Daily Buzz: Agile Development Strategies

Flexibility and adaptability are two of the most important traits for both organizations and professionals in an evolving world.  Business needs are are constantly changing—and how agile you are in responding to those changes can spell success or disaster.

“Agile development planning yields a living, breathing tool that guides employees toward making development a daily part of their lives,” says Julie Winkle Giulioni in a post on SmartBrief  (opens in a new tab). “And it offers leaders the information they need to offer regular support, guidance, feedback, reinforcement, and recognition.”

A strong agile development  plan starts with setting multiple goals. “The employment landscape is too dynamic to focus one’s efforts on a singular goal,” Giulioni says. “Additionally, given the fickle nature of jobs themselves, goals should focus less on what people might want to ‘be’ and more on what they want to do.”

From there, people should create a list of immediate action steps for how to meet those goals and then align them with their work on all levels, changing and adapting when the industry calls for it.

Unconscious Bias Problems

“As long as we are human, we’re hardwired with biases–both conscious and unconscious.” Great insights from Jane Matthews on fighting your unconscious #bias  (opens in a new tab). https://t.co/u8kkjVJLDn  (opens in a new tab)

— Karen Greenbaum (@KarenGreenbaum) October 16, 2018  (opens in a new tab)

Leaders make a multitude of decisions every day based on a range of factors, including one that isn’t top of mind: unconscious bias. But as long as we’re human, there’s no way to “de-bias” ourselves—it’s hardwired into our DNA, according to a post from the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants  (opens in a new tab).

AESC spoke with Jane Mathews, an author and trainer in unconscious bias. “Clearly understanding what unconscious bias is and how our brains work is a crucial step,” she says.

To uncover unconscious biases, Mathews suggests examining past decisions that failed. “Find out what went wrong and why,” she says. “Think about the areas you tripped on and how you got to your decision, and then explore them rigorously.”

Other Links of Note

Don’t let membership feel like a chore. The Membership Guys have some tips to avoid that problem  (opens in a new tab) in their latest podcast.

Like most organizations, you’re on a budget. But it shouldn’t hold back professional development  (opens in a new tab) for your employees, says The NonProfit Times.

Banning tech won’t make meetings more productive—engaging topics that work with tech will  (opens in a new tab). John Brandon from Inc. explains.

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