Lean On Agile (& Elevate Change) Show Shahin Sheidaei

In this episode, Don joined Shahin to talk about Systems Thinking, Leadership Habits, and Organizational Change.



The following have been topics of our conversation:



Transitioning from technical skills to people management.


The importance of people in software development, highlighting their creative force and impact on success and well-being.


The importance of trusting and empowering knowledge workers, who are closer to the work than managers.
Jerry Weinberg (author) highlighted the shift from Taylorism (structured tasks) to coaching (personal and process-related goals), with managers becoming more interested in people's educational and career goals.

Leadership development and problem-solving.


The importance of adapting to change and the need for problem-solving leaders to observe and understand motivation, organization, and information.

Software development, leadership, and personal growth.


The importance of developer satisfaction, citing the costly consequences of losing experienced developers.
Find empathetic leadership insights through reading and self-reflection.
Software development challenges, complexity as the primary issue.


Agile methodology requires tailoring to individual contexts, rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach.
Organization must be ready to start software development before investing time and money.

Leadership habits and systems thinking.


Management prioritizes cost over readiness, despite worker demand for training and success.
Coach helps team break habits and improve systems in leadership roles.
The "core habits" for leaders, including sharing the vision, measuring actual delivery, and creating free informational flow.

Systems thinking, agile development, and team dynamics.


Wardley maps visualize product evolution, highlighting reinforcing and balancing loops.
The importance of understanding how personal and cultural factors impact decision-making in complex systems.
Agreeing to try and visioning with team members led to successful product development.

Software development, leadership, and organizational change.


Using organizational change management techniques to facilitate change within software development teams.
The increasing presence of women in leadership positions in the tech industry
The importance of happiness in software development.



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Standup Meeting in Agile Teams
- Standup meetings are short daily meetings held in agile teams to discuss progress and challenges.
- They are typically held at the start of the day and should be kept to 15 minutes or less.
- Standups can be helpful for identifying and resolving issues early on.
Managing Lengthy Team Meetings
- Discussing the issue of lengthy team meetings that exceed 15 or even 30 minutes.
- Exploring strategies for addressing this problem and ensuring efficient use of time during meetings.
- Providing practical tips and techniques for keeping meetings focused and productive.
Impact of Lengthy Stand-up Meetings on Productivity
- Extended stand-up meetings can significantly reduce productivity.
- A 15-minute meeting for 8 people equates to 2 man-hours spent in unproductive discussions.
- Prolonged meetings result in the loss of valuable work time and hinder progress on tasks.
Considering Reducing Meeting Time
- Discussion on whether to reduce meeting time.
- Concerned about losing valuable insights and support from leadership.
- Need to consider if dependent teams have representatives in the meeting.
Effective Meeting Strategies
- The purpose of a meeting should be to facilitate collaboration and information sharing among team members.
- Reducing the time spent in meetings is a desirable outcome.
- Focusing on challenges and roadblocks should be avoided.
Transparency and Collaboration in Meetings
- Collaboration and community occur during meetings.
- Leaders suggest improvements during conversations.
- Identifying the purpose of meetings can reduce meeting time.
Separate Dependency Management Meeting
- Daily meeting with team representatives to discuss important matters.
- Separate dependency management meeting with representatives from dependent teams.
- Clear focus and goal of the dependency management meeting.
Daily Standoff Meeting
- Daily standoffs can help teams prioritize meetings and focus on important outcomes.
- Effective for well-functioning teams that communicate well and are aware of team goals.
- Not necessary for teams that already communicate effectively through offline and online channels.
Effective Daily Standup Meetings
- Daily standup meetings should be short and focused, with a clear purpose and agenda.
- The more meeting time taken from team members, the less time they have for actual work.
- Customize daily meetings to fit the team's environment and purpose.

Hybrid Work Environment: Encouraging Team Collaboration
Decision Making in Change Management
- Discussing the role of change agents and initiators in decision-making.
- Exploring the concept of shared decision-making versus individual decision-making.
- Considering the complexities of decision-making in change management using a hypothetical scenario.
Levels of Decision-Making
- Different levels of decision-making exist, each requiring varying levels of preparation and time investment.
- Making decisions oneself may yield less effective results compared to seeking input from others.
- Consider the level of decision-making desired when making choices.


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Visit us at http://www.leanonagile.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Elevate_Change

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ElevateChange

In this episode, Anna joined Shahin to talk about Burnout, Technology, and Personal Growth.

The following have been topics of our conversation:


Burnout, stress, and self-care.
NLP and its role in communication.
NLP and its effectiveness in personal growth.
NLP and coaching with a focus on organizational change.
Work-life balance and self-validation.
Feedback, burnout, and mental health.

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Visit us at http://www.leanonagile.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Elevate_Change
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ElevateChange

In this episode, ⁠Shahin⁠ talks about Kanban Ninja, KLR and New Open Space.

The following have been topics of our conversation:


Insights from attending Kanban Leadership Retreat in San Diego
Customized open space format for efficient topic selection and discussion.
"Kanban ninjas" session in KLR23 to teach techniques for using Kanban method without telling people, focusing on efficiency and effectiveness
Techniques to smooth burndown chart in scrum fashion, including "look right, look up, look left" rule.
Encouraging team members to take ownership of tasks by providing excuses for not completing them.
Discussing techniques like "last one to the meeting" and "CFD with arrival and departure rates" to improve team productivity and time management.
Encouraging teams to celebrate small victories and identify areas for improvement.
Assume positive intent keeps a healthy atmosphere in the team.
Introducing a color-coding voting technique to help teams identify areas for improvement in Kanban maturity model.
Discusing techniques like "What do you really do well?" to uncover sources of dissatisfaction in a team conversation.

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Visit us at ⁠http://www.leanonagile.com⁠
Twitter: ⁠http://twitter.com/Elevate_Change⁠
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/ElevateChange

In this episode, Fahd joined Shahin to talk about Embracing Failure, Coaching, and Clear Goals.

The following have been topics of our conversation:


The following have been topics of our conversation:
Breaking down a large program into smaller teams.
Letting things play out and not being afraid of coaching.
The importance of welcoming failure and pauses.
Recommendation for people starting their journey.
Iterative development and iterative development.
The importance of being a service leader.
Assume positive intent keeps a healthy atmosphere in the team.
The challenge of having clear goals.

Follow us


Visit us at http://www.leanonagile.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Elevate_Change
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ElevateChange