• Tag Archives austria

  • Conference Speaking Really Wasn’t Part Of My Professional Plan, But Hey!

    Posted on by Tim

    This was originally posted on LinkedIn. Conference speaking, for me? No, not really.

    What did you do to show up? 

    I showed up this week (8/19/2021), in a personal way and professionally.

    My professional moment was during the 2021 Summer UACon.  I have Derek Lane to thank for that opportunity.

    My neighbor and I met for coffee last week.  It was a deliberate appointment as he and his family were completing the pack-out of their home to move to Arizona.

    We talked about several topics which have been consistent themes in our conversations over the 4+ years we’ve known each other.  We created space and we showed up, for each other.

    It was a simple way to be “#humans_being”.

    Mozart Café, Salzburg, Austria

    Conference speaking

    Admittedly, it’s kind of cool speaking at a conference. There is something special about sharing insights.

    Above all, it’s about inspiring people, being human, and showing up. In addition, each story shared is unique providing insight that might not be known.

    Before speaking, I have to prepare. It takes time to get a session “just right”. In addition, I rehearse before delivering or recording my session. Further, I have to be in the moment for the time in the session.

    In the end, it’s not about me. It’s about the message being delivered and received by someone who can use it.


    📂This entry was posted in Personal Teamwork Technology Training 📎and tagged

  • Death Sucks There Isn’t A Better Way To Say It

    Posted on by Tim

    This was originally posted on LinkedIn. Above all, death sucks. Point blank.

    “Showing up” this past weekend was quite tough for me.  The intersection between the professional portion and private portion of my life got tangled.

    In this case, the intersection was a bit crowded on the “private street”. While the “professional street” was not very active.

    Overlooking Salzburg, Austria from the castle

    My dear friend, Wes, died on 7/20/2021 and his family planned several events for anyone to attend from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon.

    I’m not good with death, and death, despite my time in uniform.  Maybe that was why the weekend was tough for me.  Maybe it’s more than that. 

    I “showed up” to honor Wes despite my hesitancy.  I showed up to celebrate Wes based on the expressed wishes of his wife and family, to share how he had positively impacted my life, for the better.

    This is not the way I prefer to be reminded of how short life is and how I should make the most of every day. 

    As an Agile coach and scrum master, I was reminded that I should seek to improve the lives of the team member I serve so that they can “show up” and do their best work.


    📂This entry was posted in Personal 📎and tagged

  • Oh, The Challenges Of Being Human While Being Human!

    Posted on by Tim

    This was originally posted on LinkedIn.

    How do you show up? Being human is tough.

    Generally, I can tell you that I am hit-and-miss, inconsistent about how I show up.  In both my personal and professional life.  There is no distinction between how I live privately or show up at work.

    Could showing up be a part of our problems? Is it one of the “whys” behind our challenges?

    Basically, I do not know, but I am trying to figure out if showing up is a factor in our challenges.  Let me pause here to offer some context as to what I perceive as “showing up.”

    To clarify, for me, showing up is parts authenticity, curiosity, determination, grit, transparency, and probably more nouns than this post allows.  Specifically, I work hard to avoid “cognitive dissonance”; inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, in the personas, roles, and stances I find myself in daily.

    For me, it takes self-discipline to show up daily in life; it is a constant struggle.

    Steps in the Salzburg Castle, Austria

    Being human

    I was encouraged by a conversation I recently had.

    So, I asked one of my mentors, Ravi Verma, this question during an Agile for Patriots coaching call.

    “What made certain graduates successful at finding roles as Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, and Product Owners?”

    I was surprised by the insight he shared.

    Ravi stated that in some ways, successful graduates relentlessly pursue improvement. 

    For example, he explained that successful graduates are like a runner who sets a goal to shave a half-second off or her race time. Additionally, The runner then sets another goal for a half-second reduction and repeats the process to achieve the desired results.

    Maybe this might help you in the coming week. Please let me know how it did.


    📂This entry was posted in Agile Personal Scrum 📎and tagged