#TALK

Coach like a wizard: Agile wisdom of Gandalf

Matthew Philip

In case you thought Gandalf's wisdom was applicable only to Hobbits, this talk uses his philosophy to help you learn to help your teammates.

Other

Most people know the character Gandalf as a wizard with a knack for helping Hobbits save Middle Earth. But his timeless wisdom applies to agile teams, too! Whether you coach teams or simply like to help your teammates improve, you will learn in this talk how to empower people, enable them to fail safely, empathize with them and help them see and share in the bigger vision. We'll do this by reviewing a few quotes from JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth novels (Hobbit, Lord of the Rings) -- as well as a couple of video clips from the movies -- and applying the principles to knowledge work on 21st century Real Earth.

Matthew Philip

Matt Philip is the Director of Agile Coaching at Asynchrony Labs, a US-based information-technology consulting firm that specializes in in custom-application delivery. He has worked in software development as a coach, trainer, quality advocate and facilitator, helping organizations and teams become fit for their purpose. He is especially passionate about motivational design and the Kanban method and is one of the founding organizers of the Lean Kanban St. Louis meetup.