bdarfler - Tumblr blog

[bdarfler]

People will take their emotional ques from how you frame and deliver information. This isn’t something you can avoid, so you might as well understand and work with it.

[bdarfler]

It can be so easy to fall into the trap of always shipping net new functionality, even when there is so much low-hanging value to be found in existing functionality. You built it for a reason, now help folks succeed with it!

[bdarfler]

“Determine why I am confident in my perspective. … If you can’t explain why you’re confident, then it’s extremely unlikely you’ll convince others. Once I’ve been able to determine where my confidence comes from, I’m able to articulate the strength of the feedback. … You can deliver a much higher volume of lightweight feedback than heavy feedback.”

[bdarfler]

I’m a sucker for organizational design theory. I like the model, and I also wonder how it best maps to a smaller organization, where teams will own multiple domains.

[bdarfler]

Great experience report on operationalizing a ‘business impact’ culture. They instituted explicit project validation in their workflow, a forum for conversation around creating impact, and a KPI review in all-hands meetings.

[bdarfler]

Great advice that hits a little too close to home 😅

[bdarfler]

“Too often, I see organizations give ‘directly responsible individual’ type accountability for projects. You tell this leader they have our permission to work across teams and do this work and do all these things. What I typically see is they don’t give that person that authority. What needs to happen is the leaders need to actually make hard decisions based on that person’s recommendations.”

[bdarfler]

“Don’t start with product, features, ideas, or hypotheses. Start with a good understanding of target audiences’ tasks, experiences, and pain points. Be solution-agnostic early in your process. Avoid the feature factory and order taking.”

[bdarfler]

Drama is tricky. It is easy to get pulled into the triangle and perpetuate the pattern. Empowerment and accountability are the antidotes.

[bdarfler]

Leadership is a continual opportunity to practice being a better human. “When leaders are able to do hard things in a human way, employee job satisfaction increases by 86%, job performance increases by 20%, and burnout decreases by 64%.“

[bdarfler]

I’ve lived in this world, and it simplifies and empowers at the same time. “So how do you get flexible Process, that can adjust to the changing needs of your organization? … Write down your process, and allow anyone to suggest changes. Tell everyone they can change the way the company runs.”

[bdarfler]

A few years back, Pete Karl II and I sat down to talk about Turn The Ship Around. The episode was never released … until now.

[bdarfler]

I’ve worked for fully distributed companies since 2017. It is possible to thrive in distributed workplaces. It’s not rocket science, but it isn’t always intuitive. Humans have worked in person for millennia, it's going to take a minute to adjust.

[bdarfler]

You had me at Wardley Mapping and Team Topologies

[bdarfler]

My Pokémon approach to frameworks is expanding into marketing frameworks.

[bdarfler]

Knowing which leg of the triathlon you are on is critical. Don’t bring your bike in the water.

[bdarfler]

A fantastic read on managing organizational change through experimentation and kanban flow.