Presentation given to Women in Agile Houston on 30 April 2020. This is the static version, edited post-presentation to include poll results.

1. Courageous Agile
How to work together when the world is falling apart
30 April 2020 @ 6 p.m. Zoom MeetingHouston, TX

2. What is
Courage?
The ability to do something that frightens
one; strength in the face of pain or grief.
Origin: “heart” as source of feelings, ‘corage’
Courage starts with showing up and
letting ourselves be seen.
Brene Brown

3. VALUES: Ethical Code of Practice
http://www.scrum.org
Courage is the most important of
all the virtues, because
without courage you can't practice
any other virtue consistently.
Maya Angelou
Coronavirus Lockdown,
Day 5425*
A discussion about courage
must directly confront our fears.
*NOT REALLY, BUT IT SURE FEELS LIKE IT

4. What are some
of our greatest
fears right now?
Exercise (3 min):
Log into poll and add the top 1-2 fears
you feel are dominating our lives at
the moment.
Credit: Layers of Fear video game, screenshot from GamePressure

5. Word Cloud results from poll during meeting, 30 Apr 2020

6. ▪ At work: With your teams or in your situation
▪ In surviving while looking for work
What is the
greatest fear
you’re facing?
Credit: Nanses Nanai (DeviantArt)
Exercise (2 min):
Write this down on a sticky or notepad
for you to identify later (private)

7. What does Frozen 2 have to say about Courageous Agile?
Video located at https://youtu.be/gyFub7IuoJQ

8. Throughout she practices openness and
specifies each major fear she feels
Calls out her fears by name
She feels a strength to go on and decides
to do the next right thing
She chooses courage
She admits she doesn’t have the answers, so will take small
steps to move forward (e.g. small increments)
“I don’t know”
While taking small steps, she continues to address her fear
openly and stays focused on what is immediately in front.
Limits scope
How does Anna reflect Agile leadership amidst a brutal crisis?
She remains hopeful for the future
“And with the dawn, what comes then?”
(…the next increment)
https://images.app.goo.gl/VsmCamwQC1pstFP4A

9. Pic: https://www.teepublic.com/mug/6860858-do-the-next-right-thing-from-frozen-ii
Go back to the fear you wrote down.
▪ Where do you need to practice courage the most to face it?
▪ How can you overcome that fear?
What is the
next right thing
you need to do?
Exercise (2-3 min):
Write down several things you can do
right now to make small steps toward
practicing courage in your situation.

10. How can we start
practicing courage?

11. LIBERATING STRUCTURES
TRIZ & MIN SPECS
TRIZ (35 min)
Stop counterproductive activities and behaviors to make
space for innovation/moving forward
Space: Groups of 4 to 7, chairs, paper to record
(tables discouraged)
▪ 5 min: Introduction
▪ 10 min: List actions that produce the worst results
possible (1-2-4-ALL)
▪ 10 min: List current actions happening that resemble
ones of first list. (1-2-4-ALL)
▪ 10 min: Which of these actions will you stop first?
(1-2-4-ALL)
Min-Specs (35-50 min)
Specify only the absolute “must-dos” and “must not dos”
for achieving a purpose
Space: Groups of 4 to 7, chairs around tables
▪ Invitation: Generate Max Specs “all of the dos and don’ts
to achieve a successful outcome. “If we broke or ignored
this rule, could we still achieve success?”
▪ 6 min: Generate list of all activities (1, then groups)
▪ 15 min: Test each spec, drop it if possible (Groups)
▪ 15 min: Do second round if needed (Groups)
▪ 15 min: Consolidate across groups to shortest possible
list (ALL)
www.liberatingstructures.com

12. Quick Reference for Difficult Conversations
Allow Conflict to Surface
Healthy vs. unhealthy conflict
will surface. How you address each
makes a difference.
Address Negative Conflict
Gently but Directly
Do not allow negative conflict to linger,
especially in remote settings. Reach out
and make sure issues are addressed.
Avoid “Blame Game”
Stay on facts, stay away from emotional
indictments or shifting to blame. If you
veer, redirect back to issues and away
from heated emotions.
Paraphrase
Actively listen and repeat back to those
in difficult conversations what you heard
and confirm understanding.
State the Truth Upfront
Do not dance around issues. State
conflict up front and directly in the first
sentence, then focus on next steps.
Keep Goals Realistic
You are not going to solve world peace in
a single conversation. Keep immediate
needs first, then plan future steps.

13. Other Ways to Practice Courageous Agile
Practice Intentional
Empathy
Take the coaching stance of empathy
and positive intent OVER that of motive
and frustration.
Expect the Unexpected
We are in unprecedented times with a new
fun thing emerging every day. Breathe and
prepare for things to emerge.
Invoke the 6th value:
FORGIVENESS
Repeating because it’s that important.
Assume positive intent, practice
empathy, then forgive and move on.
Choose the good.
Focus on Agreements
Conflict + fear = erosion of trust
Have intentional conversations around
agreed upon behaviors that serve the
needs of your teams
Intentionally reflect the
behaviors you expect in
return
Courage is a virtue.
Being right is not.
You can choose courage or
you can choose to be
comfortable. You cannot
choose both.
Brene Brown

14. Values rewritten: https://www.scrumalliance.org/ScrumRedesignDEVSite/media/ScrumAllianceMedia/Public%20Relations_2/What-is-Scrum-Backgrounder-2014.pdf
Courage: Because we are not alone, we feel supported and have
more resources at our disposal. This gives us the courage to
undertake greater challenges.
Focus: Because we focus on only a few things at a time, we work
well together and produce excellent work. We deliver valuable
items sooner.
Commitment: Because we have great control over our own
destiny, we become more committed to success.
Respect: As we work together, sharing successes and failures, we
come to respect each other and to help each other become worthy
of respect.
Openness: As we work together, we practice expressing how we’re
doing and what’s in our way. We learn that it is good to express
concerns so that they can be addressed.
SCRUM Values
http://www.scrum.org

15. THANK YOU
for having me

16. CONTACT
Information
Erica J. Henson (me)
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ericajanine
Email: erica@raylantech.com
Blogs & Podcasts
Tandem Coaching Academy: tandemcoaching.academy/posts-articles
Medium: www.medium.com/@ericajanine
(Coming soon – giantfishbowl)
Scheduling
www.raylantech.com
tandemcoaching.academy (affiliated)

17. REFERENCES
Description Link or Citation
Article: The Six Attributes of Courage https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-mindful-self-express/201208/the-six-attributes-
courage
Definition of [courage] http://english.oxforddictionaries.com/courage
Article: Sustained Business Agility with
EBM and Scrum
https://smoothapps.com/index.php/2014/04/nine-risks-to-sustained-business-agility-and-how-to-
manage-them-with-an-evidence-based-approach-using-scrum/
Liberating Structures (+elephant pic) http://www.liberatingstructures.com, www.holisticon.com
Kano Model https://www.productplan.com/glossary/kano-model/
Photo: Houston skyline (cover) http://www.fincherart.com, https://www.etsy.com/nz/listing/654482556/downtown-houston-skyline-
and-be-someone
Photo: Bluebonnet photo http://travlinphoto.com/?fbclid=IwAR11ikryygXicMgHi8mmndfGiHo_RgJnmH5TqdF99X39C4pltD7HG
0bZuYU
Photo: Desk with books, portrait,
mic with screen
Courtesy of Erica Henson
Fonts used Source Sans Pro, Bahnschrift Semibold SemiCondensed, Modern Love Grunge, Stencil