Who we are
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While packing before a journey what can’t be missing in your backpack?
My notepad. I am still very old school in that despite the “cool” tech available to, I love putting pen to paper to take notes and or simply to de-stress by doodling.
What was the most impactful, transformational experience you had, professionally or private? Why?
Professionally, I’d say overseeing the merger of 2 product organisations in the face of adversity or at least to the backdrop “you can’t deliver to deadlines with agile “. Due to the level of risks, leadership were skeptical and were considering major consultancies to oversee the change.
Thus the first challenge was convince leadership that this could be down in-house.
The second was defining a bespoke framework and agile governance to facilitate the change. Taking a skeptical group on this journey, coaching key stakeholders and teams to achieve the business goal is one of my greatest achievements.
List three values on which you base your actions and your life.
There are few, but I would default to the following 3.
- Equanimity – There’s a solution to every problem or opportunity, I find keeping a calm and having focused mind helps to achieve desired outcomes
- Respect – People bring a wealth of experience and ideas to the table, I believe respecting these various viewpoints is an opportunity to learn, challenge or validate your own views.
- Resilience – Life is complex whether in a professional or personal context, the ability to adapt and bounce back in the down moments facilitates continuous improvement or growth
What is it in your job that you enjoy the most?
Helping people from diverse backgrounds, personalities and skill sets to navigate complexity to achieve desired outcomes.
What episode related to your profession would you like everyone to know about? How do you think it can help other colleagues and why?
Too often I come across Agile Coaches who live and die by vanila approaches, struggle to get buy-in and blame people/teams for resisting change. Once upon a time this was also my approach, but through experience I’ve come to understand and appreciate the need to adopt a pragmatic approach as as a stepping stone to achieving agility.
Add a personal anecdote, the kind you’d put at the bottom of your résumé – or at the beginning, depending on your point of view – under hobbies and interests.
I enjoy discovering/ experience other cultures, through travelling or meeting people from different backgrounds. Also love reading or watching documentaries about ancient civilisations.