AgileMidwest2018-Goulet-KeynoteCommunicationCodeStrategistsTechnicians

1. THE MARRIAGE OF
COMMUNICATION & CODE
@andreagoulet
ANDREA GOULET
CEO, CORGIBYTES
HOW STRATEGISTS AND TECHNICIANS
CAN EFFECTIVELY WORK TOGETHER

2. @andreagoulet
We remodel
existing
software to
make it stable,
scalable, and
secure.
WHEN I
WAS
IN HIGH
SCHOOL….

3. @andreagoulet
We remodel
existing
software to
make it stable,
scalable, and
secure.
THERE
WAS
THIS GUY…

4. @andreagoulet
COMPUTER
SCIENCE
(VA TECH)
MARKETING &
BUSINESS LAW
(VCU)

5. @andreagoulet
I’VE BEEN READING YOUR BLOG
FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS.
I NEED BUSINESS HELP. I WANT
YOU TO RUN MY STARTUP.
HIGH SCHOOL
REUNION 2009

6. @andreagoulet
THAT’S NICE SCOTT.
YOU DO KNOW I HAVE NO IDEA
HOW SOFTWARE IS BUILT, RIGHT?
HIGH SCHOOL
REUNION 2009

7. @andreagoulet
THE WAY YOU TALK ABOUT
COMMUNICATIONS IS JUST LIKE
PROGRAMMING.
I THINK YOU’D BE A GREAT
DEVELOPER.
HIGH SCHOOL
REUNION 2009

8. @andreagoulet
BESIDES, SOFTWARE IS
CHANGING.
I’M REALLY INTO XP AND AGILE.
TRUST ME, YOU’LL LOVE IT.
HIGH SCHOOL
REUNION 2009

9. @andreagoulet
I SAID YES…

10. @andreagoulet
A FEW YEARS LATER, SCOTT
ASKED ANOTHER QUESTION…

11. @andreagoulet
I SAID YES AGAIN…

12. @andreagoulet
BUT OMG IT’S BEEN TOUGH TO
WORK TOGETHER SOMETIMES!

13. @andreagoulet

14. @andreagoulet
FOREST OR TREES?

15. @andreagoulet
TECHNICIAN
(TREES)
STRATEGIST
(FOREST)

16. @andreagoulet
TECHNICANS SEE TWIGS

17. @andreagoulet
STRATEGISTS SEE CONTINENTS

18. @andreagoulet
• CONTEXT SWITCH EASILY
BETWEEN PROJECTS
• IDEA POLLINATORS
• TYPICALLY FUTURISTS
• COMMUNICATES IN
METAPHOR
• PATTERN THEN DETAILS
STRATEGIST BEHAVIOR

19. @andreagoulet
• CONTEXT SWITCH BETWEEN
PROJECTS IS EXPENSIVE
• IDEA COLLECTORS
• SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS
• SPECIFIC ABOUT WORD USE
• DETAILS THEN PATTERNS
TECHNICIAN BEHAVIOR

20. @andreagoulet
• SHARING VISION
• BEING ASKED TO DIVE DEEP
ON ONLY ONE THING
• WORK NOT TYING TO A
BIGGER GOAL/INITIATIVE
• “CODING” IS INTIMIDATING
• OVER-OPTIMIZES
STRATEGIST CHALLENGES

21. @andreagoulet
• COMMUNICATING THE
VALUE OF THEIR EFFORTS
• BEING ASKED TO WORK ON
MULTIPLE PROJECTS
• DEADLINES & ESTIMATES
• EXPERT PROBLEM
• OVER-ENGINEERS
TECHNICIAN CHALLENGES

22. @andreagoulet
COMMUNICATION
FRAMEWORKS

23. “I” STATEMENTS
@andreagoulet
COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORK #1

24. @andreagoulet@andreagoulet
HOW TO NOT
SOUND LIKE THIS GUY

25. @andreagoulet
I FEEL …
WHEN YOU…
BECAUSE…

26. @andreagoulet
THIS WORKS FOR CODE
REVIEWS TOO…

27. @andreagoulet
BEFORE

28. @andreagoulet
AFTER

29. LISTEN, VERIFY,
VALIDATE
@andreagoulet
COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORK #2

30. @andreagoulet
LISTEN VERIFY VALIDATE
put your feelings
on the shelf
don’t
interrupt
active
listening
upon
completion
anything
else?
after each
phrase
empathy
feelings
matter

31. SHAME VS. GUILT
@andreagoulet
COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORK #3

32. @andreagoulet
DR. BRENÉ BROWN

33. GUILT
@andreagoulet
SHAME
“I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH. I’LL
NEVER LEARN HOW TO BE A
MARKETER/CODER.”
source: h*p://www.amazon.com/Daring-Greatly-Courage-Vulnerable-Transforms/dp/1592408419/
“THIS IS A SKILL. IT’S NEW
AND I’M FRUSTRATED. BUT
I CAN LEARN IT.”

34. @andreagoulet
“Shame corrodes the very part of us that
believes we are capable of change.”
-DR. BRENÉ BROWN
Source: I Thought It Was Just Me: Women Reclaiming Power And Courage In a Culture of Shame

35. @andreagoulet
BLAME
DISCHARGING DISCOMFORT AND PAIN WE
FEEL FROM SHAME. IT HAS AN INVERSE
RELATIONSHIP WITH ACCOUNTABILITY.
source: h*p://www.amazon.com/Daring-Greatly-Courage-Vulnerable-Transforms/dp/1592408419/

36. @andreagoulet

37. YES, AND…
@andreagoulet
COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORK #4

38. @andreagoulet
WELL, ACTUALLY

39. @andreagoulet@andreagoulet

40. @andreagoulet
RULES OF IMPROV
1. SAY YES
2. SAY YES, AND
3.MAKE STATEMENTS
4.THINK HAPPY ACCIDENTS
Source: Bossypants by Tina Fey

41. RADICAL CANDOR
@andreagoulet
COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORK #5

42. @andreagoulet
CARE PERSONALLY
CHALLENGE
DIRECTLY
Source: www.radicalcandor.com

43. @andreagoulet
CARE PERSONALLY
CHALLENGE
DIRECTLY
RUINOUS
EMPATHY
Source: www.radicalcandor.com

44. @andreagoulet
CARE PERSONALLY
CHALLENGE
DIRECTLY
MANIPULATIVE
INSINCERITY
RUINOUS
EMPATHY
Source: www.radicalcandor.com

45. @andreagoulet
CARE PERSONALLY
CHALLENGE
DIRECTLY
OBNOXIOUS
AGGRESSION
MANIPULATIVE
INSINCERITY
RUINOUS
EMPATHY
Source: www.radicalcandor.com

46. @andreagoulet
CARE PERSONALLY
CHALLENGE
DIRECTLY
RADICAL CANDOR
OBNOXIOUS
AGGRESSION
MANIPULATIVE
INSINCERITY
RUINOUS
EMPATHY
Source: www.radicalcandor.com

47. @andreagoulet
RADICAL CANDOR
Source: www.radicalcandor.com
HUMBLE HELPFUL IMMEDIATE
PRIVATE (CRITICISM)
DOESN’T PERSONALIZE
PUBLIC (PRAISE)

48. INCEPTION
INTERRUPTIONS
@andreagoulet
COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORK #6

49. YOU GOT A SEC?
@andreagoulet

50. @andreagoulet

51. @andreagoulet@andreagoulet

52. @andreagoulet@andreagoulet

53. BEES & BEETLES
@andreagoulet
COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORK #7

54. @andreagoulet
STRATEGISTS (THINK BROADLY)
PROJECT 1 PROJECT 2 PROJECT 3 PROJECT 4 PROJECT 5
TECHNICIANS
(THINK DEEPLY)
CONTEXT

55. @andreagoulet
In your own box, you are like a bee,
context switching relatively easily.
Outside of your box, you’re like a ground
beetle. Context switching requires focus
and sometimes significant resources.
CONTEXT SWITCHING = GETTING TO
THE TOP OF A DIFFERENT FLOWER

56. @andreagoulet
PROJECT 1 PROJECT 2 PROJECT 3 PROJECT 4 PROJECT 5
TECHNICIANS
(THINK DEEPLY)
Technicians pay a high cost
switching between projects.

57. @andreagoulet
STRATEGISTS (THINK BROADLY)
PROJECT 1 PROJECT 2 PROJECT 3 PROJECT 4 PROJECT 5
Deepening technical knowledge for
strategists requires significant resources.

58. @andreagoulet

59. @andreagoulet
EXPAND THE BOXTHE MAGIC OF MOBBING

60. @andreagoulet
STRATEGISTS (THINK BROADLY)
PROJECT 1 PROJECT 2 PROJECT 3 PROJECT 4 PROJECT 5
TECHNICIANS
(THINK DEEPLY)
CONTEXT

61. @andreagoulet
STRATEGISTS (THINK BROADLY)
PROJECT 1 PROJECT 2 PROJECT 3 PROJECT 4 PROJECT 5
TECHNICIANS
(THINK DEEPLY)
CONTEXT

62. @andreagoulet
STRATEGISTS (THINK BROADLY)
PROJECT 1 PROJECT 2 PROJECT 3 PROJECT 4 PROJECT 5
TECHNICIANS
(THINK DEEPLY)
CONTEXT

63. COMMUNICATION
SINGULARITY PRINCIPLE
@andreagoulet
COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORK #8

64. @andreagoulet

65. @andreagoulet
“The Singularity will represent the culmination
of the merger of our biological thinking and
existence with our technology, resulting in a
world that is still human but that transcends
our biological roots.”
-RAY KURZWEIL
Source: The Singularity Is Near by Ray Kurzweil

66. @andreagoulet
“The COMMUNICATION Singularity will represent
the culmination of the merger of our STRATEGIC
thinking and TECHNICAL SKILLS, resulting in a
world that is still CORPORATE but that
transcends our SILOED roots.”
Based on a quote from Ray Kurzweil in his book The Singularity Is Near

67. @andreagoulet

68. @andreagoulet

69. @andreagoulet

70. @andreagoulet
COMMUNICATION SINGULARITY
AKA “MAGICAL COLLABORATION ZONE”

71. NO MORE
“NON-TECHNICAL”
@andreagoulet
COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORK #9

72. LEAVE GOOD ARTIFACTS
@andreagoulet
COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORK #10

73. @andreagoulet
WRAP UP

74. @andreagoulet
STRATEGISTS & TECHNICIANS
CAN WORK TOGETHER.

75. @andreagoulet
COMMUNICATION
FRAMEWORKS HELP US
UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER

76. @andreagoulet
WE CAN TRANSCEND OUR
SILOED PAST BY EMBRACING
STRATEGIC THINKING AND
TECHNICAL SKILLS.

77. @andreagoulet
CONTACT INFO
@andreagoulet
@corgibytes
corgibytes.com
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