I knew it had been a while since my last /now-style update, but eight months!?

Quick version:

• Kids are back in school, which in our case is never a content-free statement about the passage of time
• Most everyone’s been getting a little better at whatever they need to be getting better at
• But not me for a while, as I’d thrown myself (in a controlled manner) into work
• That concluded, and lately I’ve been free to focus on better-getting in all the ways

Some things I’ve learned or been reminded of:

One of my favorite moves when joining a manager or team is to offer to share my professional weaknesses. It’s my job, of course, to keep a handle on my own internal challenges. But when we’re working together to accomplish goals that matter for people who matter, on a timeframe where it can still matter to them, we need to be open with each other about issues that could affect shared outcomes. It’s also quite simply the kind of working relationship I want to have. But just as not everyone is willing and equipped to share this information about themselves, not everyone is willing and equipped to responsibly handle hearing someone else’s.

Extreme Programming is a specific set of values, principles, and activities aimed at solving a specific set of problems affecting businesses built on developing software. Between that and the name, I figured it’d be unlikely to find two serious XP devotees with any significant process-philosophical distance between them. I’m still considering whether my expectation needs to be revised.

Projects are inherently risky. Projects that by design cannot promptly demonstrate return (or no return) on investment are extra risky.

I’m one of the best teammates you’ll ever have.

None of this matters unless I have my health.

When people think of me as an expert in some context, there will be ways in which they are wrong. When I think of someone else as an expert in some context, there will be ways in which I am wrong.

There’s always more to learn. An expert is someone who keeps learning even when learning is harder to find.

When I think of myself as an expert in Extreme Programming, coaching, and the intersection of the two, I’m not wrong. On the contrary, I’m more sure of it than ever.