Life Without Semesters

Daily reflections on doing work that matters. No maps. No deadlines. Just the audacity to lead, create, and carve your own path every day.

Our Products are 50% Cheaper

“Our products are 50% cheaper than those of our Competitors.

We are cheaper, better and for everyone.”

Constantly cutting prices to attract more customers is a race to the bottom.

If the people you attract are only there because you were the cheaper option, they will move on to the next cheaper option.

What’s better?

Building trust and capturing attention.

Trust can’t be bought.

So what do you do?

Focus on establishing genuine connections with your audience, providing reliable products or services, and communicating transparently. By prioritizing trust and attention over price wars, you can create lasting relationships that extend beyond the immediate appeal of being the cheapest option.

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Whistling Lessons and Leadership Reflections

Teaching a 5-year-old to whistle requires a lot of patience. This morning, as I tried to impart this skill to my child, I reflected on the essential steps found on Google:

Use a mirror.
Lick those lips.
Pucker up.
Tuck the tongue.
Blow.
Practice.
Be patient.

Undoubtedly, the last step is crucial, as teaching a child to whistle can be a challenging and, at times, frustrating task for the instructor. As I repeatedly asked myself, “Why is she not getting it?” I recalled a similar challenge I faced while leading my first team.

During the implementation of CI/CD for the first time, our team had to acquire cloud computing skills. In the initial months, mistakes were abundant as we learned by doing. Although I had encountered some of these issues as a cloud engineer, my role was not to solve the problems but to make them visible for the team to figure out solutions.

The innate “Engineer” in me yearned to fix things for the team, but I understood that doing so would hinder their long-term growth. It demanded patience, a quality I had to cultivate to better serve my team.

Leaders must acknowledge that those they lead possess immense potential. Creating an environment where mistakes are not only accepted but encouraged is vital. Allowing individuals the agency to be courageous, to try new things, and to experiment is how leaders foster a team of innovators, not mere followers.

Reflecting on my own learning experiences, I can’t recall how I learned to whistle, nor do I remember anyone teaching me. Some skills simply come naturally.

Today marks Day 1 of teaching my child to whistle. Tomorrow, we try again, and we are excited to embrace the learning journey

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Embracing Medium Rare Leadership

You’re at a restaurant, eagerly anticipating a perfectly grilled steak. What if I told you that your approach to Agile transformation could learn a thing or two from that steak?

In the world of Agile, we often get caught up in the pursuit of perfection. We aim for well-done processes, thinking that’s the path to success. But let’s pause and consider this: What if, like that steak, your leadership in Agile could be “Medium Rare”?

Empowering Your Team: A Human Approach

Think about the best meals you’ve ever had. Chances are they were made with passion, care, and a dash of creativity. Medium Rare Leadership in Agile is all about bringing that human touch into your transformation journey.

Imagine a world where your team is not just a cog in the machine but a group of individuals with unique skills, insights, and perspectives. Medium Rare Leadership is about giving your team room to breathe, experiment, and innovate. It’s recognizing that the best solutions often come from those closest to the work. Instead of micromanaging, we trust our teams to make decisions, take ownership, and learn from their experiences.

Balancing Structure and Freedom: The Chef’s Secret

Now, let’s talk about balance. Just as a Medium Rare steak has a delicate balance of sear and juiciness, Medium Rare Leadership strikes the equilibrium between structure and freedom. We provide a framework and guidance, but we also embrace change and adaptability. We know that too much structure can stifle creativity, while too much freedom can lead to chaos.

Nurturing Agile Mindsets: The Heart of the Matter

At the core of Medium Rare Leadership is the cultivation of Agile mindsets within your teams. It’s about creating an environment where your team members feel valued, heard, and encouraged to bring their best selves to work. It’s about fostering a culture of continuous learning, where mistakes are seen as opportunities for growth. It’s encouraging open communication, collaboration, and the sharing of ideas.

Measuring Success Differently: A Journey, Not a Destination

In the Medium Rare Agile world, success isn’t solely about meeting rigid milestones; it’s about the journey and the lessons learned along the way. We celebrate small wins, learn from setbacks, and adjust our course accordingly. It’s about realizing that Agile transformation is not a destination but a continuous journey.

So, as we embark on our Agile transformation journeys, let’s remember the lessons from the kitchen. Sometimes, the most delicious results come from a little flexibility, a pinch of trust, and allowing our teams to be “Medium Rare.”

Bon appétit to your Agile transformation!

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Build Better Courses

In the competitive world of online education, one sure way to stay ahead is to build better courses.

Deliver Quality Content:

- Ensure your courses are well-structured and packed with valuable information.
- Keep your online learning platform user-friendly and free from technical glitches.

Engage with Students:

- Employ friendly and responsive instructors who actively interact with students.
- Create a sense of community within your virtual classroom, fostering connections among learners.

Continuous Improvement:

- Strive for excellence by consistently improving your course materials and delivery.
- Encourage feedback from students to refine your teaching methods.

Craft Memorable Learning Experiences:

- Go beyond the basics by making each class memorable through interactive elements, engaging assignments, and innovative teaching methods.

However, what often occurs instead is a rush to adopt catchy marketing strategies, discount-heavy promotions, cost-cutting measures, and rapid expansion. This approach builds a barrier around your educational services, limits your innovation, and forces you into a race to the bottom. You risk becoming just another generic online course provider, engaging in unnecessary price wars and missing out on opportunities for growth.

This phenomenon isn’t exclusive to online education; it applies to various industries, including monopolistic internet access and freelance graphic design. In times of uncertainty or doubt, remember the core principle: make better educational experiences. Focus on delivering high-quality content, fostering student engagement, and continuously enhancing your courses. By doing so, you’ll rise above the competition and create a lasting impact in the online education landscape.

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Show Up, Even When It’s Hard

Last year, I hired YuYu (great guy!) to revamp my website. I also made a personal commitment: to write and publish something every single day. But here’s the kicker – I didn’t show up.

The past year spiraled into a whirlwind of craziness, a rollercoaster with its highs and lows. I could sit here and list a thousand reasons why I fell short, why I didn’t stick to my promise. But the truth is, excuses won’t cut it.

R-E-S-I-S-T-A-N-C-E

Let’s talk about resistance. If you’re out there trying to create something that truly matters, you’ll know it well. It’s that sneaky voice in your head that makes you hesitate, the force that pulls you away from your work. It can take on a million different forms, each one more convincing than the last.

Speaking of resistance, have you ever read “The War of Art” by Steve Pressfield? If not, I highly recommend it. This book opened my eyes to the battle we face when we’re chasing something meaningful. It’s about dancing with our fears, about acknowledging the resistance and still forging ahead.

So, what’s the takeaway? It’s simple: show up, no matter how tough it gets.

Looking back at what I’m writing right now, I realize I’ve been down this road before. But this time, things are different. This time, I’m not just making empty promises. I’m here, writing these words, owning up to my lapse and rekindling that commitment.

This isn’t about sounding fancy or getting attention. It’s about holding myself accountable. Tomorrow is another chance, a blank page waiting for me to fill it with my dedication.

See you tomorrow!

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Agile Series: 5 Tips For Coping With Waterfall Withdrawal

Have you ever tried to stop coffee and found it hard to or invested in some lifestyle goals but struggled to keep up after a couple of weeks?

It typically goes like this:

The first couple of days go smoothly then you take just one cup, just one piece of cake and before you know it, you found yourself right back where you started.

Sounds familiar?

We go through similar situations when we make attempts to transition from an old approach to delivering value to a new version.

We saw a need for a new way of working, we long for the benefits, took the leap and said, “you know what? We are going Agile.” We all shook hands and cheered to the beginning of something amazing.

However, after a year, we seem to be right where we started; we seemed to be moving in circles and we say, “maybe Agile is not for us.”

Maybe.

Agile is not for everybody but if you are trying to compete globally and meet fast changing market demands, Agile is your best bet and it’s frameworks have been proven to work to create adaptive solutions to complex problems.

Change is tougher than we think it is.

Old habits die hard so how do you cope with the withdrawal symptoms that come with moving to Agile?

Here are 5 ways to ease off the withdrawal symptoms that accompanies Agile Transformation from Waterfall:

It is a Journey: Understand that Agile transformation is a journey and it is never a smooth one but as long as we stick with each other, we will get better while we reap the benefits incrementally.
Mirror not a Bullet: Whatever Agile Framework you and your teams embrace is not a quick fix to whatever problems you are trying to solve, they are simply mirrors that helps you see rooms for improvement and the onus is on the teams and organizations to make necessary adjustments for continuous improvement.
Reflect and be kind to yourself: Forgive yourself when you slip or make mistakes, the goal is not to avoid mistakes but making better ones.
Create Agile maturity models: Growth and change are in stages and the concept of agile is in incremental delivery, we can apply this to the way we make transitions. Set goals for the organization and teams and measure your progress and you go. An example is the crawl walk and run model
People trumps Processes all the time.

Thanks for reading, keep crating work that matters.

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