🎙️ Last week, I had the pleasure of chatting with Quincy Jordan for my “Us…Only younger” podcast.  We had a great discussion and discovered we have a lot in common. 

🎙️First, we are both working in the agile space. I was curious how he ended up as an Agile Practitioner. What road did he follow?  Not only are we in a similar profession, but we also completed in the same sport, track and field. There is something special about a track athlete. 😊

🎙️During our discussion, we shared one of the coaching principles we learned from our track coaches that we continue to use in our professional lives. And finally, we also had parents who frequently sent us outside as kids and told us to play until the streetlights came on. I can’t even imagine doing something like that today. 

⭐Quincy’s short bio: With more than 25 years of experience, Quincy Jordan is an adept leader with a propensity to guide enterprise clients along complex transformation journeys. He is experienced at helping leaders identify the right problems to solve, articulating a crisp vision, prioritizing a strategic roadmap, and creating organizational alignment for teams to effectively deliver value.

Enjoy!

Have you ever met someone at work, and you just hit it off?  You don't know why but there is just something special there in the interactions. Perhaps you had good conversations, or you gave each other a hard time, or even better, perhaps you were able to get advice or brainstorm some ideas with someone. You know you can’t just do this with everyone. There must be a level of trust there. I feel very fortunate to have more than one of these types of connections. And at the top of this list is Rusty. I met him a while ago and it was just magic. The biggest thing he brings to the table he is one of the best allies and advocates of our DEI initiatives. You can see his commitment to everything he does, and I feel fortunate to have met him.  

This was fun and he gives one of the best pieces of advice I have heard when it comes to interviewing for a new job. Are you looking for a new role? Do you know someone who is? If so, share this podcast with him or her.  

So, what was little Rusty like as a kid? How did he find his way to IT? Rusty is a great storyteller and very entertaining. You do not want to miss this one. Enjoy! 

We are back!! This is a difficult time for many, and I am hoping to help with this episode. Are you or someone you know looking for a new position? If so, you must check out my discussion with Jeff Campanella. Jeff and I worked together at a previous company, and I enjoyed getting to know him. We are both from NY and it was a joy hearing his stories about our home state. 

Jeff Campanella is a 25-year veteran of the talent acquisition domain. He's currently the founder of HireSource Consulting Solutions, providing TA expertise to clients nationwide. He has a love for helping people find jobs and solving problems for employers. His expertise and love for his job are palpable. Jeff also has a book coming out soon called, “Job Hunt Hacker, Tips, Tricks & Hacks to Help You Find Your Dream Job.”  I learned a lot and hope to pass along this information to anyone looking for their next position. If you know someone looking for a job, please share this episode with them. Stay tuned for our second conversation when his book is available! Enjoy!

I can’t think of a better way to kick off my Season 2 than introducing you to Laura Chang. I had the pleasure of meeting Laura in one of the many agile, scrum training classes that I attended. Her vast experience ranges from being a diplomat to working in the fields of medical/pharmaceutical supply chain, automotive connected technologies, semiconductors, telecom, and security operations.  In her spare time, she is an instructor and teacher, and advisor to Collin College in Cyber Security. 

I love the way she’s taken her communications degree to expand in those areas. She recounts a story about a teacher who told the Asian students in her class that they could only speak English in class.  Imagine the impact that has on a child, making you feel a little nervous, different, etc. And who knew she was drawn to history?  Like me, she also didn’t have a lot of direction in what she wanted to be.  In high school, she had her parents come up to her to tutor her kids. Even then, people realized that she had a gift of communicating and helping others, early servant leadership for sure. It is true, people can tell when you care about them and want to help and her desire to help is palpable.  Her ability to ask the right questions and also help others find the right solution makes Laura one of those special Agile Practitioners. This one was fun, and I look forward to our next conversation. 

Have you ever met someone who started out as Software Engineer and eventually decided to become a Scrum Master? I have and her name is Angie Pate. I met Angie while we were both working at Toyota and I knew she was special immediately. 

Lots of people want to be Software Engineers. My son does. It's an interesting job and definitely is a sought-after occupation.  So why did Angie decide to come to the dark side with me and many others and become a Scrum Master? She tells an interesting and relatable story. 

I loved catching up with Angie. She has quiet confidence and has a way of putting you at ease when you speak with her. I am grateful to have met and worked with her.  I know she is a fantastic  Enterprise Agile Coach now and I am proud to share our latest podcast with you! Enjoy! 

"My life mission that drives every interaction with every individual I encounter is simply this: To leave you better than I found you with each encounter." - Cherie Silas

What is better than that?  I can't really think of anything. Imagine being able to find your purpose and the crux of this mission is to help others and leave them better with each encounter?  I still wish I had come up with those words. :)  I am thrilled to share with you my discussion with Cherie Silas,  MCC, CEC, CTS, ORSCC, TCA-AH and EMCC Master Coach.  

I had the pleasure of meeting Cherie a few years ago in an Advanced Scrum Master class.  If you are a Scrum Master and want to improve your skills, I highly recommend you give this class a try.  I learned so much in this class and meant some great people with whom I am still in touch with today.  I also hired Cherie for a while to help coach me! Yes, everyone needs help and she was the person who help me realize that I could actually move to an Agile Coaching role.  Being able to talk to someone and work through whatever challenges or big decision you face is INVALUABLE!!!

Cherie,  Michael de la Mazza and Alex Kudinov recently release their book, "Enterprise Agile Coaching - Sustaning Organizational Change Through Invitational Agile Coaching." We discuss the book and share some good insights. Will there be another book?  We discuss this too, check it out! Thank you Cherie for your time!!! 

“As  a manager,  you have to be able to recognize your talent and let your talent go, if they choose to go…”   -Anthony Jackson 

In celebration of Black History month, I am thrilled to share this new episode with you. In this  episode, I chat with one of my collegues from a previous job. I met Anthony when we worked at market research company.  Anthony was in charge of our Infrastructure department and he definitely had his work cut out for him. He was part of the leadership team. During this time, there were not a lot of people of color in these roles and I remember watching him from afar.  To me, he seemed unphased by the weight of this responsibility but then again, I never really spoke to him about it then. Fortunately for me, I was able to touch on it in our discussion. 

When I asked him about helping others and how he determined his staff, he shared this quote, “You have to be willing to let go, whether it’s the specialization that you do or the people you have around you.” He certainly nailed that one. I can remember a time when people tried to hold on to team members, even if it meant keeping them for bigger roles.  I think about this now and can't imagine doing something like this but I can remember how things were. We also talked about the 'siloing effect' that happens by steering minorities candidates to certain roles. This conversation is so timely to our current day and space.  Enjoy! 

In this “Us…Only Younger” episode, I chat with my friend Jeryn Laengrich. I met Jeryn when I joined the High-Tech High Heels Board of Directors.  I can still recall the day I met her.  We were attending a group ideation session and I was assigned to a group with Jeryn. I enjoyed listening to our breakout group strategize and share ideas. And then Jeryn spoke, and I thought “Woah, ok she is special!!” She has a way of drilling down on the right action and watching her dissect possibilities was amazing. As if that weren’t enough, the best part for me was hearing her southern accent. It reminded of some of my relatives and felt like home to me. 

What’s it like to be the 1st born daughter of an engineer? How do you carry the expectations shared by your parents who expect you do the best and be the best? How can you be the best and gain the validation desired? One of Jeryn’s favorites sayings asks whether sometimes are our weaknesses our strengths out of bounds?  She credits her parents that didn’t force her to go into fields that were largely  held by women and to find her passion.  My favorite quote in this podcast is when she says that we've lost the 'care' in healthcare. Want to know how this has happened? Check out this episode.  Thank you Jeryn!!

Bob Galen is an  author, Agilist,  Agile coach, Trainer and Mentor. He shares his musing on his blog site, (https://www.agile-moose.com/) , his MetaCast podcast ( https://www.meta-cast.com/) and of course, he is an active LinkedIn Member. I met Bob in a training class, the Certified Agile Leadership -1 Class (CAL-1) a few years ago. At that time, I was considering being an Agile Coach.  I had a blast in this class and realized that a lot of the things we covered, I knew and I also learned some other great tips and tricks. If you get a chance to attend any of Bob’s classes, do it, you won’t be disappointed. 

What’s it like growing up on a farm?  What advantages and disadvantages can it provide?  How old was he when you started working a real job? What road does this particular Agilist traverse to arrive where he is today? Do you know your superpowers? Bob does and he nails his, make no mistake. Knowing your superpowers is so helpful when navigating life personally, professionally, etc. One of my superpowers is that I can recognize greatness in someone, and Bob has a lot of this. Sit back and enjoy our discussion.  Thanks again Bob, had a blast! 

This week, I was able to interview Tim Dickey, one of those Improvers. I think I met Tim through a mutual friend, and we instantly connected. He is bright, so thoughtful and caring and such a big supporter. He is a great source of knowledge and a good friend. He always makes me laugh and is sharing more and more knowledge about his life and experiences and helping to solve problems. He recently shared a presentation for the Expert Agile Club called, “Sorry, I Cannot Hear You Over My Awesomeness – How Being a Hero Erodes Trust.”  I mean just the title alone is amazing.  I hope you enjoy our discussion as much as I did.