How reviewing last year helps to set better goals this year — In previous posts, you might have read how I am regularly inspecting and adapting my actions and plans. Every Sunday morning I carry out my own personal retrospective. It helps me stay focussed and on track for my goals in life, both privately and professionally. Now the new year…

How to stop jumping to conclusions — Do you get irritated when you hear people jumping to conclusions based on a single piece of information? Are you surprised how others come to a totally different conclusion than you based on the same situation? Let’s see what’s going on here, and how to deal with it. We are…

How to make the valuable shift from output to outcome Many organizations have embraced agile as the new way of working. They understand that change is the only constant factor. And that agile can help them in effectively dealing with the ongoing challenges they are facing. An agile transformation, like…

‘Roles on the Radar’ shows you the potential in your life that you’re probably missing — Do you ever feel frustrated about all the things you want to do, knowing there won’t be enough time to get it all done? Or, while you are dedicating your precious time to one aspect of your life, you get that nagging feeling you are neglecting another more important area? …

How to confront management with humor and get away with it — In one of my recent assignments, I was working with a Scrum Team on a new development project for a large organisation. The conditions were challenging: there were 10+ Scrum Teams working on an entirely new product, and half of those teams (our team included) had started less than a…

A ScrumMaster's strategy for directing your life based on values and purpose — One of my latest articles was about setting up an effective to-do-list. People seemed to like it as they sent some nice responses. This feedback triggered me: wouldn’t it be great to have some kind of purpose or vision to live by? As a scrummaster and agile coach I work…

The personal task board helps you see how your actions move you toward your goals — I love to-do lists. I love the instant gratification they offer: complete a task, cross it off, and move on. Throughout my career, I’ve structured my work by making to-do-lists, constantly experimenting with formats — paper journals, spreadsheets, mobile apps — in a quest to find the best, most helpful…

Getting closer to your teammates when you are remote — During this pandemic many of us have exchanged the formal office workplace for a far more informal workplace at home. As individuals some of us are used to work from home occasionally, when it is convenient due to personal circumstances, our choice, our benefit. But now entire teams are dispersed…

Think about the three Ls: liked, learned and lacked — As a scrum master, my job is to help teams within companies improve their performance over time. One way I do this is through something called a sprint retrospective. …