Thriving in Change
Welcome to March! Many of us are celebrating the one year anniversary of our most recent plane trip. I know I am, and I’m okay with this. Most people I know who have experienced more recent plane trips have done so out of necessity, and the conditions have not always been ideal.
Nevertheless, it’s lovely to reminisce – this time last year I had just climbed Mount Ossa – Tasmania’s highest peak. It feels like a million years ago now!
Regardless of everything going on, I love this time of year. Autumn is the season that reminds me most how much nature is in charge – cold weather, hot weather (often on the same day!), coupled with the sight of thousands of brightly coloured autumn leaves. Change is all around us, and happening constantly, however it is never more obvious than now. And it’s never a better time than now to build our resilience to change so we can survive and thrive in the world as it is (and is becoming today). I believe this resilience is not just a mindset but the ability to embrace new tools and practices that make us stronger – just like trying a new exercise to build muscle. It feels awkward at first but ends up being totally worth it!
I’m looking forward to sharing my February with you, and of course hearing from you! Let’s continue to calibrate, collaborate and iterate together.
Emma
The Agile Project Manager
https://theagileprojectmanager.com.au/
p.s. Missed January? You can find it here.
Accomplishments
February was all about working with teams more familiar with a traditional way of working, looking for better ways to deliver change and engage their people. Introducing practices like visual management, daily stand-ups and mid-range planning have been game-changing for them as they see the benefit of working in time-boxes and checking in regularly. These are typically organisations more used to a stable environment with very little change. I have always said a more traditional way of running projects (like Waterfall) is PERFECT if your environment and requirements are unchanging. A barrage of unexpected change batters away at our resilience, and simple practices can strengthen us, making the change easier to bear. Clients working this way are not only surviving but thriving. And I couldn’t be happier.
The wonderful Helen Palmer featured me in her most recent newsletter, focusing on my Strengths coaching. I have to say I continue to be blown away by the power of Clifton Strengths as a vehicle to create incredible change. While I acknowledge the hard work my clients have put in to achieve their goals, the Strengths process has been a powerful lever to help them recognise where to focus.
What am I working on?
Team coaching has been the theme lately, as well as continuing to collaborate with the Pretty Agile team training SAFe, which has been amazing. This time of the year seems to be THE time to certify in the Scaled Agile Framework, as more organisations look for better ways to work in the post-pandemic world.
I am also still working on my consulting assignment in the government sector, as well as planning a few leadership team workshops – one of which is live and face to face!
What’s getting in my way?
The non-urgent but important things are still on my mind – especially now where I have a lot of planning to do, then a bunch of delivery. Being ahead is critical, as one minute I can feel on top of things, and the next, well, not…
Blocking time has been easy – sticking to it has not been as easy, but it’s work in progress!
Next Month
What are YOUR actions?
Here’s where we calibrate, collaborate and iterate. I would love to hear from you:
· What did YOU accomplish? What are YOU working on? What’s getting in YOUR way?
· How are you managing the things that GET IN YOUR WAY?
· What are the actions you are now going to take?
Join in the conversation on the Facebook page.
