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News, articles, books, podcasts, and videos about how to make the workplace better.
Today's mixtape covers six themes: the Agile Manifesto's 25th anniversary and how its original spirit of discovery got buried under certification culture; a Fortune 500 CEO arguing that lean fundamentals should precede AI adoption; Wheeler's case for Process Behavior Charts over conventional dashboards; research showing socially connected leaders generate deeper alignment than command-and-control types; Jamie Flinchbaugh's piece debunking common misunderstandings of Respect for People; and a reminder that facilitators struggling with stakeholder alignment often need a better framework, not more “presence.”
Operational Excellence, Improvement, and Innovation
25 years of Agile: it wasn't uncovered, it was always about uncovering
Twenty-five years after the Agile Manifesto showed up and everyone decided to monetize it, it's worth remembering what it actually meant. Agile was supposed to be about discovery and community, real teamwork and learning, not an endless parade of scrum masters, product owners, and buzzword bingo. As Allen Holub points out, we lost the plot somewhere between the manifesto and the consultants' slide decks.
Give me that old time lean: Fortune 500 CEO prescribes lean as a pre-requisite for AI
It's time to dust off the works of Ohno, Nakao, Imai, or Katahira. Is “old school” lean back in the Fortune 500? Unlikely, given where we are in the AI hype cycle, but at least a few CEOs continue to embrace kaizen as a pre-requisite for layering AI on process.
Making sense of observational data
Most operational dashboards continue to be noisemakers rather than signal detectors. Dr. Wheeler demonstrates again how process behaviour charts are often superior to the default displays of data when it comes to detecting performance signals. But your boss will probably still insist on showing traffic lights and pie charts, so, onto the next…
Creating a Culture of Improvement
Socially central leaders drive deeper alignment
Big organizations are messy ecosystems, and the leaders who thrive aren't the loudest commanders but the human glue between teams. Last month I shared why socially savvy “bridgers” are essential for scaling innovation. Now MRI-backed research adds fuel to the fire: authoritative leaders can secure obedience, but socially central leaders win real alignment and commitment. Translation: barking orders gets you nods; building bridges gets you momentum. Connection actually matters.
What “Respect For People” isn't
Respect for people is an oft-omitted but essential principle of operational excellence, partly because it's misunderstood and misinterpreted. Respect doesn't mean being “nice” or toxically positive. Jamie Flinchbaugh reminds leaders what respect for people looks like by explaining what it doesn't look like in 4 myths about the principle of Respect For People.
Coaching – Developing Self & Others
You're not lacking presence, you're lacking a map
Many improvement leaders and consultants are tapped to drive cross-functional change, and we often cast ourselves as the hero who finally cracks the tough nut. But standing before a room of reluctant, diverse stakeholders and trying to align them isn't for the faint of heart. You can lose the room without being a bad facilitator; people simply experience you in different ways. The problem isn't your presence, it's that you don't have a clear map.
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