by Esther Derby | Mar 3, 2011 | Organizational Change, Systems and Complexity
A while back I was contacted by a potential client who wanted to “go agile.” But they wanted to do it in a deterministic manner. They wanted a plan, complete with milestones and dates–mostly indicating that other people had changed their behavior as dictated... by Esther Derby | Nov 22, 2010 | Coaching, Collaboration & Teams, Organizational Change
A good idea is a valuable asset, and a lot of good ideas are a treasure trove. But what do you do with those ideas? Here’s a little story about an idea maker who isn’t very good at getting his ideas accepted…and 4 influencing skills to hone so your... by Esther Derby | Nov 3, 2010 | Leadership & Management
When companies decide they want the benefit of the team effect, or adopt agile methods, they (sometimes) realize that they need to update their management style as well. And too often, they enter an 4-step dance of oscillation. Managers feel overburdened and... by Esther Derby | Aug 13, 2010 | Leadership & Management, Systems and Complexity
Questions matter. The questions we ask open one avenue of inquiry, but close others. If we want to change the way we manage, we need to change our questions. And so, here are my slides from my talk at Agile 2010: 14 Essential Questions aimed at refocusing... 
by Esther Derby | Jun 24, 2010 | Leadership & Management, Systems and Complexity
We’ve long lived with the assumption that the people at the top of the organizations are the ones who understand the business. They understand the market, the product, the customers. They hold the financial information about how the company makes money and the...
