Tonic’s Rules to Live by

Tonic’s Rules to live by are quoted without permission from a little booklet I got at the SIGGRAPH ’93. Be kind Put things where they belong. Few are won over by misplaced, misalinged, misdesigned anything. Form, really, is a function. Be kind to the user. Observe a lot. Test everything—because sometimes “common sense” is neither. It’s hard to make …

People, Product, Process

So, everything boils down to changing ”’human behavior”’ based on ”’feedback”’ and ”’learning”’. People give each other feedback and feedforward so the may learn to cooperate and collaborate better. So doing, they improve their behavior. We run a ”’Lean Startup”’ to pivot like crazy in order to improve our product, while the product and its …

Just Say No

Just say no to make your yes mean something.  Spending your limited time on the things that really matter creates a more intentional and solid yes, builds trust and coherence. If you believe that you must keep your promises, overdeliver and treat every commitment as though it’s an opportunity for a transformation, then the …

The Universe on Agile

This just in, a [http://www.tut.com/inspiration/nftu Note from the Universe] captures the essence of agile: Start it; you don’t have to be fancy. Keep moving; you don’t have to go crazy. Visualize; you don’t have to admit it. See the end result; it doesn’t have to be material. Expect miracles; they don’t have to be huge. …

Rehearse to boost adaptive power

General Stanley McCrystal from the U.S. Joint Special Operations Task Force in [https://hbr.org/2015/08/what-companies-can-learn-from-military-teams HBR » What Companies Can Learn from Military Teams]: I still believe in rehearsals, but I’ve learned they have a different value. When I joined the Army Rangers in 1985 we’d rehearse airfield seizure operations—we’d parachute in wearing night vision goggles, and …

Teaching is learning

The one who learns the most is the teacher, not the students. Teaching, in contrast to being taught, is a wonderful way to learn. Schools have reversed the proper role of students and teachers—the roles that were played in the old one-room school house. The students taught each other with assistance from the teacher as …