• Tag Archives humans_being

  • Reflections On Agile: Creative Work To Delight People

    Posted on by Tim

    To start 2022, I’m going to write three series of posts with reflections on Agile product and service development.

    The intent is to focus on the people aspects of Manifesto for Agile Software Development. First, the four values will be covered in a set of quarterly posts. Second, the 12 principles will be covered in a set of monthly posts. Finally, the five Scrum values will be covered in a set of quarterly posts.

    Scrum Values (credit Scrum.org)

    This series is the glue between teams, technologies, and training. Foundationally, products and service don’t get created without each area. The goals is to bring all of this together by reflecting on how we can work together today.

    Since this blog covers the creative space around “humans being”, soon it will cover the concepts around how creativity can be enabled. Until now, the posts have covered my experiences around technology and teams.

    The shift toward Agile content is coming!

    I feel good about switching gears. Following the year’s end with a shift feels right. The Reflections on Agile series allows exploration.

    As a result, there will be a mixture of posts throughout the coming months. Sometimes, there will be three posts that are Agile specific. Other times, there will one post. I intend to make content writing sustainable for me in 2022 and this is a way to make cadence happen.

    When I started posting, I did not realize then the need to look at how Agile has influenced my thinking. Now, I understand how important covering Agile is to what I blog about. Subsequently, writing about this topic makes me happy.

    Enjoy the Reflections on Agile series!


    📂This entry was posted in Agile 📎and tagged

  • Could Gratitude And Kindness Kickstart Your Year?

    Posted on by Tim

    Wow, 2021 has been a wild year! As the year ends, I’ve been thinking about gratitude and kindness.

    I know, there is still a week left during the year. Alternately, I it is not too early to reflect on how the year unfolded. As well, I look forward to how next year ought to begin.

    Self reflection is a skill I have been trying to use recently. Given that I don’t like certain results, I feel compelled to look at my actions and attitudes. How did my actions and attitudes impact my results?

    The question above is really tough to answer.

    Equally as important, what beliefs do I hold that influence my actions and attitudes?

    Another tough question to answer.

    As humans being, we are all influenced by other humans being. As a result, none of us is immune to “stinkin’ thinkin'” or “so-so beliefs”. Working in the technology space, I find these concepts to be quite true given we are trying to solve complicated and complex problems.

    There are plenty of books written on topics like attitude, beliefs, gratitude, and kindness. This post is not about my experience or reading.

    Buc-ee the Beaver
    Buc-ee the Beaver greeting visitors a one of several Texas fuel and market locations

    Kickstart 2022 With Gratitude and Kindness

    This week is your starting line. Use the week for reflecting and planning the next year. Resolutions are great, but only when backed up with action.

    I get it. Planning really stinks and it’s challenging. I know some paraphrased quotes that reflect the concept.

    If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

    — Benjamin Franklin

    Everyone has a plan until they get ________.

    — Mike Tyson (said something like this one time)

    Plans are worthless, but planning is indispensable.

    — Dwight D. Eisenhower

    What if planning works for you? It could, and you might see different results in your work/life. For me, I plan to focus on being grateful and kind in 2022.

    How that looks is where my plan becomes important. I will show gratitude and kindness by making opportunities for action. That is the plan and it is simple.

    Try it, what do you have to loose? Do you know anyone who could benefit from some gratitude and kindness in 2022? Just think about how it would positively impact your colleagues and family.


    📂This entry was posted in Personal 📎and tagged

  • Coasting Along Or Improving To The Stars?

    Posted on by Tim

    Two moments in November really struck me. They caused me to think, am I improving or coasting?

    For me, working at Improving Enterprises indicates I should be improving at a sustainable pace. Sustainable pace is subjective and relative to the person. It might look like a rocket ship for you and a slight hill for me.

    Firstly, one of our vice presidents, Tim Rayburn ended our monthly Dallas townhall with an exercise. It was designed to help us think differently about recruiting. Near the end, he said something to the effect of,

    “Improvers talk to people who are probably Improvers, they just don’t know it yet.”

    Tim Rayburn

    Bold statement and a solid indicator for company culture.

    Secondly, another executive, Ken Howard facilitated an evening training session on human interaction. He was covering motivation at one point when he mentioned,

    “We discovered that many of our colleagues are geared toward creativity and learning.”

    Ken Howard

    This is a strong indicator for problems getting solved. But not messes getting cleaned up in the breakroom!

    Company culture is impacting business operations. As a result, how culture is built influences how business value is created.

    I write posts using the tag “humans being.” Occasionally, I make a mess of interactions with people.

    How do I fix my mess? I have to work on my “soft skills”. At times, I ask to be forgiven. I stop speaking mid-sentence.

    Stuck waffles
    An improvement opportunity in waffle making

    Stop coasting and start improving

    From start to finish, life is about continuous improvement. Life is painful in that way. But, I would not trade it for the alternative!

    So, this gets back to my starting question. Are you (and me) improving or coasting?

    Trust me, there isn’t anything wrong with coasting. From time to time, coasting is a good thing!

    Consider this question when your goal setting for next year. Improving or coasting, the choice is yours. Finally, I choose improving, you should too.


    📂This entry was posted in Teamwork 📎and tagged

  • How To Figure Out What To Be

    Posted on by Tim

    “What do you want to be, when you grow up?”

    Seriously, this is a question I struggle with almost daily. Yeah, about that question. I’ll let you know once I’ve figured it out.

    Given that I don’t have an answer, here’s what I’ve discovered for myself. Mostly, it’s about attributes (and adjectives) in life. I enjoy:

    • Being on high performing teams
    • Contributing to problem solving
    • Laughing at work
    • Connecting with fellow humans being
    • Getting to geek out at work
    • Telling story that relate different topics
    • Writing witty content for the internet!

    The list could be longer, but I don’t want to bore you (or me for that matter).

    What I don’t want to be

    I figured out that I don’t want to be a “forever child”. I joined the Navy at 19 years old and I never looked back. As well, I never went back home.

    USS ARCHERFISH (SSN 678) patch
    USS ARCHERFISH (SSN 678) ship seal

    I didn’t want to go back home, so I don’t want to feel trapped by my past. Can you relate?

    I don’t want to be taken too seriously. I’m serious, but not so serious that I would ask the question to a child or young person, “What do you want to be, when you grow up?”

    I don’t want to be insincere.

    I think this list is long enough to get my point across. There is too much pressure to figure out a constantly changing set of preferences in life.

    Life is about preference

    If my high school career counselor could see what happened to me, she would be amazed. I took a career aptitude inventory during my second or third year. It seemed to consign me to hair styling.

    How ironic! I’m partially bald now!

    That inventory challenged me to figure out a different way toward a career. I re-invented myself when I joined the Navy. As a result, I’ve been re-inventing me ever since!

    Most of my pivots are based on preference. Having choices and options is a good thing! I’m glad that I do.

    So, the next time I get asked or you get asked, “What do you want to be, when you grow up?”, consider this answer.

    Once I’ve figured it out, I’ll let you know!

    In the meantime, explore your preferences. See if teamwork is your thing (since you may have to be a team player at some time). Look for ways to geek out and get paid!

    All I would like is that you don’t stay a “forever child”. Find a career path that works for you. Who knows, maybe we can work together in tech?


    📂This entry was posted in Personal 📎and tagged

  • How To Be An Undercover Geek

    Posted on by Tim

    As a kid growing up in rural, central California, my Dad took me to the International Farm Equipment Show. It was a highlight for me because I spent the entire day with my Dad. As well, it was the first place where totally “geeked out!” I also discovered the I’m an undercover geek.

    Yeah, I know, this reads a bit silly, and I’m OK with that.

    Let me break down what, for me, being an undercover geek is about. Firstly, it’s about seeing new technology on display, before it hits the market. Secondly, it’s about getting beta or preview access to new software. Finally, it’s about (or used to be about) getting the hottest, newest tech before anyone else.

    Most important, its about NOT shouting about all this new stuff from the roof tops!

    I can’t emphasize this point enough. DO NOT TELL ANYONE you have access to new tech or go to events where new tech is on display!

    Crew standing topside on the USS WYOMING (SSBN 742)
    Commissioning crew photo from the USS WYOMING (SSBN 742)

    For me, being a geek was not what I wanted as an identity when I was younger. Now, I’m mostly OK with the label. Please don’t ask me to come over and fix your computer at home!

    Back then, I was embarrassed about how my peers would see me. It was not cool to be a geek where I grew up. Times are different now.

    I choose to geek differently as an adult than when I was a kid and teenager. I had a beta GMail account, before it went mainstream. I’m blogging on a laptop with a preview release of Windows 11.

    I still struggle with the stigma of being an undercover geek. It’s not easy to outgrow the pain that came with the label. Although, I’m on complaining about the pay days as an adult!

    Find your undercover geek and be OK

    I want to encourage you. It’s OK to be an undercover geek. Don’t worry about what people might say if they found out that you have a passion for technology.

    From a fellow undercover geek, I have your back. I figured out a way to make being an undercover geek pay off. Believe me, I never would have imagined that I could be part of a nuclear submarine crew when I was five!

    Be cool, stay calm, and geek on!


    📂This entry was posted in Personal 📎and tagged

  • Oh Look, That Mask Is Off And He’s A Fraud

    Posted on by Tim

    It is hard being a novice in life. There is no easy way to navigate the feelings of imposter syndrome. Especially, when you are changing careers.

    I had a Zoom call with a retiring Master Chief Petty Officer I met during my first Afghanistan deployment. He has been highly success in his Navy career, carving out a place in the leadership triad both on ships and at shore commands.

    For me, this is both insightful and instructive. What if, after 20 or 30 years becoming one thing or charting a single career path you were compelled to walk away and start fresh?

    “I feel like I’m 18 year old again. I need to figure what I want to be when I grow up.” His words, my thoughts. It would be a bit scary. It could lead to imposter syndrome.

    What if they find out?

    Throughout my professional journey, I have struggled with imposter syndrome. It gets worse with age, because of higher expectations. Navigating it, after a successful ‘first career’, is worse than a continuation of a career.

    For retired military members, imposter syndrome holds them back from really going after a new career. They have all the ‘soft skills’ an employer could dream of, experience under pressure, and gut-grinding determination to see teams and the organization win.

    Yet, many military retirees question themselves. They question if they can transfer any of their knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA’s) effectively to create value as private sector employees.

    It might be a two-way street from the employer’s side. Fear may be influencing a hiring manager, as well?

    Ancient mask
    A burial mask on display in the Perrot Museum

    What if they want my job?

    A colleague, Mike, told me once that I intimidated and scared people. To look at me, I’m not physically imposing. What he meant was I get intense when I talk on subject where I have expertise.

    Deep expertise express with energy and enthusiasm can create missed opportunity. Some people feel threatened by women and men who built a career as military professionals. It’s not your fault or my fault, and we can do something about minimizing those concerns.

    How is your delivery?

    So, I learned to dial my intensity down. “I have you about an 11 and I need you at a five.” said Mike. Good advice for anyone who want to build rapport. Attitude is everything according to Keith Harrel.

    Keith is right and we can be meek so that people feel safe. Meekness is not weakness. It is strength restrained. Meekness is about creating comfort for others; looking out for their interests. It is about building bridge and revealing that we are all just humans being.

    Consider this point

    If you have all the KSA’s to do the job, should you be worried about being an imposter? I don’t think so, I would be more concerned about keeping a growth mindset.

    Be a life-long-learner, a student of life, and an engaged colleague. Show up like you are 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, or 23 years old, ready to learn and grow.


    📂This entry was posted in Personal 📎and tagged

  • Buying Time To Create And Express Ideas

    Posted on by Tim

    Kent Beck posted on LinkedIn an interesting statement shown below. This is a topic I’ve been considering for a while as finding time to create and express ideas seems to be scarce.

    https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kentbeck_25-years-of-trying-to-explain-software-development-activity-6869343385417867264-tvlT

    My response to Kent was basic. It’s short and works for me. But, it may not work for everyone.

    Kent may not have intended for me to respond this way. I don’t really care one way or the other. My point is, I’m not buying time to create and express.

    I respect the work Kent has done in the product creation field. He is an author, speaker, and one of the original co-signers of the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. He is an icon in the software development space and he is a creator.

    Thanksgiving And Being Grateful

    This post is being typed on Thanksgiving morning from my home office in the United States. I’m not “buying time” as Kent would suggest to create and express today. I am investing time into this blog specifically and the community generally.

    I don’t know who will read this post today. If you are reading this and you create products and services to delight your customers or clients, I hope this inspires you. I want you to invest in yourself by setting aside time to create and express for you and people you care about.

    I can’t tell you how much better I feel after I write an article or post. It gives me a sense that I accomplished something of substance, something that mattered, for the day.

    I am grateful for the quiet hours I have to type this and many posts. I am grateful for the technology I have to express these views. It is amazing to living in today and I encourage you to make the most of today.


    📂This entry was posted in Agile 📎and tagged

  • Challenge Accepted, Level-up To Mentor

    Posted on by Tim

    I needed to be challenged.  For me, one way to be stretched is to mentor a colleague or friend who is on their own journey, just a bit behind me.

    My dad shared with me this saying from my grandfather, 

    “The best investment any of us can ever make is in a fellow human being.”

    I don’t know about you, that statement feels both comforting and like a punch in the gut, all at the same time.  I think about what I could have done if I had paid closer attention to people around me.

    Pinning ceremony and re-enlistment
    Receiving my Enlisted Submarine Warfare Specialist designator and my first re-enlistment

    Consider this, former colleagues who might have developed faster professionally.  Contemplate this, acquaintances and friends who might have benefitted from me sharing my experience if I had made myself available for a conversation.

    Now, I’m doing life differently.  Currently, I’m pouring into others as people approach me for advice.  I had two people connect with me in recent weeks, one from my company and the other from my client.  In addition to my day job, I am showing up and being present for my family!

    As I write this post, I recognize how unique mentoring is in the context of human behavior.  In future posts on mentoring, I plan to unpack what the concept is and what the concept is not.

    Take a challenge

    Today, I want to challenge you to examine your relationships.  Who might benefit from a few hours of your time? Mentor a colleague or friend who would genuinely benefit from your expertise and experience.

    If they are open to receiving it, time spent with you listening to their concerns, providing feedback, pays rewards. Time invested for in that person, for their own personal and/or professional growth, benefits you both.

    Will you take up this challenge? Will you invest in another person this week?


    📂This entry was posted in Agile Scrum Teamwork Training 📎and tagged

  • I Have Not Time For Experts, Only Expertise Full Stop

    Posted on by Tim

    Are you an expert who fully uses your expertise? I prefer expertise over being an expert.

    For me, this post has taken a while to publish.  Posts like this are a hot-button topic for many professionals in different fields. I supposed what I have written below is not going to win friends or influence people. 

    I am amused when someone calls me an “expert”. Privately, I will question why a person would consider me an expert in my profession.  Maybe, it is because I have met “experts” and I am mostly not impressed.

    I will admit to this, I am an “expert learner”. That is a title I am proud to receive from my colleagues and fellow industry professionals. I digress, back on topic.

    Both personally and professionally, I am a self-declared journeyman and proud of it.  As a result, I will always be a journeyman and have no plan to be anything other than, say, a skilled practitioner. 

    Kids learning
    My daughters learning expertise while building a rockbox.

    Prefer expertise. Does that make sense?  Does that connect?

    I read that at different points in time, the sum of human knowledge and gathered information is doubling at an amazing pace. A recent post highlights my point.  It is mind-blowing and mind-numbing at the same time.  With all this experience being cataloged, no one person can be an expert for any length of time.

    This has weighed on my thematic posts about “#humans_being” and “#showing_up”.  We have created a point of cause that has resulted in the pursuit of experts at the expense of humans being and developing expertise.

    I want you to take a moment to pause on this point.  Could all the experts in a given field be wrong because they are so knowledgeable that they have forgotten how to listen, learn, and connect to others with different experiences?


    📂This entry was posted in Personal 📎and tagged

  • Never Underestimate The Power Of Human Connection

    Posted on by Tim

    The company I work for, Improving Enterprises, sponsors an annual employee retreat. It might be the most anticipated event of the year and this year was not exception.

    It was my first year attending and I didn’t know what to expect. I was not really fired up about going, which is normal for me now, but not prior to 2020. To be honest, I was not happy about flying or spending time in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    It’s probably just me. I’m sure many, if not most, of my colleague REALLY look forward to the trip and the time in Vegas. Me, not so much, and I know why; PTSD.

    The stress of getting to and being in Frank Sinatra’s town was overwhelming. Part of it was the digital billboard on the buildings, part of it was the mass of people, and part of it was the smell of smoke from legalized marijuana being smoked.

    Hotels on the Las Vegas strip
    Taken on a bridge at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, US.

    So what about the human connection?

    Aside from the sensory overload, aside from the deliberate discomfort, I was in Las Vegas for one reason. I was there to connect with people I had been working with virtually for months, reconnect with co-works I had not seen in person (in some cases for a couple of years), and to meet other “Improvers”.

    The experience with fellow Improvers was delightful. My personal, one-on-one conversations energized me. Finally, the weekend room mate paring was perfect as Andrew and I connected within minutes of his walking in the hotel room door.

    For me, hanging out and having fun with “my tribe” made my deliberate discomfort worth it. I’m not saying it was easy, it was easier. I got to recharge when I needed and to work with a minimal schedule.

    In my mind, I overcame myself to make the most of my first, Improving Las Vegas experience.


    📂This entry was posted in Personal 📎and tagged