For the first thing, we can read something about change management, and the internet at this moment is full of webinars, articles, and recommendations.

The second topic demands much more, it demands from us to change our mindset, to challenge the way we work and how we communicate.

Once again, Agile values could be more than important to help us to adapt and be more resilient to change.

Let’s shortly revise Agile values:

1) Individual and interactions vs Processes and tools 

2) Customer collaboration vs Contract negotiation

3) Working software vs Comprehensive documentation

4) Responding to change vs following a plan

You can find a lot about these values on the internet, books or videos.

But, people want something more. To read about people, their feelings and expectations during “corona time”. To see the human side of agility. That’s the reason why is so important to ignite a spark of creativity, and stay mentally and physically healthy.

The teams we work with, inspire us to share their best examples and practices of how they succeeded in being human in this challenging time. In the following articles, you are going to find good ideas corresponding to every Agile value.

1) Individual and interactions vs Processes and tools

At this time, I would dare to say again, “people first”. In this time, leaders should pay attention more than ever to their teams and every team member. Processes and tools will be there, no need to worry.

We should focus on people and their interactions. In this, “self-distance” time, people need more than ever interactions among them. We lack a small chat in front of the entrance, helping colleagues to prepare a coffee at the break, or enjoy in branch with the team members. People should be more creative than ever.

We are proud of the teams we work with, they are very creative, and they embrace the new circumstances. They’ve already implemented:

• Every Monday team members prepare breakfast in the morning and eat a meal in front of the monitor with other colleagues at the same time using zoom and talk to each other about daily tasks
• Some of them spend their free time with colleagues watching movies or shows also together with zoom with one, “sharing” instead of a big screen. They have literary made a theater from the living room and drink a beer “together”!
• They have “tea time” at five, so using zoom they can feel what does it mean to be part of something bigger
• They celebrated the 24th birthday of the company, with CEO speech and toasting to the more than 50 online colleagues

The new ONLINE training, „Applied Agile Leadership“. More info: https://cetbalkan.com/applied-agile-leadership-online/