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  • 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

  • Don’t Be So Quick To Kick The Door, Agile Ranger

    Posted on by Tim

    I was talking with my colleague, Lucus, the other day.  I drew a connection between the Ranger units I supported in Afghanistan and the Agile community. There is a connection between Rangers and Agilists and I’ve watched it.

    “What in the Sam’s hill are you writing about?!”

    “You cannot be serious in pulling a thread between the Rangers and Agile product development!”

    I get it, and it’s fair to be skeptical.  Here’s the thing, what do most Agile consultants do that is similar to the Rangers?

    We parachute into a transformation as the experts in Agile framework(s), policy, process, and procedure (3-P’s).  We come in and kick some executive doors open, disrupt some teams, and then go on our merry way after a year or so and call it ‘mission complete’.

    Well, not all of us.  Some of us go beyond the 3-P’s and learn to sense the environment we’ve been asked to assist move toward increased agility. 

    Challenge coin bottle opener
    Command coin received from the 1/75 battalion commander

    About the Rangers

    The Rangers have expertise in understanding tactical context and they adjust their approach to mission as more information becomes available.  They “shoot, move, and communicate” and deviate from the plan as it is needed to achieve the objective.

    Rangers have a master’s understanding of the 3-P’s or “the box” and extend their awareness beyond “the box”.  They adapt and adjust on the fly because the enemy will adapt and adjust to their operations once under threat.

    Back to Agilists with expertise  

    Finally, here is a connection between Rangers and Agilists.

    We might call them practitioners, journeyman, or jack’s of all trades, who cares about labels as it’s not the point.  Since Agilists with expertise are less concerned about air dropping in and rolling to their next engagement, these common-sense Agilists are looking at their entire toolbox to assess which tools work best in a specific context.

    Moving a business into a new way of working is a journey.  Find people who have the right attitude and tools to help an organization navigate to point to point along the way.

    Hire them because they get that understanding context is critical before kicking in doors.  Look for the ones that don’t claim to be experts, but talk about continuous learning.

    Be bold hire the ones who are ready to break some stuff!  Just like the Army Rangers!


    📂This entry was posted in Agile Teamwork 📎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

  • A Journey Results In Transformation And It Requires Endurance

    Posted on by Tim

    I spoke to my Dad over the weekend of October 9th and 10th.  We have insightful conversations, more like friends catching up than Father/Son discussions.

    A point he mentioned took me back, way back.

    High School

    Dad reminded me of high school. My English teacher was concerned about the bullying I was receiving in her class.  So she felt compelled to call my parents at home and talk to them to ask if it was affecting me. Forever my fan, Dad told her, “I would be more concerned about the other students than Tim.”

    Navy Active Duty

    Again, Dad walked me through my early years in the Navy. I was served on board the nuclear, fast attack submarine, the USS ARCHERFISH (SSN 678), and would call my parent out of frustration from time to time. As a result, I told them about my struggle to find my place, to fit, in an alien (to me) culture.

    SSN 678 deploying from homeport
    The USS ARCHERFISH (SSN 678) heading to sea departing its homeport of Groton, Connecticut, USA

    The Private Sector

    Dad and I continued to talk about more recent rolling hills and deep valleys I navigated professionally in the private sector. As he walked me through pivot after the pivot, change after change, and low point after low point in the journey.

    My Dad traced a thread for me throughout my life and reminded me of what all those knock-down, drag-out seasons created in me.  As a result, he shared one word, a single concept.

    ENDURANCE

    A Challenge For Insightful Conversations

    Because a race is not started at the starting line, preparation is required. Because change does not happen overnight it is a journey. A commitment to move a business, from one way of working to a new way of working, must happen for the journey to begin.

    All these examples and many more require endurance.  Toyota did not earn its reputation for quality in one or two decades.  It was accomplished over many decades, as a result of a relentless pursuit of quality to create value customers pay for.

    A missing ingredient in most business efforts is endurance.  I challenge business leaders to consider this before they embark on a “business transformation” initiative or “digitalization journey”.


    📂This entry was posted in Agile 📎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

  • My Autograph Is In The USS WYOMING

    Posted on by Tim

    Let me tell you a secret, my autograph is in the USS WYOMING (SSBN 742). My signature resides in a classified space on board the ship.

    Not only is my name written in the ship, my name is forever cast in on a brass plaque hanging on a bulkhead (wall) outside the Crew’s Mess (cafeteria) onboard the USS WYOMING (SSBN 742). Mic drop, I’m out of here.

    Sea trials PCU WYOMING
    PCU WYOMING SSBN 742 performing sea trials prior to commissioning

    I am and will always be a part of U.S. naval history.  As a result, it is a story written in a book and it will outlive me. Heck, that brass plaque will certainly outlive me in a nautical museum somewhere at some time in the future!

    Commissioning crew plaque
    Commissioning crew plaque on board the USS WYOMING (SSBN 742)

    Is your name written in history?

    There are very few businesses today that have a place in history.  IBM is one of those companies, for instance. As well, Carnival Cruise Line has earned a spot in the books. Because I am an alumnus of both IBM and Carnival, I am a part of their history.

    As humans being, we desire to be part of something big. In some cases, we want to be a part of history!  The only way that can happen is if we show up, if we accept the challenge, if we have the courage, and can endure the setbacks that come with being part of the bigger picture.

    If you know your business can write history, what will you choose; to be or to do?

    I enjoy this quote from the book, Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Change The Art Of War by Robert Coran because it answers the question; to be or to do. –

    “Tiger, one day you will come to a fork in the road and you’re going to have to make a decision about which direction you want to go.

    He raised his hand and pointed. “If you go that way you can be somebody. You will have to make compromises and you will have to turn your back on your friends. But you will be a member of the club and you will get promoted and you will get good assignments.”

    Then Boyd raised his other hand and pointed in another direction. “Or you can go that way and you can do something- something for your country and for your Air Force and for yourself. If you decide you want to do something, you may not get promoted and you may not get the good assignments and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors. But you won’t have to compromise yourself.

    You will be true to your friends and to yourself. And your work might make a difference. To be somebody or to do something. In life there is often a roll call. That’s when you will have to make a decision. To be or to do? Which way will you go?”

    Boyd pages 285-286, 340

    📂This entry was posted in Personal 📎and tagged

  • Stop! Do Your Life Differently, With Coffee!

    Posted on by Tim

    Here’s my twist on a phrase. “Always be creating.”

    In the movie, “Glengarry Glen Ross“, Alec Baldwin’s character made an interesting point. “A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Closing. Always be closing, always be closing.” said Blake, Baldwin’s character.

    For context, closing is closing the sale. In this case, the real estate sale.

    A-B-C from Glenngarry Glen Ross

    I submit to you, dear reader, a variation of A-B-C.

    Always Be Creating.

    Always be collaborating, be communicating, be connecting, or be celebrating.

    Be human, humans being.

    My sense is we spend far too much time worrying about what may happen and not enough time making it happen. It could be “analysis paralysis” or fear. Trust me, analysis and fear have their place and time.

    In my office, I have a magnet on my whiteboard. Done > Perfect. What happens if I’m not getting work done, taking action, and doing “the thing”? In my understanding, I’m not in a state of “always be”.

    I do want to make an important point. Use this as a focus tool, mostly at work. At home, different contexts, and different focuses. Always be comforting, connecting, celebrating, or conscious are better than closing at home!

    If I’m focused on achieving outcomes in the team construct, at work, then “always be” and “done is greater than perfect” would get better results. Why do I write this? Because this might be a key to getting unstuck.

    Try it out! What do you have to lose?

    Colorful paint pallet on a wall
    Paint pallet – credit Dan Cook on Unsplash

    📂This entry was posted in Personal 📎and tagged

  • Your Own Journey; Look for the Road Signs

    Posted on by Tim

    Are you willing to put in the work to find your next waypoint on your journey?

    I appreciate Pam Dukes.  In the process of getting to know her, she has become one of the people I bounce ideas off around professional development and growth.

    STW team Plano, TX
    Tim Dickey, Pam Dukes, Nigel Thurlow, and John Turner during the “Scrum the Toyota Way” beta update

    Pam and I were chatting this week on Slack.  I was asking her about a concept and how it might have influence her as an Olympic athlete.

    She asked a couple of clarifying questions and then shared this nugget.  It sums up what I have been posting about around the themes of #showing_up as #humans_being.

    This is a simple phrase that is worth considering and sharing.  My journey is not your journey. The opposite is the same, your journey is not my journey.

    As a #veteran, I did not have a guide in my transitions off active duty.  I transitioned 3x, once after my time in the submarine force and twice after my deployments to Afghanistan.

    Transition is a constant in the private sector as well.  No guide from Carnival Cruise Line to government contracting.  No guide from Miami to Dallas to Verizon, Navy Reserve retirement, etc.

    I found guides in the #Agile community who helped me as I moved into my current role at Improving Enterprises.  It took discipline, dedication, effort, energy, and time to get to this waypoint on my journey.

    My journey is and will always be unique to me, original.  So distinctive that Hollywood could not write a script for it!

    I want to challenge you to think about these questions.

    What is unique about your journey?  Could you use a guide to help you along the way?


    📂This entry was posted in Personal 📎and tagged

  • The Fear Of Feeling “Less Than” In A New Position Or Role

    Posted on by Tim

    This was originally posted on LinkedIn. Changing roles creates mental conflict. My colleague wrestled with perception versus reality which prompted this post.

    Are you conflicted?

    Professionals can become conflicted for many reasons.  The potential list is nearly endless, because we are humans being.

    I attended a “lean coffee” session at lunchtime with my colleagues at Improving.   I join the Teams meeting when I’m able. Because these calls surface thoughtful discussion around challenges and insights within our Agile coach and Scrum Master community.

    One topic came up that led to this post.  A colleague wanted feedback.

    He is considering a role change from a technologist to an Agile coach at his current client.  Certainly, he was concerned about being perceived as “just a technologist”, not truly an Agile coach.

    Wow!  What a conflict!

    Volcanic eruption Sicily, Italy

    Perception versus reality

    During the 5-minutes timebox, we discussed how there may not be as much of a conflict between the roles of technologist vs. Agile coach.  Importantly, he had valid concerns about how his current role, as a technologist, might diminish his future influence as an Agile coach.

    Do you think his concerns are valid?  How might you coach him past his conflict?

    I can understand his concern. I faced similar feelings when I accepted a management role.

    Would I be accepted? What happens if I make a huge mistake? How will I deal with people problems?

    The waves of conflict can overtake anyone. Find an anchor, phone a friend, there’s plenty of help to around.


    📂This entry was posted in Personal 📎and tagged

  • When Technology Fails, Drink Adult Beverage And Have A Few Laughs

    Posted on by Tim

    This was originally posted on LinkedIn. Empathy and humanity are essential to “showing up”.

    “Showing up” can be frustrating and fun.

    On Wednesday evening, I planned on presenting training for my colleagues at work on “teamwork”.  I prepared, sourced the content and slides, set up exercises in Mural, and opened the Teams call 15 minutes before the meeting start.

    Teams would not let me into the meeting that I set up! Strike 1

    My colleague Ali scheduled another Teams meeting and I joined that call.  I was just getting started and after 15 minutes or so of delay when Strike 2 happened.  My computer froze up.  Reboot, nothing, crickets, another 10 or more minutes gone.

    I was finally able to rejoin after the second reboot, but only one screen was working with my WFH setup. I needed two to move between the Teams discussion and Mural to avoid delays.

    St. Mark’s Square, Venice, Italy

    Empathy and humanity

    Here’s where empathy and just “humans_being” kicked in.

    After a short discussion and out of respect for everyone and the remaining time, we agreed to reschedule the session.  To my amazement and delight Ali, Janelle, Lisa, Nicole, and Patrick stayed online to just talk and connect!

    What I thought was a bit of missed opportunity and wasted time turned into a chance to connect more, laugh more, and share more life.

    It was also the first time I talked about how I navigate life, finding my “new normal” daily, with the challenges around PTS.

    Oh, in case you are wondering, there wasn’t a Strike 3!  I plan to be up-to-bat next week swinging for the fences, “showing up”, all with other “humans_being”!


    📂This entry was posted in Technology 📎and tagged