Normalizing Discomfort in Agile Transformations

Photo by Trey Ratcliff

When teams start adopting agile practices, managers often feel lost or out of place.  Their role has changed, and it is not clear what they should be doing.  They are told not to talk at daily scrums, don't assign tasks to team members, and don't tell the team how to do the work.  Where does that leave managers?  They have to grown, and they are responsible for creating an environment that fosters growth for teams and individuals.

It leaves them with an incredibly difficult job--normalizing discomfort:

There is a great checklist on Dr. Brene Brown's website for giving engaged feedback.

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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Bringing Playfulness and Laughter to Agile Teams

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