Events

The idea of 'command and control' is one that many have and still do experience. Despite that, it is not always clear what it means because there are levels to it. There is a clear way-over-the-line type of control, but often the line is less clear. In this session, we will dig into the term and what it can mean by looking at what types of statements and behaviors people make when people believe they are 'using command and control.' We will explore reasons people may use it and also if it is working or not. . .

For this session, we will start off providing you with a few minutes to practice what you have learned while covering some basics for others. For those that have been to a prior session, we will be looking for you to show us some new icons/images that you have started to draw/practice drawing. If you missed prior sessions, be on time and you will have a few minutes to catch up on some topics.

We will then focus on designing a new poster and then (ideally) creating at least a draft (one we don't have and you don't have). We will choose a poster from a concept one of you (attending) suggests or, if you do not have suggestions, we will provide a few suggestions for posters that we will need, but have not created yet. In order to create the poster, we will discuss the topic, summarize it, and then look at options to create the poster. What should be on the poster? When should we add items? What colors? What shapes?

Conflict is a natural part of working together as a team, and can be incredibly disruptive. Go beyond the surface level, and learn a method to identify and address conflict in ways that your team will accept.

Pushback is a ubiquitous response to change – so much so that effective change leaders expect it and don't take it personally. In this session, we'll explore three reasons that people might push back against a proposed or announced change, how those reasons are typically expressed, and what helpful responses to each of them are.

Effective sponsorship is critical for successful change. Many sponsors fall into the trap of delegating sponsorship tasks to change agents who have the knowledge but not the authority to carry them out. This session explores why this happens, what problems it causes, and how sponsors and change agents can avoid this trap.

The attributes that make a Scrum Master great are often misunderstood, misinterpreted, and oversimplified. This week, join guest presenter Elena Maksumova as she uncovers and explains key attributes and competencies, as well as the most popular pitfalls you should avoid.

Impediments are everywhere, but it can be difficult to determine which ones are actual problems and which are "fake." In this session, we help you learn how to better assess impediments and ensure that you're focused on the real issues.

What happens or could, when you let your team select the framework they use? We will look at what it might mean to "select the framework" as well as what the phrase "they use" means. What are factors to consider to decide if you should allow this (assuming you have a choice) and what they teams should do before they make a choice. . .

Coaching can be a powerful tool for learning, growing, and improving. But why does so much coaching fail to land? When someone gives you unsolicited, unexpected, and (possibly) unhelpful “coaching,” how do you respond? This session explores your options for making the most of these challenging situations.

What exactly are the “rules” when it comes to agile or scrum? What happens when you must break a rule – like when your boss makes you a Scrum Master and a Product Owner? Is that allowed? Will the Scrum Police come for you? The short answer is, they will not, unless you post what you are doing on Twitter (don’t do that). There are many of these types of challenges within agile, scrum, kanban and other approaches. This session will explore many of these issues and options to address these challenges, including why people say this in the first place!