Books that help you earn the ability to benefit from technical excellence!

We've talked about "wisdom from books" and something like the "Radio Free XP" bookshelf.

On today's episode, we work to formalize the topic, and get into how and why _Turn The Ship Around_ and _Never Split The Difference_ can help people improve their tech career experience.

Elisabeth Hendrickson and Janice Fraser, what else could you want to know?

Recording Date: Jan 16, 02024

Hosts: Tony Hansmann && Jesse Alford

Guest: Bryon Kroger

Brian Kroger is the founder and CEO of Rise8.us. A consultancy inspired by the Pivotal Model. Bryon works in the DOD and calls himself a bureaucracy hacker.

In the episode, he points out that once you understand how the bureaucracy is “programmed,” you can often get a lot further than you can in private industry. 

Listen through to all the way!

Tony && Jesse

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Rise8 Company Description

Rise8 delivers software for Critical Missions. We are revolutionizing the way government agencies build, deploy, and utilize critical software.   

Rise8 is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) with headquarters in Tampa, FL, and a fully-remote workforce.

Purpose

Drive relentless progress.

We own relentless progress. We can always do better. The moment we stop thinking that, the moment we stop pushing for a better future - bad things happen.

Promise

Critical outcomes in prod (real, rapid, reliable).

Logo

The Rise8 logo emphasizes the number 8 and is a symbol of the paired relationship we practice with our clients at every level of operation. The slash within the 8 is a 78-degree angle as a nod to the Japanese proverb that inspired our name: “Fall seven, rise eight.”

Recording Date: 2023-11-13

Hosts: Tony Hansmann && Jesse Alford

Guest Name: Mala Janus

Contact information:

Guest: Mala Janus is a Pivot who has never worked for Pivotal. She’s an XP practitioner who learned both the Dev and PM side of things while working at a large client who built their own Pivotal-style Lab.

All Pivots know the magic experience of meeting new Pivots, the origin stories, the comparison of how “we do things here,” the seeking of accord, alignment, and camaraderie, which are the foundation for effective pairing.

To all Pivots everywhere, we wish you Happy Hoildays and a working model that makes sense to you.

Recording Date: 2023-11-15

Hosts: Tony Hansmann && Jesse Alford

Guest Name: Thomas Squeo

Social media:

Guest: Thomas Squeo

Title: Let’s Play “Bet your Badge” with Thomas Squeo (01h:30m)

One of the greatest things about being in the field for Cloud Foundry was meeting leaders who were deploying not just Cloud Foundry but an array of transformation solutions. 

Thomas Squeo's roots in XP go back to the early 2000s when he was an early Beck practitioner who worked with both Pivotal Labs and Thoughtworks. What sets Thomas apart is that he has done everything from being a line developer to being the CTO of Entrado, a global 911 provider, among other things.

Jesse and Tony talk about what it takes to not just do XP but also what the IRL challenges you will face when transforming an organization.

Grab a notebook and buckle up.

Recording Date: 2023-11-13

Hosts: Tony Hansmann && Jesse Alford

Guest Name: Drew McManus

Drew has a 30+ year career with orgs that are serious about software. He got involved with Pivotal Labs around 2006 and shepherded the practice until 2020. 

Social media:

Recording Date: November 10th, 2023

Hosts: Tony Hansmann && Jesse Alford

Guest Name: Alex Tran

Alex Tran has spent time at Code For America, Pivotal, and touring around the US helping Climete Tech companies. He’s got a new UX Consultancy focused on climate, wellness, insurance, and govtech clients.

We had the type of really fun conversation I miss having with Designers! We talk about his pairing journey, design on a balanced team, and some of the principles he teaches his design students.

Social media:

Hosts: Tony Hansmann and Jesse Alford

Guest: Steve Sorenson

Contact information: [email protected]

Tony talks to Steve. Jesses and Tony about it.

Recording Date: 2023-10-31

Hosts: Tony Hansmann && Jesse Alford

Guest: Cptn L. David Marquet (Retired)

Introduction to the Leader/Leader (With Tests!)

In Cloud Foundry R&D, there was a moment when the leadership team decided they needed a new model. The book they turned to was “Turn the Ship Around” by David Marquet.

Today, we talk with David about the outline of the Leader/Leader process and how to adopt it. He recommends, “Start with self.”

Join us for this overview Leader/Leader and learn a test-driven, solo exercise to “start with yourself.”

David Marquet's Contact and Social Media

Books:

From the discussion:

Recorded: 2023-10-25

Hosts: Jesse Alford and Tony Hansmann

Summary:

True Believer Davis Frank joins us to share his pairing journey, what the transition from solo to pair feels like, and what happens when "pairing is just not a fit" for a staff member.

After the pair journey, Jesse and Davis make the case for joining the Pivotal Diaspora.

Join us to mainline some Pivotal goodness.

Davis recounting his Paring Journey on stage at Golden Gate Ruby Conference in 2013: https://dwf.bigpencil.net/gogaruco-2013-storytime/