Navigating the Agile Dance Floor: The Rumble as a New Ceremony
Greetings to the thinkers, the doers, and agile enthusiasts who dance through sprints with grace and grit. If you've twirled through agile's well-coordinated ceremonies, you might wonder, "Do we really need another?" Well, bear with me. What if we added a touch of vulnerability and openness, inspired by Brene Brown's "rumble" from "Dare to Lead"?
Introducing the Rumble
A 'rumble', for the uninitiated, is a space for candid conversations anchored in vulnerability, honesty, and open-mindedness. It pushes teams to dive deep, surface underlying issues, and address them fearlessly. But it's not about confrontation. It’s about connection. It’s about understanding and embracing different viewpoints, having strong opinions but holding them loosely.
The Rumble's Role in Agile
Agile thrives on feedback, iteration, and adaptation. The rumble, as a ceremony, can further bolster these principles:
Promote True Collaboration: It's not enough to just work together. Teams need to understand each other, challenge assumptions, and get to the heart of disagreements. The rumble offers a structured space for this, encouraging members to voice their perspectives and listen actively.
Foster Flexibility: The rumble is the antithesis of rigidity. By encouraging team members to have strong opinions but to hold them loosely, it nurtures a culture of adaptability and openness to change.
Cultivate Trust: Open conversations, where members feel safe to be vulnerable, inevitably lead to deeper trust. Trust that colleagues will speak their truth, trust in the collective wisdom of the team, and trust that disagreements are just pit-stops en route to better solutions.
How to Rumble in Agile
Set the Stage: Start by creating a safe space. This isn’t about finger-pointing but about understanding. Use humor, puns, or anecdotes to lighten the mood. Remember, if you can't be smart, be funny!
Facilitate Fearlessly: Nominate a facilitator who ensures everyone gets a chance to speak, that conversations remain constructive, and that the focus remains on learning, not blaming.
Act on Insights: The rumble isn’t just a talking shop. Conclude with actionable insights or experiments for the next sprint, informed by the discussions.
Iterate: Like all agile ceremonies, the rumble itself should be open to iteration. What worked? What didn't? Refine the process as you go along.
Final Thoughts
If agile's dance is all about moving swiftly and in sync, then the rumble adds depth and dimension to that dance. It’s a move that challenges, stretches, and ultimately makes the team more cohesive and versatile.
So, as we waltz through the world of agile, perhaps it's time to make room on the dance floor for the rumble. After all, sometimes to find harmony, you need a little bit of a shake-up. Stay agile, and as always, if you can't find the rhythm, at least find the rhyme.