Episode 200 – The Most Important Lessons

What are the key learnings that made me radically more effective?

After 200 episodes, it’s time to reflect!

-First, some gratitude. Thank you to all who have listened to and supported the show. To all who have become members of The Forge, and supported me across multiple platforms, products and experiments.  You have taught me everything I know, and I’m nowhere near done.

-Next, let’s think about which principles and guidance (which are really all my reflections and thought experiments( have worked with insane levels of results

Here are the principles that have not only persisted over time; but represent a departure from common thinking and have proved MOST valuable to practitioners.  Think of this as a short course in the Badass Agile way.

1. At the core of becoming badass is your ability to create your own reality. You can add value in a way that is fulfilling and native to you; being a truly unique voice.  You can create whatever you want in terms of team performance or outcomes.  Dream big and refuse to see the world as others see it.

2. The beauty of Agile rests in a single truth – consistency over time. This trumps massive effort, long hours, job titles, degrees and certification, book knowledge, expensive consultants, and an ever-expanding list of tips, techniques, and contradictory best practices. MAKE SMALL PROMISES, AND KEEP THEM. The smaller the better. The more consistent, the better.

3. Toughness still matters. No one can hand you safety, you have to claim it. Persisting through difficult times, ignoring haters and rejection, and laser-like focus for just a few minutes a day (see #2) is literally everything.

4. If Agile doesn’t grow past tech, it will die there – probably really soon.

5. Agile represents change. If you can’t understand human beings, see the meaning behind their actions and reactions, and effectively influence them to support and contribute to the change, none of this will work

6. Agile, Scrum, Kanban, etc are chalk line frameworks.  Dogmatic application and rejection of new or different thinking is as fatal in work as it is in politics or religion.  How you apply these processes to a problem or team will never be the same way twice. Admit you are almost always wrong and know basically nothing and you will have graduated to Master Coach.

7. Everything you know about Agile is already in The Empire Strikes Back. Re-watch the middle section twice a year and you’ll be really OK.  “That is why you fail” is everything.

8. If Agile doesn’t free us from the tyranny of long days and nights, especially right up on release day, we’ve learned nothing and we deserve to have it all burned down and start over. To quote Scrooged – “mankind should have been my business”.  

9. There is no right way or wrong way.  There is probably something you’re doing too much of, and something you’re not doing enough of. Heed the wisdom of ‘start/stop/continue’.  Everything good comes from balancing and then rebalancing. Everything is always changing.

10. You can never transform everything 100% all at once. that’s not how you build muscle, learn a skill, or upgrade the ship of Theseus. (Look it up.) Agile teaches us to prioritize. Let’s make sure we learn that lesson in all we do.

11. Certification is education, not certification.

12. How much you know about agile or scrum is meaningless. How well you create value is everything.  

13. Being badass really means painting strong pictures and moving toward them without hesitation or apology.  Your results in the real world are all that matter, not the opinions, thoughts, complaints, or criticisms of others. They are normal and expected, but have no bearing on the impact you make in this life.  Believe otherwise and be prepared to regret it at the end of your life.  Be massive and limitless.

14.  “Most people live lives of quiet desperation”, (Thoreau). This may seem a little negative, but what i take from it is that most people welcome a leader who seems to know what they want and how to get it.  Be that hero. That’s the easiest way to live a life of significance, service and impact.

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