Two Scrums Up – Details, episodes & analysis

It’s the Season 2 finale, we’re at the top of the mountain, and Sarah Rose and John are here to show you the view. Accompanied by multidisciplinary designer and founder of /ayd, Charis Alexander, they explore the question of what is really at the heart of driving ourselves and our teams towards more meaningful achievement? Together, they’ll guide you through the ways in which cultivating psychologically safe, equity-minded teams is a precursor to Flow State which, in turn, is the foundation of peak performance. In fact, the entanglement between these concepts is such that one experience may not be possible without the other.
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Referenced this week:

• Charis Alexander: https://layd.life/ 
• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Journal of Leisure Research, 24(1), 93–94.
• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding flow. New York: Basic.
• Ghosh, R., Haynes, R. K., & Kram, K. E. (2013). Developmental networks at work: Holding environments for leader development. Career Development International, 18(3), 232-256.
• MacCurtain, S., Flood, P. C., Ramamoorthy, N., West, M. A., & Dawson, J. F. (2010). The top management team, reflexivity, knowledge sharing and new product performance: A study of the Irish software industry. Creativity and Innovation Management, 19(3), 219-232.
• MacNeill, N., & Cavanagh, R. (2013). The possible misfit of Csikszentmihalyi’s dimensions of flow in the contemporary roles of school leaders. Management in Education, 27(1), 7-13.
• Maslow, A. (1965). Self actualization and beyond. Proceedings from the Conference on the Training of Counselors of Adults. Winchester, MA: The New England Board of Higher Education. 
• Moneta, G. B. (2004). The flow experience across cultures. Journal of Happiness Studies, 5, 115–121. 
• Quinn, R. W. (2005). Flow in knowledge work: High performance experience in the design of national security technology. Administrative Science Quarterly, 50(4), 610-641.

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Show Norms

• Be transparent about where we're at. Only record show when we're both ready.
• Tell me where your head is at. This will help us adapt to our moods and tones. 
•  Share the mic. Push for equity of voice in recording and editing.
• Respect each other's privacy. 
• Use 'I'. Avoid broad generalizations.
• Speak your truth. Stay positive, but honest.
• Ask WHY. If something's unclear, we push each other to clarify.
• We make decisions together. Nothing goes live unless we are both happy.
• We will make mistakes, tell me when so I can learn.

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Do you want to learn more about Scrum? Follow us!
Twitter / Facebook: scrumsup | Instagram: twoscrumsup

Find out more about Alley at https://alley.co

What is the right way to engage in feedback conversations? In this episode, John and Sarah Rose challenge traditional, default modes of feedback, including telling it how it is, blaming, and constructive criticism—all of which are unidirectional and assume one “right” answer. Instead, your intrepid hosts guide you out of the binary realm of one truth and walk you step by step through alternative models that contribute to building a feedback culture for growth.

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Referenced this week:

•  Exploring the relationship between learning and leadership. Leadership & Organization Development Journal. (Brown & Posner, 2001).
• Leading adult learning: Supporting adult development in our schools. (Drago-Severson, 2009). 
• How the way we talk can change the way we work: Seven languages for transformation. (Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. L. (2001).)
• Managing diversity at work: Does psychological safety hold the key to racial differences in employee performance?  (Singh & Selvarajan, 2013). 
• Situation, Behavior Impact Model (Center for Creative Leadership, 2020)

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Show Norms

• Be transparent about where we're at. Only record show when we're both ready.
• Tell me where your head is at. This will help us adapt to our moods and tones. 
•  Share the mic. Push for equity of voice in recording and editing.
• Respect each other's privacy. 
• Use 'I'. Avoid broad generalizations.
• Speak your truth. Stay positive, but honest.
• Ask WHY. If something's unclear, we push each other to clarify.
• We make decisions together. Nothing goes live unless we are both happy.
• We will make mistakes, tell me when so I can learn.

_____

Do you want to learn more about Scrum? Follow us!
Twitter / Facebook: scrumsup | Instagram: twoscrumsup

Find out more about Alley at https://alley.co

A quick(ish) update on the show -- enjoy!

There's a huge difference between being told this is a safe space and a space actually being safe. In this episode, Sarah Rose Belok unpacks how psychological safety can be fostered, honored, and maintained on a team.

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Do you want to learn more about Scrum? Follow us!
Twitter / Facebook: scrumsup | Instagram: twoscrumsup

Find out more about Alley at https://alley.co

All the agility in a project isn't worth its salt unless the end result is usable. User Story Mapping can help. Friend of the show, Jaimie Olmstead, explains how to navigate a team through their product user's journey to build a backlog, identify any missing items, and paint a complete picture of a project plan.

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Do you want to learn more about Scrum? Follow us!
Twitter / Facebook: scrumsup | Instagram: twoscrumsup

Find out more about Alley at https://alley.co

Scrum champions the MVP: deliver the minimum rapidly so you can iterate as soon as possible. But what about those moments when we find enough time to not only deliver an MVP but throw in a little extra delight to boot. Learn how Alley's Director of Development Operations Ben Bolton manages to deliver maximum value in an MVP package.

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Do you want to learn more about Scrum? Follow us!
Twitter / Facebook: scrumsup | Instagram: twoscrumsup

Find out more about Alley at https://alley.co

Standups. Backlogs. Fibonacci numbers? Getting up to speed with Scrum can be a challenge. This week, Senior UX Developer Kaitlin Bolling shares her tips and shortcuts to going from a Scrum zero to a Scrum hero!

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Do you want to learn more about Scrum? Follow us!
Twitter / Facebook: scrumsup | Instagram: twoscrumsup

Find out more about Alley at https://alley.co

Projects are full of many big decision points, but what about the small decisions we make every day. In this episode, Ken and John discuss the choices we make to fully close out a sprint.

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Do you want to learn more about Scrum? Follow us!
Twitter / Facebook: scrumsup | Instagram: twoscrumsup

Find out more about Alley at https://alley.co

How can you navigate the natural tension between scoped bodies of work and the agility of Scrum? Alley Partner and Chief Strategy Officer, Brad Campeau-Laurion, discusses the nuts and bolts of contracts in an Agile environment.

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Do you want to learn more about Scrum? Follow us!
Twitter / Facebook: scrumsup | Instagram: twoscrumsup

Find out more about Alley at https://alley.co

Scrum relies on doing the most important work first, but how can you prioritize two competing deliverables for a single team? In this episode, D. Scott DiPerna walks us through ways to make tough decisions less daunting and how to more courageously deliver on our product backlog.

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Do you want to learn more about Scrum? Follow us!
Twitter / Facebook: scrumsup | Instagram: twoscrumsup

Find out more about Alley at https://alley.co