The Daily Standup

Memorial Day Special EpisodeBy late morning, the small town square was already filling with folding chairs, fluttering flags, and families dressed in red, white, and blue. The air smelled faintly of fresh grass and hot pavement, and the sound of a high school band warming up drifted across the park like a promise. People did not speak loudly. They smiled, hugged one another, and found their places with the kind of quiet respect that feels different from an ordinary holiday.At the edge of the crowd stood an older woman named Evelyn with her two grandchildren, Nora and Luke, each holding a small paper flag. Nora kept turning hers between her fingers, watching the wind catch the fabric. Luke, who was too young to understand the full weight of the day, looked mostly curious. He asked why everyone was gathering if Memorial Day was supposed to be a day off from school and work.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠⁠- [instagram] ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠⁠- [facebook] ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Losing Yourself In The Service of OthersHow do you serve others? How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

What Does a Delivery Manager Do and Do I Even Need One? A Delivery Manager is a client-facing, Agile project manager who acts as a servant-leader to ensure high-quality products are delivered in a predictable way. As the main point of contact between founders and Developers, the Delivery Manager keeps everyone connected and informed. They own the plan, align the product strategy and scope with founders and the team, and work closely with founders on priorities as well as future requirements and team changes.Delivery Managers lead all Agile ceremonies (such as meetings and workshops) and ensure teams can be productive and organized by unblocking issues, planning sprints, organising the backlog, driving efficiency, ensuring tasks are ready to be worked on and keeping the team motivated and empowered.Does someone actually believe this?

When The Work Wont Fit, Make It a Shared Problem - Mike CohnWhen a team says, “We can’t do all of that by then,” many leaders make the same mistake: 
They push harder.
They restate the deadline. They repeat the importance. They ask for more effort, more creativity, or more commitment.
But once the team has told you the work will not fit, pressure is usually the wrong next move.
Your job at that point is not to force a better answer.
Your job is to help find a better solution.
That starts by treating the gap as a *shared* problem.
Instead of asking, “Why can’t you do it?” ask:
 

• What is making this too big?
• What part is driving the complexity?
• What would a good-enough version look like?
• What could we defer and still get the outcome we need?

Those questions change the conversation.
Now the team is not defending an estimate. They are helping solve the business problem.
And that is where leaders add the most value.
Sometimes the issue is scope. Sometimes it's a dependency. Sometimes, one edge case is making everything larger than it needs to be.
Until you understand that, pushing for the original ask usually just creates a worse plan.
A smaller, smarter solution delivered on time is often far better than a bigger promise the team cannot actually keep.
So when the work will not fit, do not treat that as resistance.
Treat it as information.
The team is showing you where the real problem is.
Your role is to help decide what matters most, what can move, and what version solves the problem well enough for now.
Because planning works better when the request belongs to the leader, but the problem belongs to everyone.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

The 5 Whys and What We are MissingMost managers are excellent problem solvers. The problem is they’re solving the presenting problem, the one on the surface, not the real one underneath. And that’s exactly why the same situations keep triggering the same reactions, the same frustration, the same exhaustion.The Five Whys technique was originally developed in manufacturing to trace defects back to their root cause. But it works just as well on human behavior, including your own.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Adjusting the Leadership LensA senior leader said something to me recently that stayed.“My role has grown faster than the way I think about decisions.”It wasn’t a lack of capability orambition.It was the quieter realisation that leadership scale demands a different lens.In my work with leaders stepping into broader organisational roles, I often hear this moment. One leader described it this way:“I used to solve problems. Now I spend most of my time shaping how others see them.”That shift changes everything. As roles expand, what matters shifts too.It becomes less about solving quickly,and more about where you place your attention.Less about expertise, and more about how your influence travels across the teams and stakeholders.At senior levels, growth is rarely about learning more skills. It’s about examining how you think.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

The ART of Communication - How to Be Better EngagedAre you a great communicator? Listen today and find out! How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Project World | Business Analyst World - Day 3-4 ReviewDay 3 - Agile Fundamentals - One of the most common points of Agile adoption failure comes with the incremental on-boarding of Agile teams throughout an organization while not having everyone starting with the same foundational Agile knowledge. This workshop session is designed to help everyone on the team learn the fundamental principles behind what makes Agile work, and allows them to participate in several real world exercises. This structure allows everyone on the team to learn the ‘Why’ behind the ‘How’, and gives everyone a chance to leave with the tools needed to effectively do their job better. This session is designed for both new Agile / Kanban teams learning the ropes and experienced Agile teams who are trying to re-align or get started on the same Agile footing while establishing an internal Agile Center of Excellence. This workshop is often coupled with Agile Coaching in order to increase the effectiveness and impact. The Three Keys - Seeking & Embracing Success: Success can be defined by each of us in many different ways. The truth is there are three keys to a successful personal and professional career. Once we discover these keys and learn to use them, we are gifted the ability of a lifetime of success. This personal journey will teach you the importance of making dreams come true and give you the tools to make that happen.Day 4 - C-Suite Engagement - Too many transformation efforts stall not because the work is hard, but because the right people weren’t invited to the table — or they were, and nobody spoke their language. This session gives leaders a pragmatic, no-fluff playbook for turning executives from passive approvers into active sponsors. We’ll strip away the jargon and replace it with three things executives actually pay attention to: clear outcomes, short bets, and repeatable governance. Expect real templates (one-page decision memos, sponsor cadence scripts), live translation exercises to turn team metrics into executive value, and role-play scenarios you can use the moment you return to the office. If you want predictable, funded change — not theater — this workshop will help you get it. Attendees will leave with: • A one-page executive brief template that gets decisions — fast. • A sponsor-activation cadence that prevents “ghost sponsorship.” • Three scripts to convert technical/operational language into strategic outcomes.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Project World | Business Analyst World - Day 2 ReviewBeyond Delivery - Project success is too often measured at delivery. On time, on scope, on budget, yet real value is frequently lost after the work is “done.” In today’s evolving project and product environments, leaders are being asked to think beyond execution and focus on outcomes, adoption, and lasting impact. This session reframes project leadership through four enduring phases of successful work: Initiate (clarity and alignment), Discover (learning and risk reduction), Deliver (execution with feedback), and Release (adoption and value realization). While often associated with Agile thinking, these phases represent leadership behaviors that have always driven meaningful results when practiced well. Participants will explore how to manage stakeholder perceptions of value, make better decisions across the lifecycle, and ensure success is defined by outcomes, not just outputs. The session also introduces practical ways AI can support insight and decision-making, allowing leaders to focus more on judgment, communication, and impact. Key Takeaways Differentiate delivery success from value realization and explain why projects often fail after go-live. Apply the four phases (Initiate, Discovery, Delivery, Release) as a leadership lens across any delivery approach. Manage stakeholder perceptions of value throughout the lifecycle, not just at project close. Identify where value is commonly lost and take corrective action earlier. Use AI responsibly as a decision-support tool to improve insight, reduce risk, and strengthen outcomes.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Project World | Business Analyst World - Day 1 ReviewDay 1 was ABSOLUTELY amazing! The conference in Toronto proved not to disappoint. I did my session on day 1 about Shake your BA! Today, Tuesday, I am going to present my WAgile presentation! This is the BEST conference ever! How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/