Agile and Jazz - Peter Green at Agile 2018

For a few years now Peter Green has been doing a session at Agile events where he explains the similarities between the work we all do in Agile and playing Jazz. In San Diego I got a chance to sit down with Peter and dig into this topic a little more as he explained how there are different connection points between Agile and Jazz if you are talking about playing in a big band than there are if you are just in a small 4 piece group. This is an interview I had been wanting to do for a long time. Peter is a brilliant thought leader and his take on Agile and Jazz is eye opening.



Peter led Lightning Talks at Agile 2018 as well as
Overcoming Immunity to Change http://sched.co/EUCp
and
The Surprising Links Between Agile and Jazz http://sched.co/EUCa

If you'd like to reach Peter you can find him at :
https://twitter.com/tptman 
https://agileforall.com

Emotional Science - The Key to Unlocking High Performance (with Audree and Micheal Sahota)

Emotional Science is a new book written by Audree and Michael Sahota that focuses on helping individuals discover and break through the blockers that are holding them back from becoming better leaders. It is often said that if you want to lead others, you first have to lead yourself. Many of us have the desire to be able to show up as better leaders, we read books, sign up for seminars and yet, when it comes down to doing the actual work, we struggle. The reason for this is often that, while we want the results, the work itself is often too daunting to take on. 

Emotional Science provides a set of tools you can begin to employ that will help you discover the blockers you have placed in your own path and work through how to remove those blockers. The book also explores how your own emotional history can impact your ability to gain clarity on how that history impacts your ability to lead yourself, and others. 

One of the most impactful things I have picked up from this book is the idea that emotions have no sense of time. Something from your past that is unresolved can sneak up and find it’s way into how you respond to something that is happening to you right now. This is true of humans, and, to an extent, to companies as well. 

In this interview Audree and Michael share what led them to writing this book and how their diverse backgrounds brought them together in a shared goal of helping us (and the organizations we work for) find a better way to show up and be clear about the work required to achieve the results we are looking for when it comes to transformation. 

If you’d like to learn more about Emotional Science, including the free exercises and downloads that are offered and links to where you can purchase the book, visit https://emotionalscience.com/

You can also find Michael via the links below:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/michaelsahota

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/michaelsahota

And if you’d like to find out more about Michael’s Certified upcoming Scrum and Certified Agile Leadership Classes, click here: https://bit.ly/2NXcEgN

Certified Agile Leadership Training with Olaf Lewitz

The Trust Artist, Olaf Lewitz, along with his partner, Christine Neidhardt, are gearing ready for their upcoming TrustTemenos Certified Agile Leadership trainings. Certified Agile Leadership trainings are a new, advanced level of training classes being offered through the Scrum Alliance. In this interview Olaf and I discuss the reason for his TrustTemenos CAL class, how it can help people become better Agile leaders, and the value of Certified Agile Leadership.

Safety is a very hot topic in the Agile space right now. During our conversation about safety, Olaf shared one of the most powerful things I have heard during an interview this year:

“When you talk to people about trust, it rises. When you talk to people about safety, they get scared.”

Every conversation I have with Olaf leaves me more aware and (I hope) a bit smarter than I was when it began. I hope you will get as much value from listening to this as I did from recording the conversation.

And you can find links to Olaf’s upcoming classes and events, as well as his contact info, below the show notes.

Show Notes

• 00:07 Podcast Intro
• 01:27 Begins
• 01:57 An overview of Agile Leadership Training
• 04:48 A skeptical response to the idea of Agile Leadership Training and Olaf’s response
• 07:16 Developing a thinking model to understand what we need and how that drives our actions
• 09:11 The power of metaphor in leadership and Dave’s aversion to boats
• 11:03 Giving people tools to grow their awareness of how they show up
• 11:34 These classes cover advanced leadership topics - not the basics
• 12:16 “If you trust in yourself… you will still get beaten by people”
• 13:05 Skepticism is an important part of any class and any transition
• 13:32 It’s about being intentional and aware
• 15:23 There is a specific type of learning that involves being uncomfortable because what you believe is challenged
• 15:57 Extending the question of leadership beyond work and helping them understand more about their awareness and intention
• 17:00 Olaf shares a story about his first experience working as a boss
• 21:29 The advice Olaf about give his 29 year-old self about being a boss for the firs time
• 22:23 It’s okay to ask for help
• 24:05 A question about safety and what it means to create a safe space
• 25:42 When you talk to people about trust, it rises, when you talk to people about safety, they get scared
• 27:22 What is Certified Agile Leadership Training? What level of knowledge experience do you need to attend?
• 28:08 What will CAL training do for a leader/manager in an Agile organization?
• 29:28 Where to learn more about Olaf’s upcoming classes, where you can see him speak and how to get in touch with him if you have questions.

Links from the Podcast

• Showing Up - the book written by Olaf and Christine https://leanpub.com/showingup
• TrustTemenos Leadership Academy: https://trusttemenos.de
• Upcoming CAL Trainings - https://trusttemenos.de/certified-agile-leadership-cal1/
• Olaf’s session at the 2017 Scrum Gathering San Diego is called: Product Owner: Mapping Dramas and Dreams and it will be held in the Harbor Island 1 room on Monday, April 10 from 1 PM until 2:15 PM For more info on the Scrum Gathering: https://www.scrumalliance.org/sgcal

Contacting Olaf

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olaflewitz/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/OlafLewitz
• Website: http://trustartist.com