On the importance of creating the right organizational culture (Thanks to Andrew)

By the time we got to 100 people, even though we hired people with the right skill sets and experiences, I just dreaded getting out of bed in the morning and was hitting that snooze button over and over again Corner Office – Tony Hsieh of Zappos – Celebrate Individuality – Question – NYTimes.com.

On why an Agile approach is better suited to deliver value (Thanks to Alfonso)

Most organizations that depend on software are struggling to transform their lifecycle model from a “development” focus to a “delivery” focus. This subtle distinction in wording represents a dramatic change in the principles that are driving the management philosophy and the governance models – Improving Software Economics

On the meaning of Agile transformation for managers

What many people mistakenly do is equate agile project management with doing more work, with less documentation and fewer people. Although the premise is to get more done in a more favorable way, I have never met a team that could successfully implement agile principles without having to slow down first - VersionOne – Agile Adoption For Managers.

On the fact that the true value of an organization is not mapped via its organizational chart

But it’s not the fact that you have many more boxes and lines that I’m most envious of.  It’s your “white space” I want – Oh, Yeah? Well, My Org Chart is Bigger and More Beautiful Than Yours!

On the need to manage self-organized teams when required

The interesting thing is, the further we go into agile management territory the less typical the managerial job we expect. Teams are self-organizing and cross-functional, and sometimes we think a manager should just get out of the way. By the way, surprisingly often this is exactly the best choice. But whenever one of the asshole-moments is needed, it is time to show up and do what has to be done. Otherwise the atmosphere starts rotting as people wait for someone who will fix things. Someone who will do something about this guy adding a new technology every time he reads some nice article. Someone who will deal with that lass taking a few days off because she doesn’t really care about the project being late and the team working their butts off to get back on the right track. That’s always a job for a manager, and a harsh one, no matter how self-organized the team is - Good Managers Sometimes Have to Play Assholes – NOOP.NL.

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2. Interesting blog posts on Leadership (November 27, 2009)
3. Other interesting blog posts

Inspired by a colleague, I recently decided to document my reasons for showing up at work on my personal page of our company’s wiki. A few people “copied” the idea and told me it helped them crystallize their purpose and helped them focus on their contribution toward the success of the organization. Some of them told me others outside our organization might be interested in this – so here it is. There is no copyright on the content so feel free to use it.

My dream for Pyxis

Using varied and innovative approaches Pyxis substantially increases the level of performance of companies it serves. As such, Pyxis generates a high profitability that it re-distributes to its shareholder-employees and to the community.

To its shareholder-employees:

• By introducing the 80% rule where shareholder-employees receive 100% of their salary while working 80% of the time on an annual basis. Individuals use the remaining 20% to spend more time with their family and their friends, their colleagues and their community;
• By paying annual bonus and dividends in relation to company performance;
• By increasing the capital value of the company.

To the community:

• By allocating financial and human resources to advance social causes.

My personal commitment

In line with the vision, mission, values and culture of the organization, I pledge to exercise strong leadership, to ensure the sustainability of our operations and to support the organization’s growth by deploying efforts and resources needed to achieve the objectives.

My reason for being

In line with my personal commitment to the organization, my goal for the next 24 months is to act primarily on the following 4 vectors:

1. Establish an Agile Business Intelligence consulting practice.
2. Participate in the sales and marketing process for our products and services.
3. Lead the definition and implementation of our corporate strategy.
4. Support the development and capabilities of my “golfers” through the Caddy process.

My commitment as the owner of the strategic process

I promise to take the leadership and work with all interested individuals in the establishment and implementation of a corporate strategy allowing the organization to achieve its objectives and its mission.

My commitment as a caddy

I am unwavering in the individual success of my players, my caddy and the caddy team.

You might be interested in these related posts:

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3. Owner of the Strategic Process