August 2013 – The Daily Standup

Ok, I don’t really believe Confucous actually said this.

So we are at our Indiana house, bored as we watch movers pack up our life’s treasures. I stumble across a box of stuff (junk) and find messages from Chinese fortune cookies that my wife has saved. I am not sure why she saved them, but don’t dare to ask. As I was idly looking at these gems of wisdom, the message above caught my eye.

There are a lot of famous leadership phrases that get tossed around by managers. I am as guilty as anybody of repeating something I have heard. Most of the time, I don’t even know who the originating author was, or what the context was. So why should the message from a fortune cookie be any different?

Let’s say it again: “You inspire others with your principles.” When was the last time you thought about your principles or ethics? When it benefitted you?

Are principles and ethics borne in our DNA or are they learned behavior? I don’t have any idea. My daughter told me that it might be both. I believe people around us learn best by observation.

Our learning starts immediately after birth. YouTube is filled videos of babies that are mimicing adults. As we grow older, we continue to learn by watching those around us in a variety of situations. Our observations of our parents, grandparents, family, friends, coaches, and even TV provide ample opportunities for us to learn the underlying principles. Over time, our own version of principles in terms of right and wrong are permanently engrained in our brain. As we age, we are less influenced by those around us. Because principles get embedded in our brain early, it is often difficult to modify them later. The term “They are set in their ways!” is used to explain why some people won’t change.

As we interact in our daily lives, others are observing us. Our sons and daughters learn about relationships by watch their parents. Our co-workers learn about principles in the work place by watching their peers. Leaders establish the bar for what principles will be followed in their organizations by the principles they demonstrate. I intentionally left the word “communicate” out of the last sentence.

Remember: Our actions speak louder than our words.

Thanks for coming in today.
Chris

I can’t seem to get this phrase (An idiot with a tool is still an idiot.) out of my head. Maybe because it seems so prevalent today. Not only in our work life, but in our personal life as well. As humans, we make choices every day that directly effect how we proceed through life. Yet, we always are looking for the latest and greatest that will correct or cover up our human flaws. Think of the various Gut-B-Gone infomercials which tout that if we buy their latest version, we will get six-pack Abs in six weeks. We whip out our credit card and make the leap. Once it arrives, we use it once, and then it ends up in the basement or the attic, eventually making it’s way to Goodwill. Instead of buying the Gut-B-Gone, we should have saved our money, eat less, and exercise more.

What does this have to do with the title of this post? If you bought the Gut-B-Gone, you are the idiot! The Gut-B-Gone will only give you six-pack Abs if you use it correctly on a regular basis.

I find the same thing in my professional life. Sales representatives and spam email tell us that if our company purchases this piece of software or adopts the new methodology, all of our problems will be solved. Without identifying what caused the problem in the first place, companies are the idiot with the tool.

Over the last few months, I have talked to folks who will tell me Scrum does not work for them. When I have dug in to understand what the challenges are, I have found the challenges always existed. Everyone knew they were there, but nobody had to act on the challenges because it was never surfaced. Yet, using Scrum, the impediment had to be dealt with.

Adopting Scrum won’t fix your corporate culture. Scrum also won’t make your software better by itself. The idiot(company or individual) has to be determined not to be an idiot any more. Once that occurs, the tool will most likely deliver as promised.

Are you willing to make the change yourself to accomplish things in a better way? Is your group, department, or company?

Thanks for coming in today.
Chris

The Daily Standup

Monthly Archives: August 2013

Part Duex: An idiot with a tool is still an idiot.