☻ The economy of s-miles ☻

as promised: a second post-Agile-France post...

Last week I had a crash course in economy!

For years the subject of economy passed me by,

but last Wednesday it hit me in the face! 

I was in Agile-France, where we were given 10 bill-size sheets of paper like this - 

That you give to anyone who said or did something you liked.

What a great and simple idea, isn't it !???

I mean, stop and think about it for a moment...

No, no, I mean - please stop NOW! and think about it for a moment...

.

.

OK, I'll do it differently...

<Timer-gadget></Timer-gadget>

* If I had the time I'd build and put a web timer-gadget here that will let you continue just after a pause...

I mean - It's not just a note you give to people who animated a session you like, but to anyone you want to give it to.

... And they can give it back to anyone else...

- My first urge was to ask for more, since I knew I am going to run out instantly (but I didn't ask, since I opted in...)

- My second urge was to keep it, so it will be well spent - only on people who REALLY deserve it. ain't that funny??

- Third: how do you get the economy rolling?? if everyone will act cheep that no one will act generously, so how do I win some so I can become more generous and distribute some?? and make others more generous as well?

- How would people behave if they would receive just one to begin with?

- How would they behave if they received a hundred?

- How would they feel in each case when they receive one from someone? (what's the value of a smile for them?)

Than I signed all my bills on the back...

I wanted to see if a bill I held ever gets back to me (and after how much time, and how many hands, etc.), and I wanted people to feel they are getting used-bills.

I started handing people the s-miles and explaining why I signed, so to spread the message that they are for re-distribution, etc.

One of the people I talked to said he keeps them and tries to get as much as possible, since he suspects you'll be able to buy a prize with them at the end of the conf.

So in return I imagined a conf. where if you leave with more s-miles that you received at the beginning - you have to clean the rooms before they let you leave.

Some people personalized them

Some drew continuous chain drawings on the back

Imagine we could trace the s-mile economy...

- Do people from Paris vs from Rennes behave as a closed team? 

- Are they given more outdoors or indoors?

- Are there hubs - people who give a lot and receive a lot, and get the economy moving?

Another thought - how about a parallel currency like this:
 or

What would it encourage?

See, we are so used to money that we think in price (when you get a gift, you automatically estimate how expensive it is, donc'ha?)

....

So when I got back to work, I proposed one of my teams a small game - to have Ullink S-Miles in the team.

(BTW - S-Mile is my lame translation of Sou-rire, 'Sou' being Money, 'Sourire' being smile...)

The first question the team asked is:

- So what if someone forges a s-mile

Hence I became the s-mile bank! I stamp them so they can't be forged (but this doesn't prevent me from forging some myself ;)

The second question - are we allowed to give some to other teams?

- So I made two kinds - some to circulate in the team (so money won't be diluted), and some that can be used externally...

So now I suddenly understand: inflation, deflation, exchange rates, forgery's effect on economy, how economy holds itself, the stock-exchange, how optimism effects economy effects optimism, etc.

And so it goes... 

Credit: where it is due

Agile France - first impressions are often correct...

Just came from Agile France, that is (in my limited life experience) the bestest conf in the world, a Disneyland for the mind and spirit.

So, why did I love it?

- I adore the French Agile community.

- It is lean, the only goody we received were 10 S-Miles (my translation of Sou-Rire) on which I will blog separately.

- It is sponsor-free.

- We were encouraged to bring post-its and markers with us, and were promised a chance to get a unicorn if we do (they ran out of stock...)

- I got to a chance to use my new visit-card (the one with my Ullink Fun-Sheriff title)

- My mind was blown by the S-Miles economy (told you already...  details to follow in a separate post)

​- Got to make noise 'bout my Fun-Sheriff role, ​'bout why we shouldn't estimate, and all around. (and was accepted patiently, like a special-needs sheriff in a polite town :)

- Got to meet old friends I didn't meet for a long time

- Got to meet new great friends (notably, -but not limited to- Matty)

- Danced and sang to the wonderful Banjo of Pablo

- Didn't touch my cellphone for two days

- Did Qui-gong on the grass in the mornin'

- Learned how to Scribe ! (with the amazing Romain)

- Participated in a huge group-Scribe (or Fresque) - an amazin' work and experience!

​​- Met Magda and had an inspiring talk with her.

And mainly - Got a way clearer understanding about my identity and a sense of belonging in the greatest community I know.

I'll update this post with pic and links when I get'em, for now I'm out-a-here...

Yer Fun'em-bear.

 

'Bout Memes and WIIFMs

Language is a virus from outer space (and hearing your name is better than seeing your face) - - William S. B.  (and Laurie Anderson)

Before criticizing someone, walk a mile in their shoes. Then when you do criticize them, you will be a mile away and have their shoes. (Jack Handey)

***

This post is about the power of memes, and the most powerful one I was infected with.

<disclaimer>
It is purely my take on things and (as always) should be treated with hard headed un-seriousness.
</disclaimer>

Lets go!

What is a Meme?

The world (assuming there is such a beast) is full of ideas, possibilities, actions, directions, and is (so they say) ever changing. still some ideas seem to survive while others just come and go.

This is mainly due to the fact that we are a pattern seeking animal, hence if you try to convince me (for example) that
- if everyone will decide for themselves whatever they want the result will be that there won't be a clear direction
I won't be that impressed, and probably will forget your message mid-sentence (given the bear with little brain that I am),

but if you say instead:
- Anarchy causes disorder
I'll probably understand you waaay better, and may even be able to repeat it after a day or so. probably using more or less that same phrasing.

A Meme is exactly this, an idea that has the capability to infect you, and it is at its strongest when it is clear, provocating, and has a catchy title. (a strong visual won't hurt...)

Some examples are Troll, WASP, Bio-products, SEP-field , and even Meme itself.

It is a shortcut that (like Occam's razor) shows you the shortest path to a complex and useful idea.

All this to introduce the most useful meme I've encountered in recent years, which is - WIIFM.

What the H#@%^ck is a WIIFM?

You may be saying WTF... (another meme :-) but this concept modeled for me what makes the world tick, and how to convince and engage your surrounding.
It simply means the question I advise you to constantly pose and try answer before it is explicitly asked: "What's in it for Me?"
If I want you to read this post - Why would you? What's In It For you?
If I want the team to work as a team - Why would they? What's In It For them?
If I want someone to cooperate - Why would she?

This is why you don't fill a progress report your manager asked you, because - why should you? what would you gain from this?

WIIFM?

So, what's in it for you? why should you use this meme? (and how?)
- It will reduce your frustration when people don't react as you want (instead of feeling frustrated, you will try to put yourself in their shoes (* see quote above.))
- It will allow you to motivate yourself (as in - 'why am I writing this post?', 'I think it is since I want to understand the idea better', 'well, do I?', 'yup...', etc...)
- It will allow you to motivate others ('Why would someone read this far?', 'since she was provoked and found it funny', 'aha! so I'll add the Jack Handey quote on top and refer to it again'...)

A final note about a Meme

One of the reasons I find the Meme concept so interesting is the inversion of control, since it is not the people who pass the idea around, but the idea itself that uses people to spread itself. and (just like Laurie Anderson's virus) the strongest one survives and flourishes.

See y'all nextime!

Your Scrum'em bear.

Drawing to Agility - a host post

A great post from Vojtěch Barta, a participant in my Drawing to Agility session in Brno.

I usually like to leave the session open so people get from it what they experience and not what I think they should,

This post makes me really happy since I get to experience first hand my session thru the eyes of a participant.

Read it!

http://bartavoj.cz/qa/agilia-konference-2014/learn-sketch-agility/

Yer Bear. 

Don't you worry 'bout a Thing!

Things,
We can't live with'em, and can't live without em...

Three things lead to this post:
- My son got a new phone, and is looking for any dead pixel, possible scratch, a-symmetry, or possible real or imaginary flow.
- A team member may start working from home, so we are starting to question how to replace (or extend) the functionality of our (prrrrecious....) scrum-board.
- A song on the radio.

I hate the idea of losing the physical connection to the scrum board and using a virtual tool, and on the other hand I would like my son to not be attached to his shiny new toy so much.
And what makes me uncomfortable is the double standard I have. but do I?

I asked for some advice regarding the scrum wall, and was suggested to replace it with the Jira Agile plugin, here is my response:

I am a great advocate of physical objects, plus you can't beat the flexibility of a real board - Jira doesn't have the following options:

• Colored postits, and different colors to write with (nor different font and font size, and writing on the other side)
• Putting a note on the border between two columns
• Drawing on the board to: group postits, write a name near a post-it, draw a red arrow pointing to one, drawing arrows to represent dependency, drawing silly faces, etc
• The cost of a two meter by one screen is too high compared to a whiteboard
• Can't use magnets with different colors and shapes.
• The sensation of tearing a post-it and throwing it to the garbage is (still) hard to emulate.
• During stand-up - you can't have someone holding a post-it in her hands, or handing it to someone,
• You can't control the width of the columns
• You can't hand a paper that keeps track of who pair programmed with whom, or note it by a flower drawn on a task.

I could go on...

I think one of the things that makes Scrum tick is exactly this, claiming back from the virtual world what is rightfully ours, objects, sensations, smells, etc.
And this is what ticks me off at my son's (who I adore:) reaction.
He expects his real object to be virtual, to have straight-as-an-arrow corners, perfect symmetry, and no flaws. while I think these flows are the fun stuff.

A few years back I saw an old man literally cry standing in front of his shiny new car, caressing it where it had its first scratch, and it struck me so much I still carry that memory.

So my take away from all this, and my reminder to my future-self is this:

Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing! (*)
* click the link to see the video.