John McFadyen

We'll be talking about The Visual Agile Coach Personal Growth Rocket tonight at the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT Agile Methods Specialists Group (link in the comments below 👇) Here's a preview What is it❓ The Personal Growth Rocket follows the trajectory of comfort, fear, learn, growth (inspired by the Learning Zone Model originally developed by psychologist Lev Vygotsky). Why use the Personal Growth Rocket❓ 👉To break out of a comfort zone or conquer fear 👉To harness personal strengths to achieve ambitions 👉For a boost of positivity in challenging times   When to use it❓ 🚀Planning a powerful approach to career progression and personal development 🚀 A new and challenging environment demands performance improvement 🚀Performance has plateaued, comfort is dragging, a paradigm shift is needed.   How to use the Personal Growth Rocket❓ Work backwards ⏪ 🚀Define your future state target – new job, new skill, new venture, new You! 🚀Identify your strengths – your passions, interests, skills, hobbies, experience. Work forwards ⏩ 🚀Consider how your strengths can fuel your future state – how might you use them? 🚀Follow the Personal Growth Rocket flight path and pass from 1 orbit of progression to the next towards your destination. Visual Agile Coaching Tips 👇 🚀Often a strength can become a comfort zone. But what if you took it up a level? What more would it need from you? 🚀To identify your strengths look beyond the workplace – consider you values, hobbies or experiences. 🚀Start by asking yourself where you want to be, what you want to be, how you want to be it? And don’t forget Why? 🚀See the journey as a series of steps (definitely not Big Bang!) as you pass through each Learning Zone orbit. 🚀When you have harnessed your strengths – use the same learning zone principles for your development areas. Travel from now to the future fuelled by You 🚀💫 Extract from the The Visual Agile Coach Playbook 📕 Visual by Olina Glindevi ✏️ 🎨 #VisualAgileCoaching #DiscoverDevelopDo #Coaching

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Cut through the noise & save hours of research With this map of agile resources [Broken down by competence] One of the biggest challenges I faced earlier in my career? I didn't know where to go to plan my learning It seemed like the answers were hidden in a million different blogs So I had to muddle through and pick up insights where I could Let me help you to avoid that struggle Scroll on to save yourself time [And energy!] I curated a freely accessible Miro board to make things easier Using the updated Agile coaching competency matrix shared by Jonathan Kessel-Fell and based on the work of Lyssa Adkins → I mapped 100's of resources against each competence Here's how to use it Step 1 - Baseline your current strengths → Reflect on where you are on your journey against each competence -At the beginning? Honing your craft? Or Established expertise? [Bonus] - Have a peer or manager share their perspective = 360 degree feedback + Avoid the Dunning Kruger Effect [Or imposter syndrome] Step 2 - Identify your development areas → You'll be weaker in a few areas - Note those down - Try to focus on just 1 or 2 Step 3 - Profit! Just kidding Southpark fans Actual step 3 - Find your next learning resources → Check the map to find where you'll focus next - Choose 1-3 options and take action [Another bonus] - Use this in your community of practice to aid their development too Comment "Learn" below and I'll share the link to the Miro board so that you can use it P.S - Which resources belong on this map? --------‐-‐--------------------------------------------------- Continuous Improvement begins with ourselves Join my new 2 day training focused on Continuous Improvement across teams and enterprises Only 17 seats available, DM me to learn more

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🎧 New Episode Alert! The Delivery Space Podcast Presents: "The Evolution of the Scrum Master Role" 🎙️ We’re thrilled to have Jac Hughes, Director of Everyday Agile, join us in this episode! Here’s what we cover: 📌 Jac’s Agile Journey - From the Navy to Agile consultancy; his unique path and insights. 📌 Honesty in Agile - Discussing the reality that Agile isn’t a perfect fit for every organisation. 📌 Swimmer’s Body Illusion - Why organisations should take inspiration rather than copy others. 📌 Communication Mastery - The critical role of effective communication in being a successful Scrum Master. 📌 Real-World Challenges - Practical advice on tailoring Agile practices to fit specific organisational contexts. 📌 Community Insights - Addressing controversies, nit-picking and misconceptions within the Agile community. 🌟About Jac Hughes🌟 Jac captured our attention as he understands that while bringing in big-name consultancies can seem like the obvious choice for adopting agility, it often leaves organisations more confused than before. Everyday Agile is different. Jac and his team are dedicated to being part of the co-created change, working alongside you to demystify Agile. They focus on empowering your teams to create products and services that customers love. Everyday Agile is about practical, collaborative transformation, making Agile work for your unique context. This episode is packed with practical advice and real-life examples that are sure to resonate with Agile practitioners at all levels. 🎧 Listen now to gain fresh perspectives and actionable insights. Click the link in the comments below ⬇️ to listen. If you like our content, we'd love a review and rating so we can keep sharing content that's relevant to our community. #TheDeliverySpacePodcast #ScrumMaster #AgileLeadership #TeamPerformance #ContinuousImprovement #AgileCommunity

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Are you CLEAR on what's important in your agile evolution with Giles Lindsay (FIAP FBCS FCMI)

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This is so simple it didn't qualify as a full blown The Visual Agile Coach tool 🔧 But I use it all the time, so we sneaked in as a bonus tool. It just needs a scrap of paper or a whiteboard and your good to go Desirable / Not Desirable, a simple tool for Scenario Analysis What is it❓ 🔮A mini-Mind Map / Decision Tree for seeing into the future   What is it for❓ For mapping the future and finding a way, maybe the right way or different ways (including the wrong ways and the not-so-great ways) 🗺️ When to use it❓ 🔮You don't have a crystal ball handy 🔮You’ve got lots of options or decisions in front of you 🔮You’re not sure what the options or decisions in front of you are 🔮You want to experiment, think things through, explore outcomes before making a decision 🔮Ideation, run some scenarios through – however fanciful, bizarre, crazy or dangerous from the safety of your note pad   How to use it👇 👉Start your starting point and context: career change, project, new business venture, life-path 👉Choose your path: Desirable / Not Desirable 👉Not Desirable is optional – but serves as a risk tool for mitigation of ‘bad outcomes’ 👉Explore further: what are the Probable, Possible and Plausible paths – what do you need to do to follow these paths and make them a reality? 👉Choose your path or paths - SMART action plan including mitigating the Not Desirable paths   Visual Agile Coaching Tips👇 👉Work through with someone else – to test and challenge your assumptions 👉Visualise the scenarios – bring them to life, make them real for better decision making 👉Hedge your bets – use for risk management or the Not Desirable scenarios 👉Follow more than one path, take the path of least resistance or go for the moonshot 👉Use as a team exercise to map out the future and look round corners 👀   Extract from the The Visual Agile Coach Playbook 📕 #VisualAgileCoaching #DiscoverDevelopDo

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A few of you may have seen the inaugural #PizzaandPostits happened earlier this week at the awesome Jet Age Museum in #Gloucester. It was an awesome evening with three lightning talks from Matt Spruce - Agile Coach, Wayne Smallman, and myself. The talks from Matt (feedback loops) & Wayne (accountability) were both powerful and though provoking that landed really well with the group by leveraging real world situations and how these topics influence products and teams. Keep an eye out for the next event. Hopefully we can get this in the dairy soon! Here is a short clip of my session which was based on the power of Radical Candor®. This exact piece is demonstrating obnoxious aggression. Take a look and see what you think? Is #radicalcandor something that you are familiar with? If not I can highly recommend the book from Kim Scott or taking a look at her organisation as there are some great resources there to grow your capability with this subject. #meetup #agile #feedback #accountability #businessagility

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Some harsh truths about Agile Coaching And how to be a GREAT one This topic is so hot right now. In my 12 years in the agile space ↳ Here are just a few of my learnings Trust me → I've fucked up with these too Agile Coaching isn't: ❌ Having all the answers to every problem [Or being the hero] ❌ Enforcing strict adherence to a specific framework [Like a list of commandments] ❌ Obsessing over tools & methodologies [Or even events & ceremonies] ❌Only asking questions rather than getting stuck in [Another Powerful Question anyone?] Do those? → You'll probably be moving further from Agile [And piss people off in the process] Instead, it's about: ✅ Helping people to discover their agile [That fits their context & goals] ✅ Fostering a culture of continuous improvement [It doesn't matter the industry, we all seek to improve] ✅ Listening more than speaking [Understanding concerns & providing guidance when needed] ✅Encouraging experimentation & embracing failure [Don't fail fast → learn fast] ✅Leading by example & being the first to change [This will break down resistance!] ✅Turning impediments into opportunities for growth Remove → Don't just manage dependencies] ✅ Using feedback loops to drive progress [Shorter loops = Able to alter your trajectory] ✅ Systemically reducing the dependency a company has upon you [Making yourself redundant = success] ✅ Facilitating conversations that lead to actionable insights ["When all is said and done, more is said than done"] ✅Creating a safe space where people challenge one another [Conflict is healthy & breeds innovation] Want to shift your perspective? Get started with these questions: 1. Why do we want to be Agile? 2. What outcomes are we seeking? 3. What challenges are we facing now? 4. How are we continuously improving? 5. What data tells us we're getting better? 6. What's holding us back? 7. What does success look like for us? 8. How can we measure if we're on track? 9. Are we measuring the right things & do they truly matter? 10. What feedback loops can we improve to be more responsive? 11What bureaucracy can we {remove} rather than add? 12. What do our people say about our ways of working? 13. How can we involve them more in co-creating change? 13. How are we celebrating both success AND learning from mistakes? Oh and: 14. What tools might ENABLE our individuals and their interactions? Despite what many might say about Agile ↳ It isn't dead [It has succeeded] ↳ It isn't easy [Not a panacea for all problems] Don't forget. The customers of agile ways of working are the employees [Who have experienced multiple attempts at 'transforming' their ways of working already!] Involve Co-create Invite Don't inflict change P.S - What makes a GREAT agile coach? P.P.S - Want to gain a toolbox you can use immediately to bring about improvement at scale? My next Continuous Improvement Practitioner course starts tomorrow https://lnkd.in/eVrtVwJd

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This is my favourite officially approved SAFe case study. https://lnkd.in/ehnxSAnV The reason I like this SAFe case study the best is … wait for it … because it does not do SAFe! That’s right this officially approved article on SAFe by a top SAFe expert, does not do SAFe! Its for the SAFe ‘Community Contributions’ series by Luke Hohmann, who is a ‘SAFe Fellow’, which SAFe describe as the “most prestigious distinction, recognizing individuals who have exhibited the highest level of thought leadership and transformational expertise for implementing the Scaled Agile Framework.” Impressive, most impressive. The reason its not a SAFe case study (despite what it says) is because it breaks at least one of the many SAFe rules that make SAFe … errr well … SAFe. But can you tell me which exact explicit SAFe rule it breaks? For even more learning you may wish to avoid two days in a scaling course and instead join my Certified LeSS Basics course for only a day. Link: https://lnkd.in/eQiYH9tg Whereby you can learn about scaling and descaling. Potentially twice the learning in half the time :P

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Most coaches do good work with teams. And most (80-95%) of problems /challenges for teams are systemic / environmental. A call to action from Ross MacIntyre @ Desirable Futures is we need step up from just designing technical systems to designing with the principles of Open Socio-Technical Systems in Human-Centred Architectures. People are a critical part of the complex system. Intentionally designing for Autonomy, learning, respect & meaning are the desirable pathway to future performance. To optimise for humans to deliver value, with technology, for sooner, safer, happier outcomes. Live from the Analysis Design Architecture Conference #ADAconf #ssh #opensystemstheory

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Are you going to Agile Cambridge this year? Agile on the Bench is back again at Agile Cambridge, and we’re looking for speakers to do short talks. Agile on the Bench is a friendly, low-fi, lunchtime outdoor meetup hosted by Cara Bermingham and me. It happens outside, with no stage, no slides and no tech (props are allowed). We are looking for 10min fun talks with insights about people, teams, users or getting things done. Past topics include: How training my reactive dog has made me better at my job, constellating Agile Cambridge, what carpentry can teach you about pairing and what learning to knit reminded me about learning. If you already have a conference ticket, you're not already a speaker and would like to pitch a talk or chat about options; please get in touch with Cara Bermingham or tag her in your comment.

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For those in an #agile coaching role have a read of this shared by Bob Galen 🇺🇦 on his Substack blog. This really hit home with me. Take a look and see what think. #agilecoach #agilecoaching #AI #artificialintelligence #coaching

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Tomorrow on the Agile Network! Paul Goddard and I will give a presentation, so controversial it has been turned down by multiple conferences! Well, if I mean by "controversial" - I mean "didn't sound as interesting as it actually is when written down for a submission." It is on Pairing - The secret and forgotten Agile skill that could up your game... whoever you are! It is at 3pm BST and is exclusive to the network! Sign up now using my codes: One is a free month for people who purchase a monthly membership. The other is 20% off the annual membership. AGILEBEAR8CM - 1 Month Free AGILEBEAR8C20 - 20% off Annual Membership Link in the comments!

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At #agile2024 in Manchester we got to meet and hear from the founders of DSDM and the Agile Manifesto. Two important elements of the story of Human Agility. Naturally we had various conversations about when Agile actually started. Here I trace human agility as far back as 1620 (yes, sixteen twenty). Next time I will take it back even further to pre-agricultural times. 😀 And then I will introduce Natural Agility or Natural Agile. I believe that we are born agile, and have it smothered as we reach our teens. Unplugging Agile from the Matrix is the work David Michel and I are doing on how to return to that state.

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Is full access to the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) content important? I ask because as of this morning, it looks like they are putting up a pay wall between you and their content. I'm not sure how many times I have referred people to articles on that site, but having full access to the "knowledge base" is a pretty big deal. Is this a good move on their part? Lemmeknowbelow 👇 ----- I'm Mike Lyons and I would love to hear from you - DM me anytime. Click my name + follow. I tell it like it is on topics like #agile, #projectmanagement, #product, #flow and #delivery

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Why we need systems thinking in Agile. When the Manifesto for Agile Software Development came out in 2001 I immediately felt it left out systems thinking which I knew would be a problem. I know the famous “people over process” and I know it’s not saying there is no value to process. But I felt that it was an overreaction to imposed process – which is not helpful. When you take the reaction away, however, and consider systems thinking we know that people are affected by the context they are in. That good workflows are the result of people and the process they are using. I remarked to Don Reinertsen that I thought it should be people plus process. He remarked it’s actually people times process. While systems thinking is mentioned in SAFe, it isn’t in Scrum. And Scrum is far from a systems thinking approach. In a nutshell, systems thinking tells us the following: - a system is defined more by the relationships between its components than the components themselves - the components of a system interact with each other – fixing one part of the system without to attending to the rest of it is not necessarily going to help - the system is the source of most errors that occur This implies the following: 1. if we want to break up silos, we have to look at the whole. Not try to make each silo better. This means we have to go beyond coordinating between the silos.  This means that we can’t create good systems from the bottom up but must look at it holistically. Value stream analysis is one way to do this. 2. It also means that when something goes wrong we need to look at the system, not the individuals involved. This can create safety because we recognize people are doing the best they can and that the system is holding them back. People doing the work (the Gemba) know how to do the work best. But management is often the only ones who can fix the environment. This creates an opportunity for people doing the work and management to improve things. 3. If the challenges emanate from the system, then while people still have responsibility, they don’t have to take the blame for this. We’ve been trained to do just that. But recognizing the importance of the system takes a lot of the fear away. Tuesday I’ll be doing a session on systems thinking in the Amplio Community of Practice. Learning about systems thinking is one of the most useful things you can do. I’ll also be doing a session on a better alternative to the Iron Triangle, flipped or not. Tom Gilb and I will talk about the Penta this Friday. See the attachment for more.   

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Join me on 20th Nov at Agile MK for a debrief and insights into some of the best presentations at Agile Cambridge last month - "What I saw at Agile Cambridge"

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