Bringing Calm to the Busy

Written By Allison Pollard

Photo by Kristina D. C. Hoeppner

In coaching 20+ agile teams, I've found myself struggling to keep a sustainable pace, but I had an "a-ha" moment a month ago--coaches need to build slack time into their calendars.  Each morning I looked at my calendar and saw my time double- and triple-booked; I tried to visit 6-8 teams each week and found myself nearly running from one conference room to another.  Sitting in a sprint planning meeting for Team A but still thinking about the grooming session I just saw with Team B--yikes!  My brain was becoming a blur as thoughts of dysfunctions I noticed swirled around, and I wasn't giving myself time to really think about what I was observing and discuss my observations with the teams.  It was tiring.  Exhaustion is not a status symbol.

The goal is not for me to stay busy--quite the opposite, in fact.  The goal is for the agile teams and organization to become mature enough to sustain themselves without me, and the way I can help that happen is by being fully present with the team when I am with them.  I allot myself time between meetings so I can gather my thoughts and even have conversations with team members that aren't rushed.

I no longer want to belong to the cult of the busy.

Allison Pollard

Allison Pollard is a coach, consultant, and trainer who brings the power of relationship systems intelligence to go beyond tasks, roles, and frameworks to create energy for change. She engages with people and teams in a down-to-earth way to build trust and listen for signals to help them learn more and improve. Allison focuses on creating alignment and connection for people to solve business problems together. Her experience includes working with teams and leaders in energy, retail, financial, real estate, and transportation industries to help improve their project/product delivery and culture. Allison currently volunteers as program director for Women in Agile’s mentorship program. Her agile community focus is championing new voices and amplifying women as mentors and sponsors for the next generation of leaders. Allison earned her bachelor’s degrees in computer science, mathematics, and English from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. She is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), a foodie, and proud glasses wearer. Allison is a prolific speaker at professional groups and international conferences, including Scrum Gatherings and the Agile Alliance Agile20xx conferences. Allison is co-owner of Helping Improve LLC.

http://www.allisonpollard.com
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