “Transformation into what?” you might ask.  ”Into a better, more aware, more tool-full and more presence-full agile coach,” I answer.  ”In short, a jump start on the transformation your teams need you to undertake to be the coach they need you to be.”

See this 5 minute interview with me by Catherine Augustin of Conscires Agile Practices for more information on the Coaching Agile Teams class and book — and how they go together as well as how they are different. (Read more…)

So, what’s in it?  To answer that, check out the full course description which includes who (precicely) the Coaching Agile Teams curriculum is geared for and what those folks get from it.

But please don’t take my word for it.  To give you more of a flavor for the impact of this 2-day experience, here’s what agile coaches wanted me (and you) to know about how the class landed with them.  These statement are in the form, “I want Lyssa to know that…”

  • …this has been an amazing experience as I continue on my agile journey with my fellow agilists.
  • …she is a great gift to our community.  She has taught me to be tough and bold.
  • …this class has me excited and anxious about coaching.
  • …she has helped to change my fear into a feeling of determination and resolve.
  • …it would be helpful to know that this class is more about agile coaching than agile mentoring.  [Lyssa's note:  Now you know.]
  • …she has helped me to realize some of my blind spots as a “professional” coach.
  • …I am very pleased with the class, the content of the class, the method of teaching, including how she engaged and brought out other colleagues.
  • …this class promotes and makes space for humanity and individual and group consciousness.
  • …I’m thirstier now than when I arrived for the course!

They had some constructive criticism to deliver, too.  All of which has been incorporated and makes the class even better for everyone to come.  And, they had over 50 ”Ah-ha” moments in the class that they shared with one another so that they can all get better — together.

I’m sure that your “Ah-ha” moments will be different than theirs and that the class will impact you uniquely for where you are right now in your journey and what you are being asked to do.

At this point, if you are saying, “I gotta get me some of that” then please join an upcoming Coaching Agile Teams class.  It’s worth it.

published by Lyssa Adkins on Coaching Agile Teams

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Lyssa Adkins - Got Agile Joy?

By Lyssa Adkins | Filed in agile, Agile coach, joy, liberating, scrum

I think it is one of the solemn (and not often talked about) duties of the agile coach to notice, amplify and spread joy.  Yep, you heard it right.  Joy.  

The good news?  Working agile gives us so many reasons to be joyful.  When I asked some random agilists walking the halls at the Agile2010 conference, “How does it feel to work agile?” their answers reminded me of the joy inherent in this way of working.  Joy when a team member “crosses over” from lonely hero to solid mentor. (Read more…)  Joy when the team delivers and does it again, and again, and again.  Joy when top managers say, “Wow!  That is a game changing idea.  We could have never come up with that one on our own.”  Joy when people crawl out of their shells and we get to hear them and learn how brilliant they have always been.

Sure, the agile coach job is hard, sometimes so hard that despair can set in.  The antidote?  Look for joy (and all the other good stuff these dozen agilists have to offer us) in this short video:

published by Lyssa Adkins on Coaching Agile Teams

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Lyssa Adkins - I Am a Certified Scrum Coach and I Am Not Nice

By Lyssa Adkins | Filed in Uncategorized

Congratulate me.  I recently learned that I have been accepted as a Certified Scrum Coach (CSC).  I have been wanting to be among the ranks of the other CSCs for a while and it took me a long time to do a complete job with the CSC application (and the time delay had a bit to do with writing the Coaching Agile Teams book, too).  The road was long and the achievement is finally here!

So let me clear up a myth that I believed for a while about professional coaching skills in the agile context (actually, in any context).  Maybe you believe this myth right now.  Here it is: Coaching is “soft” because we don’t tell people what to do when we coach.  Instead, we use coaching skills to help them discover what to do next, knowing that action freely envisioned and chosen by them has a much greater chance of happening.  And, a much greater chance of being a real change – the long-lasting kind.  Just because it feels softer than the “hard” methods of compelling, convincing, persuading, influencing or otherwise controlling does not mean that it is soft — (Read more…)

published by Lyssa Adkins on Coaching Agile Teams

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Lyssa Adkins - Estimation and Release Planning with Fruit Salad

By Lyssa Adkins | Filed in Uncategorized

Some late breaking events caused several students in a recent Certified Scrum Product Owner class to reschedule, leaving only five students in the class. I (Lyssa) had arranged for a candidate Certified Scrum Trainer (CST), Brian Rabon, to co-teach with me in this class. He and I had some fancy footwork to do as many of the interactive learning activities in the class wouldn’t work well with five people. Luckily, I had learned a novel technique for teaching estimation and release planning from another candidate CST named Carlton Nettleton. Carlton has students plan how to make a fruit salad with a stack of pictures of various fruits (and a few weird things that are technically fruits but not usually seen in fruit salad). As Brian and I talked about how great this would be as a way for the student product owners to immediately experience the major parts of the product owner’s job, Brian got a devilish look on his face and said, “We should have them make real fruit salad.”

Brian trundled off to buy all kinds of fruit and I called the training center to ask about knives and bowls. “We only have one metal knife,” said (Read more…) manager of the training center, “but we have lots of plastic knives.” “Perfect!” I said, “This is just like real life where you only have one environment in which to test and stage your application.”

Brian and I were the stakeholders. We told the students (aka development team) that we were going to all sit down and eat fruit salad in 20 minutes and that they were going to plan it and make it using agile planning and estimation methods. We specified that we wanted an edible fruit salad that would taste good, be visually appealing and aesthetically pleasing. Here’s what happened…

The development team sorting the fruit from easiest to hardest to prepare during sprint planning. Questions such as “What is this fruit anyway?” were prevalent. At one point someone called the red banana a plantain. Everyone bought into that and they immediately de-scoped it because plantains are too hard to prepare. Too bad, too, because everyone later found out that it was a red banana and it was easy to prepare, tastes great, and would have been a very cool addition to the fruit salad!

The development team hard at work during sprint one. They chose not to assign roles, so everyone pitched in where they thought they could add value. There was some chaos, but pretty soon people started asking for help and everyone was at work.

Lyssa discussing the concept of a “product burn-down chart” immediately following sprint one. The result of sprint one… an edible fruit salad, although not that appealing. There was too much cantaloupe and not enough color. Greg, who is good at marketing and talking to executives, put his spin on their progress and really sold the value of their achievement. Also, the development team didn’t meet their velocity estimate; the cantaloupe took longer to process than they originally estimated.

The introduction of a delighter, the kiwi, and tackling the next highest business value feature, the pineapple, during sprint three. Here Frederick is deciding how to process the pineapple, which was originally introduced during sprint two as additional scope. The development team didn’t take the bait though, but decided to process the pineapple as the highest value backlog item in sprint three.

The development team demonstrates their working product increment at the final sprint review meeting. The development team’s reaction to their accomplishment; “Is it what we envisioned? No! Is it what the client envisioned? No! Will it meet everyone’s needs? Yes! Casualties? Zero!”

Serving in the role of Product Owner (and development team) for a fruit salad requires you to make many decisions that parallel real life. It’s amazing how something as simple as a fruit salad brings up all the hard things a Product Owner will have to deal with and make tradeoff decisions about. Here are some decisions that had to be made in order to develop this fruit salad from a Product Owner’s perspective:

    Deciding “What’s in, what’s out?” – was done early on, even before estimating effort. Fruit that wouldn’t “go, like a lemon and lime” or looked “not ripe, like the mango” were immediately de-scoped
    The development team made assumptions with the stakeholders best interests in mind (pleasing arrangement, uniform size fruit pieces, etc)
    The development team changed effort estimates frequently, often based on individuals’ different ideas of how to process (clean, cut, etc.) the various fruits.
    As the time limit of the sprint ran out the team de-prioritized or de-scoped low business value backlog items. Here is an example of a line of thought that emerged, “Now that I can see how much orange color fruit that we have in the bowl, we don’t need to cut and use the remainder of the melon. We need the kiwi instead”.

When we debriefed the experience with the students, the following insights emerged:

    There wasn’t much dissension among the development team members. Perhaps this was because making a fruit salad is something that everyone has expertise doing?
    Only a few people were left sitting on the sidelines (and, if so, only for a minute or two). The team gelled quickly.
    Dominators dominated, but by the third Sprint all were involved in the decision making process.
    The skill level of the individual development team members was noticed and they quickly became part of the “in-crowd”.
    There were some un-planned and un-anticipated activities (such as having to sanitize not only the fruit, but their hands) that slowed down the overall velocity.
    Development team members asked for (and received) help frequently. For instance, “Can someone please clear the cantaloupe from the cutting board?”

###

This Blog posting was a collaborative effort between Lyssa Adkins, Brian Rabon, and the students of Collabnet’s CSPO course in San Francisco, CA on August 24 – 25, 2010.

Contributors:

Michael Doeff, CSPO
Greg Herlein, CSPO
Andrew Hayes, CSPO
Frederic Ducros, CSPO
Satoko Nagars, CSPO
Authors:

Lyssa Adkins is the author of Coaching Agile Teams. She is a Coach of Agile Coaches. Her course offerings and coaching options can be found on CoachingAgileTeams.com.
Brian M. Rabon, CSM, CSP, MSEE, PMP is the President of The Briantrust Consulting Group, you can read his blog, find him on Facebook, and connect with him on Linkedin or Twitter.

published by Lyssa Adkins on Coaching Agile Teams

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Lyssa Adkins - Agile and Design Thinking:How to Stop Work from Killing You

By Lyssa Adkins | Filed in Uncategorized

I am part of the Coaches’ Training Institute Co-Active Leadership program this year.  If you want to really delve into yourself to amp up the leadership qualities that help people know what you’re about so they can follow you, with the flip-side of pruning (most painfully) the parts of yourself that don’t help people follow you then this program is made for you.  It is made for me, through both the glorious and not-so-glorious bits.  Anyway, I digress.

In this program, I met Dan Buchner, an award-winning product designer of products you probably have in your house.  Dan is bringing his message of “design thinking for everything” to the world.  It’s a broader view of design thinking than we usually see in the agile world because it’s not limited to software, or even to consumer products.  And, it’s 100% useful for agile teams.  If you struggle with teams solving “the” problem too narrowly or with uninspired ideas, then be sure to catch our upcoming webinar which offers some new mashed-up thinking about agile and design thinking.

Update: The webinar on August 16th was a resounding success.

Here are actual comments from actual people who actually participated in the live (Read more…)

published by Lyssa Adkins on Coaching Agile Teams

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