Three common misunderstandings of self-organized teams
This article was initialy published on Forbes.com Part of my consulting work with clients is helping them adopt Agile and Lean software development practices, which among other things means fostering and putting in place self-organizing teams. “Self-organization” can be a very loaded term, and when there is not a discussion …
Building Capacity In Others As A Co-Creative Leader
Early in my years as a consultant and change agent in organizations, I noticed a pattern I like to call “the Moses effect”: When I began consulting engagements, there were times where it was almost as if the waters parted upon my arrival, so that the change we were working …
Why Understanding Other Perspectives Is A Key Leadership Skill
In one of the management courses I deliver, as well as with the clients I coach, one of my favorite topics to cover is understanding perspectives. Participants often tell me this topic is one of their key takeaways. For me, there’s great value in recognizing different perspectives in conversations because …
The Agilist and the Caregivers
I believe that we subconsciously apply Lean and Agile Methodologies every day of our lives and I can only imagine where we could go if we learned to apply the principles intentionally. I believe in improvement for Everyone. I want to be the “Everyday Agilist”. This will be a very …
Agility is not enough!
In 2010, while it was an IT manager in the insurance industry, I have been asked to significantly improve the efficiency of my development teams. Having accepted the challenge, I familiarized myself with Agile practices. At the same time, the organization was taking a Lean turn that was strongly supported …
Why leaders need to get more co-creative
This article was initialy published on Forbes.com Over the last few years of working with clients, it’s become clear to me that many leaders have difficulty co-creating with their teams. According to the annual Gallup poll, over 70% of the American workplace is disengaged. That is both sad and outrageous, but it also …
Agility like it’s obvious!
Guillaume Bertin is a software development expert. His diverse experiences have made him discover different cultures and assume various roles : from developer to analyst, architect and project manager. In recent years, he has been animating development teams of the financial world. As a manager, he is trying to create team …
Common sense
What is common sense? Properly defined, common sense is a common thought or belief used within a group that holds similar or common beliefs and values. It’s actually a good way of identifying groups that gather and unite to express a common front. However, many people use the term “common …
The 5 fundamental skills of a team—Optimizing yours!
The 5 dysfunctions of a team Patrick Lencioni is the author of a dozen books on business management, more specifically on team management. Known for his book titled The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, he’s also the founder and CEO of The Table Group, a management consulting firm specializing in …
How big a change is… Scrum?
A couple of months ago, I was speaking with the CEO of a startup in a networking event who seemed a bit tense, frustrated, and puzzled that Scrum was not delivering on its promises in his organization. In other words, he was disappointed of not seeing tangible improvements and questioning …