This page contains the resources that I have found useful in my personal and professional life. Admittedly, it is an eclectic list. It contains everything from quotes and books that I like to podcasts, videos, and slideshows.
If you don’t want to scroll through the entire list, you can click on one of the links below and filter the resources by specific category.
Just finished reading this book, and saw lot of similarities between ‘Agile culture’ that we seek to cultivate in an organization and what SEALs go through. The author mentions, Trust is the bedrock of any relation! For a team to function at its peak, they have to trust each other completely. It’s all about the TEAM and making the most of what has been dealt.
The author talks about AAR; the After Action Review, and it reminded me of the Retrospectives we do at the end of each sprint. He suggests:
Conduct AAR with an eye towards improving (the procedures, the team,..) and being honest and open at the AAR
Three Quotes from the book:
Only focus on your three-foot world,” he said. “Focus on what you can affect
When we make mistakes, we try again and again and again until we get it right. We’re not superheroes. We just commit doing what is right.
Rangers think and plan from the top down. The SEALs think and plan from the bottom up
Three Tips from the book:
Take what’s there, assess the situation, prioritize, and break it down into small tasks you know you can accomplish or eliminate or fix immediately.
Everyone has the right to bitch about a mission or job for five minutes. After those five minutes, you shut the f*** up and get to work.
You always want someone in your professional life who is going to be honest, who’s going to call you on your bullshit. [Who is your Swim buddy?]
Are you a SEAL or a Ranger? Are you an asset to your Team?
The Wright Brothersby David McCullough (New York: Simon & Schuster, May, 2016)
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
Remember Wright Brothers if you ever catch yourself complaining that you cannot get there, you cannot achieve that big thing because ..
you don’t have the resources
you don’t have the money
don’t have the connections
you don’t have the experience
etc.. etc..
Pick up this book and know why you cannot complain for lack of those resources. What you need is the resolve, what you need is the attitude! Pick up this book, read it, and I can ascertain that it will lift your spirits. You will soar through the world if you keep the Wright Brothers on your side!
If you ever feel down, if you ever feel that you are not going anywhere, just remember Wilbur and Orville, and how they achieved such big feats with such modest, humble beginnings in their life.
“The Wright Brothers” – very well written book. I felt like I was walking with them (the Wright Brothers) as they were inventing their flier that would change the world. And, I felt that I was walking with them as they demonstrated their flying machine on two sides of the Atlantic. I was really sad at the end of the book when each member of the Wright family exited this world as their lives came to an end, as they left this stage, what we call this world.
The two brothers supported by the silent partner, their younger sister Katherine, are an inspiration. An awe inspiring story of family love, the tenacity, perseverance and above all following one’s passion.
The Talent Codeby Daniel Coyle (Canada: Bantam Books, May, 2009)
The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle
The talent code author @DanielCoyle makes a case that practice can groomed a talent. And, with a deep practice that process can be accelerated. It is a simple process of learning on the edge of discomfort, making and identifying mistakes, fixing and learning from them to get better. And then, repeat this whole cycle again and again.
Ignition + Master Coaching + Deep Practice = Talent
Anything, from learning on how to play football to learning the social skills of interacting with individuals. Or navigating a group of people can be learned. And accelerated with this formula (need I remind you learning the skills of networking!). Deep practice helps build and increase mylein – the cellular wrapper and insulation that can turn your brain nerves into a T1 line, into a Broadband!
Skills is a cellular insulation that wraps neural circuits and that grows in response to certain signals – Daniel Coyle
As an Agilist, as a change agent, you are in the business of change. You are constantly pushing the boundary of what is comfortable to the individual or teams that you are training, coaching and mentoring. As Enterprise Transformation Coach and a Trainer, I often tell my class to the step of their comfort zone. You have to be comfortable with the notion of being uncomfortable.That’s the only way to learn new stuff. As coach wooden’s quote perfectly sums it up seek the small improvement, one day at a time; that’s the only way it happens and when it happens it lasts.
A must ready for you as a Change Agent!
Three Quotes from the book:
Experience where you are forced to slow down. Make errors and correct them = Deep Learning
Talent Whisperer use the formula {Examination + Diagnostics + Prescription}
Ignition + Master Coaching + Deep Practice = Talent
Three tips from the book:
Want to build Talent? Accelerate Deep Practice! Get your game of ‘Foosal’
“It’s not how fast you can do it. It’s how slow you can do it correctly.” Chunk it and slow it down.
Get a Mentor! Great Teachers are Key! They look for and offer small, targeted, highly specific adjustments.
In this book, author Daniel Pink (@DanielPink) makes a strong case for us to upgrade to Motivation 3.0 !
It’s time to #makeTheShift from Profit-driven (Motivation 2.0) to Purpose-driven (Motivation 3.0). He also talks about different types of personalities such as Type X, Type Y, and Type I. He goes onto providing us a toolkit if we want to #transform into Type I personality, along with the list of books that can help us on that journey.
A must-read!
Animate with purpose, don’t motivate with rewards
Three Quotes from the book:
Warning: Goals are Toxic! Goals may cause systemic problems to organizations due to narrowed focus, unethical behavior, increased risk taking, decreased cooperation, and decreased intrinsic motivation. Use care when applying Goals in your organization.
Sawyer Effect: practices that can either turn play into work or work into play
Motivation 3.0 doesn’t reject profits, but it places equal emphasis on purpose maximization. Employees are not Resources, Employees are Partners
Three tips from the book:
Replace IF…Then motivation with NOW…That.. motivation
Management is a Technology, and we need to update it to new operating system Motivation 3.0
Turn company-wide meetings to FedEx days
Tools/techniques mentioned in the book:
FedEx days
Goldilock Tasks
Now..That rewards
Autonomy Audit
ROWE
Sawyer Effect
20% Time
Flow
Sagmeister / Take [365-day] Sabbatical
Brain Bombs
Take a Page from Webber and a card from your pocket
If you want to emulate anybody’s success, especially if you in the business of creating things, Pixar has to be on the top list. I admired all the movies made by Pixar; I admired the creativity and the storytelling chops they showcase through these movies. But, after reading this book my admiration for this company have grown many folds.
Being an Agilist, I saw many parallels between the creative world of Pixar and my world of Agile. I was surprised and inspired to see that they have been practicing a lot of the Agile principle that we talk about. For example, they use ‘real day’ which is essentially what we call (Sprint) Review or the Demo.
This is one company worth emulating! This could be the ‘bible’ that you are looking for to build and sustain a creative company! This book definitely would be in the front of all the books on my bookshelf.
If Pixar is the hospitals, and movies are the patients, Brain Trust is all the trusted doctors.
Three Quotes from the book:
To be truly creative company, you must start things that will fail
Our people’s intentions are good and they want to solve the problems. Give them the responsibilities, let the mistakes happen, and let the people fix them
Mistakes are inevitable consequences of doing something new, without having them there is no originality
Three tips from the book:
Managers should loosen the control, accept risks, and trust their people
Pull up a chair (and start having conversations, ask open-ended questions).
Ask yourself, what happens when a mistake is found? Whose fault is this? [If this happens, your company is vilifying the failure]
Tools/techniques mentioned in the book:
Daily
Research Trips
Limits
Notes Day
Person week
Bonus check, that is hand written and hand delivered
