Sleep — we all do it, but do we truly understand its depth and significance? Dr. Matthew Walker’s groundbreaking book, “Why We Sleep,” delves into the transformative power of sleep. I discovered it through Michael Pollan’s book about Caffeine. Here’s a blog summarizing the mysteries of our nightly escapade and its profound impact on every …
Continue reading “This 100% Free Night-Time Ritual That Can Skyrocket Your Daytime Performance”
When did you last dream of captivating, inspiring, and influencing an audience? How can you make more impact when delivering a keynote address, a sales pitch, or a motivational talk? After reading this blog to the end, you’ll have learned more techniques to enhance your speaking prowess and leave a deeper impression on your audience. …
Continue reading “How anyone can be a Keynote Speaker: 9 quick hacks for more engagement.”
In the realm of innovation and projects, effective planning is crucial for success. While there are numerous methodologies available, one approach that teams can learn from is the military planning process. The military has honed a systematic approach to planning that ensures missions are accomplished efficiently and effectively. By adopting certain aspects of the military …
Continue reading “Learning from the Military Planning Process: What Agile Teams Can Adopt”
Carol S. Dweck’s work, ‘Mindset,’ is seminal. It is one of these must-read non-fiction books, up there with The Seven Habits, and Thinking Fast and Slow. Until recently, I did not read the book: the web is full of infographics explaining the Growth Mindset. After reading the book, however, I discovered that I had a …
Continue reading “I gravely misunderstood the Growth Mindset. Here’s what I learned.”
My brain is a crucial body part for my work. I want to keep it in pristine performing condition. Part of that effort is providing it with the proper fuel: food and drink. There are an awful lot of food myths, however. I list the ones I used to believe in and explain why I …
Continue reading “My preferred food for thought and brain function”
Working with people from different cultures can feel like a challenge. They can have incompatible habits and expectations. Most people are flexible, but trouble begins when these expectations remain implicit. The Culture Map by Erin Meyer gave me a set of lenses to help clarify expectations and hopefully prevent trouble. I’m sharing my notes in …
Continue reading “The Culture Map – cultural dimensions for teamwork”
Many people wish for more transparency. They want to know what others have been doing or what they are up to. Transparency, however, is not something you can demand. Increasing pressure will only lead to obfuscated facts. So for transparency, you must build a relationship in which people feel safe and open up. Here are …
Continue reading “Psychological Safety tips: 5 ideas to help people open up”
Google ‘feedback method’ and google will come up with countless ‘systems’ for giving feedback. Any of these systems quickly becomes awkward and forced when you try it. There is no bullet-proof algorithm for giving feedback. In this article, I’m sharing the essential part of great feedback: a robust foundation for self-confidence. Take, for instance, the …
Continue reading “Teamwork tip 4: Build a robust foundation to handle raw and honest feedback”
Ever wondered how to apply Scrum outside of software development? Ever doubted the applicability of Scrum in the real world? This article is a Scrum Guide in Star Wars style. I’ll show how the real-world heroes from Star Wars organized their struggles against the Empire with Scrum. They already knew how to Scrum a long …
Continue reading “What if Star Wars Rebels were organized with Scrum? – a Rebel Scrum Guide”
Holacracy claims to improve Agile and time management. It’s supposed to make any team run better by continuously evolving the roles in the team to fit the work better. Is it really better than Agile approaches like Kanban or Scrum? Here’s my opinion. Holacracy means that the whole of the team is in charge, not …
