Feeling Agile

Moving On

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:56:03 -0400

I finally decided to start writing again.

This could be good, or not. All of you – if there actually are any of you – will be the judges of that.

But. Change, as I tell the folks I train and coach and, I hope, help, is constant. Annoying, difficult, unexpected-yet-expected, all of that.

This particular instance of my site, and this version of my blog, was created using Apple’s iWeb tool, mostly because I was lazy and wanted to do something easy and quick.

All the while, though, just like Apple did when it switched away from its initial OS and hardware, I’ve been keeping two versions of this blog running (if you can call a handful of posts in over three years “running”): the one here hosted at MobileMe and created on my laptop using iWeb, and another badly designed yet roughly parallel version over at Wordpress.com.

I’m moving on. Bye, iWeb. Hello, redesigned Wordpress site.

I’ll be drawing on the advice, prodigious talent, energy, and experience of my friend and very-popular-actual blogger and Tweeter Pam Dyer, whose excellent Pamorama site has content and readers (and whose Twitter feed has nearly 50K followers!).

This site will, then, go away. With luck, it will go away as simply, elegantly, and finally.

You got here via michaeljtardiff.com, and you’ll get to the refurbished site the same way. But you’ll also be able to get there through my nom de blog, feeling-agile.com (and it’s many variants).

And that’s the way it is today, 24 August 2011.

Lost, Now Found

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:54:02 -0400

I’ve been away for a bit.
But now, here I am, aloft and winging my way home to Seattle, deciding that it’s time to actually write the 482 posts that I’ve sketched out, started, even nearly finished.
I have a lot to say; I need to get in the habit of actually saying it, here.
Here’s what got me going again, inspired me, really: reading Steve Job’s resignation letter. The man has, for ever so long, had a knack for being essential, spare, and very, very clear.
As even this post indicates, I do not have such focus, discipline, or talent.
But let’s see what I do have, shall we?
It’s good to see you again.

Remember and Remind

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 01:59:04 -0400

Trees have long memories, and they speak to us. So when I was home at the end of May to bury my Dad’s ashes, we all planted a tree in the front yard for him. Nadia (she’s on the left above) dug the hole, and my Mom (on the right) made sure it was straight and watered.

Only a few feet away was, until only a few months ago, a Japanese cherry that we’d planted way back in the early Sixties after we moved into the house. That tree grew up as I did, and became nearly as tall as my bedroom window. I think of it often, and with those thoughts flood back memories of my childhood.

I hope the same thing happens with this flowering pear and memories of my Dad.

The Agile Coach: “Is Coaching a Role or a Profession?”

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 21:05:56 -0400

Episode 3 finally hits the Web and the iTunes Store; you can also listen right now by clicking the player below the picture above.

Thanks for waiting. I’m not sure I fulfilled the promise I so rashly made previously to have this episode arrive more quickly, but hey. Turns out that editing takes longer than I thought, especially when I have to make us sound good.

We break new ground this time, bringing in a guest and recording without a net, exploring whether coaching is a role or a career. Skip and I are joined by our colleague Dhaval Panchal, whose insights and point of view on this subject make both of us wonder if we shouldn't just step back and let Dhaval continue the podcast in our stead.

This one surprised even us—we learned things we didn’t know as we talked. Without a doubt, our best show yet. Listen and see if you agree, and tell us.

What’s The Agile Coach? It’s a periodic podcast exploring the challenges and joys of being an Agile software development coach. Skip Angel and I talk over something having to do with what we do every day, then if it’s interesting, we keep going, this time in front of microphones. We’re interested in going where you want to go, so let us know where that might be.

It looks like we're managing to get a show out each month. We're trying to speed that up, but we'll see.

The Agile Coach: “Establishing Trust”

Tue, 12 May 2009 05:00:04 -0400

You've been patient, and I appreciate it. Here's your reward: the second episode of The Agile Coach, entitled "Establishing Trust."

In a little over 20 minutes, we—Skip Angel and Michael Tardiff—explore how an Agile coach establishes trust with those she or he is trying to help...and what can happen when that trust is lost. We tell stories of our successes and a few failures in this crucial aspect of coaching...and we barely scratch the surface of the subject. You can expect future episodes on different dimensions of trust.

Getting out the second episode of the podcast (the first one with real content), was trickier than we thought. Some unexpected travel forced us to try a "double-ender," where the two of us, separated by 3,272 miles yet joined by the Internets, each record our own high-quality audio while watching and listening to each other using Skype. (The picture above is of the "studio" I set up in my childhood bedroom to record my end of the show.) To our astonishment, it worked, although not without a few complications and a bit of variable audio quality. We're learning, and we expect that not distance, nor rain, nor snow, nor gloom of night will stay this podcast from its appointed schedule in the future.

Some of you have written to tell us you listened to and liked Episode 1, which was pretty content-free, really. If you liked Episode 1, you'll love Episode 2. For the rest of you who are a bit harder to please...try Episode 2. You'll like it. Let us know what you think, because that's what makes all this work. Tell us what worked, what didn't, and what you want to hear in the upcoming episodes by sending us a message
We think we've worked out the syndication issues, and we're now on iTunes: search for "The Agile Coach" or just click here.

We promise that Episode 3 will come along a lot sooner than this one followed the first!