A necessary ending, why I left agile behind
Say no to the good to find the great
I have never been good at goodbyes. I prefer to just leave.
Perhaps that says something about me.
I founded the Agile Online Summit. After five years I thought it was time to move on.
Why did I leave?
The main reason I left was simple. I had too many items in progress.
The agile community talks a lot about Kanban. I learned a lot about WIP limits or Work in Progress.
Although I wasn’t applying it to my life. So I needed to step back and remove some things.
Zone of Genius
In the book, the Big Leap Gay Hendricks discusses working in our Zone of Genius. I enjoyed doing the summit. Although I felt there was a better use of my time.
Sometimes you have to stop doing good things to work on great things. I knew I had to redirect myself.
Be yourself
I enjoyed talking to people in this space. Despite the fact that I wasn’t sure I fit into this group. As a developer at heart, I seemed a bit out of touch.
This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.-Hamlet -William Shakespeare
So I needed to listen to myself and move on. As we go upon our journey our true selves are slowly revealed. We just need to be ready to see it.
Find your niche
I have many years of experience as a developer. My time as a Scrum Master and agile leader was brief. Therefore, I understand the former better.
My niche is developers. Even that is probably too broad. I try to focus on the struggles of an experienced developer.
Fractal Fame
During my time at the summit, I was able to interview many people. I thought some of them were famous.
Although people outside of the community didn’t know who they were. This Fractal Fame that Andrew Davis and Michael Port describe in The Referable Speaker.
Essentially, really famous people are movie stars. Then some of us are famous developers or agile leaders. This is the fractal fame they describe.
Educate
I realized that I enjoy learning. The summit was essentially me asking experts questions. That was my favorite.
You won’t be shocked to know my mother was a teacher. Helping others learn is fun for me too. Asking questions come easily to me.
I would not say founding the summit was a waste of time. If fact, I learned quite a bit. I tested something and realized it wasn’t the best work for me.
The new redirection for me has helped me hone in on where I thrive. We need to say no to good to find what is great.