Welcome to all and some introductions.

How leaders and organizations need to change completely to attract the modern workforce after the pandemic

This is part 1 of a two part workshop. Part 2 is in the next timeslot.

This is part 2 of a two part workshop. Part 1 is mandatory and in the previous timeslot.

Worldbuilding is a process used by authors, game developer and all types of story tellers. They conjure up worlds that are so immersive that we can barely put down our books, controllers, or turn off the TV. At the same time we are all part of a world that is far from perfect. Maybe this is why we love fiction so much. It allows us to flee from reality and to not think about the overwhelming task of changing the world. What I have learned from agile software development is that big daunting tasks are usually not so big and not so daunting once you’ve started to work on them. The work needs to be chopped up in bite-size pieces, which can then be refined and shared around. There is one big important thing that you need to get all that going, you need an inspiring vision that unites everyone to work on a common goal. So… We need a vision for the world! What should it look like? Well… Let’s just assume that we all know what we DON’T want in the future. We don’t want oppression, war, disease or starvation. So if we want to know what we DO want, is it a matter of turning these things around? Do we want freedom, peace, health and food? Well… Yes… But that should be the bare minimum, right? To create a vision of the future that gives us more to aim for, than just the basic requirements of life, we need a creative, collaborative process. I want to propose the creative technique of worldbuilding to construct a future world that is so immersive and so inspiring that people will close their book, put down their controller and turn off their TV, because their desire to flee from reality has become smaller than their desire to make this new reality come true.

The recognition. The gratitude. These are not just words.

When was the last moment you felt it? Or when did you express it? These are gestures expected by some, words expressed by others.

We would like it to be innate and natural in each of us, but it is not anymore. And we forgot how to practice it everyday Often it is associated with an essential quality of the leader / manager and quite simply with the culture of feedback.

But we don’t need to be a MANAGER to need to fill it! What meaning should be given to this value?

Are you able to say THANK YOU and expect nothing in return ?

In a “manly” world, numbers eat intuition and gut feeling for breakfast.

It is considered more scientific and dignified when you can show charts to prove your progress and achievements. You look smarter. The “facts” speak for themselves. But in a complex environment numbers can easily be manipulated and mean.. well.. nothing. At least not as a sole perspective.

How can soft measurements support (or contradict) strong numerical facts and how to overcome the prevailing assumption that soft measurements apply to “women’s’ world”?

In this talk we will learn how can soft measurements support “numerical facts” and why it is so important for every organization to adopt this approach. In addition we will learn why soft measurements may consider as “womanly” and how we can overcome this in a “manly world”.

“Who run the world? Girls!”

Culture in simple words is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people. Organizational culture is the collection of values, expectations, and practices that guide and inform the actions of all team members. While we define our culture and list the traits that we want our tribe to be known for, it is important that we also create those foundations that will help us build these culture pillars.

Taking a cue from Moslows theory , we can draw a parallel to his famous hierarchy pyramid for creating those needs.In his pyramid representation he bifurcates the needs of people into “Growth Needs” that occupy the top and “deficiency needs” that occupy the lower parts of the pyramid. The main difference between growth and deficiency needs is the change in motivation as needs are met. Thus, growth needs only become a priority when the other four deficiency needs are met.

While the theory fits most of the times, it fails to fit multi faceted people who are at different states of their life, different level of mental states and who have different needs. Some are truly happy when they are in lower states and some have the unfulfilled urge till they reach the peak of self realisation. Thus the pyramid representation signalling one after another might not be apt.

The irony is People who are bag of emotions and we ; trying to fit everyone in same bucket might not work well for any organisation.While each trait is important, there are some which matters the most to few.

Thus We will try to represent the moslow needs as circle of culture instead of a pyramid and measure it using the coefficient of happiness of the people at center of the circle.

In an online environment, it is difficult to read and use non-verbal behaviour. We will need to reset our focus to pick up the online non-verbal signals. In this workshop we will show you how we can work around this limitation of pixeled people and get the most out of the interactions with your scrum team. We will explore how you can use body language by reading non-verbal signs and recognizing non-verbal hints. In this session we will practice how you can recognize non-verbal behaviour to use it to your team’s advantage. Recognising and using non-verbal behaviour allows you to include everyone in your team and make the most out of everyone’s personal talent.

After this session you will be able to: – Recognize different non-verbal ques – Use non-verbal elements in daily work – Positively influence your team

This workshop is suitable for anyone interesting in changing their scrum behaviour.

By Evelien Acun – Roos and Rozemarijn Geelen

Happiness is a key to cultivating performing teams that thrive & the essence of being human.

There are things you don’t talk about with your colleagues – and even less so with your boss.

Mental health issues are certainly a big no-no. When I first started working as an agile tester in a software development company, I kept my own history with mental illness to myself. As a result, I couldn’t speak openly about topics that I hold close to my heart: mental health and self-care.

In the Agile World however, we value respect, courage and openness. How do you reconcile this with these taboos? Can you really be courageous and open if you deny a huge a part of who you are?

When I attended my first ever testing conference, I was in awe about the openness with which psychological topics were discussed. Inspired and with a head still spinning from the experience (and a serious lack of sleep), I came clean to my boss on the very first day upon returning to work.

From that moment on, I wore my heart on my sleeve. And my life at the office began to change: Once I had started speaking up, openness came easier with every issue that came up. I would suddenly talk about my experiences with sickness and therapy as well as feeling more comfortable with sharing my thoughts and feelings about day-to-day business and goings-on at work.

Conversely, people started confiding in me, asking me for advice and talking to me in a whole different way. In this talk, I would like to share what I have learned from breaking taboos.

I will discuss how communication improved for me, which obstacles I bumped into and why I will still not shut up about the things you do not talk about at work.

Equality top-down

Equality is a long way to go and a process of unlearning structures and thoughts. A lot of things are interwoven. Company policies that are top down driven can support female employees, but it is rare that a single policy can have the right impact on equality.

Policy makers within companies often don’t understand the full picture. Sometimes policies that address equality are incomplete and not completely thought out. Further other company policies that at the first glance are not related to gender equality can lead to discrimination. This said it is important that every decision is scrutinized in terms of equality.

In my talk I will present policies that I have experienced in my workplaces and point out where they have been incomplete or even leaded to discrimination.

Equality button-up

Companies not only consist of policy makers. So it is important to look at what a company can do to address equality from a button-up approach too. Not everyone has the same understanding of equality and sexism.

This said there will be co workers that are not there yet and might be not fully aware of what you mean when you talk about equality or they have a different understanding. It is important to create an awareness for this topic amongst co workers and thereby create a working space where equality can be addressed and discussed. It should not be the duty of female employees to educate their male co workers about sexism and inequality.

Companies can help to create a learning environment and make the topic visible. For me personally awareness and visibility is one of the most important key elements. Awareness creates supportive structures and visibility of the topic can educate co-workers.

Equality beyond company boundaries

Further it is not just about your working place. Everything is networked. Even if you find your working space safe and supportive, there comes this moment where you have to leave this island.

Normally a lot of work and jobs involve interacting with third parties like going to conferences, giving customer workshops or dealing with support and consulting inquiries. A company should make sure that it supports its female co-workers beyond the company borders. In the talk I will share my experiences of leaving the island (your save space at work).

I explain how I built my own life belt to not just survive in wild male water but to surf on its wave and what a company can do to support building it.

With the onset of COVID-19, digital technologies have become a critical tool for people around the world. The pandemic has caused a health, economic and social crisis, however accelerated the digital revolution.

The ongoing digital revolution comprises a gendered digital divide. The participation of girls and women in the Information Communication Technology sector has been affected by the repercussions of COVID-19. A significant gap between women and men’s access and use of information technology is seen, COVID-19 has increased the gender digital divide across nations.

Information technology has the potential to offer lifesaving information and when deprived of access to healthcare information creates long term hazards. Bridging gaps in women’s access and use of digital technologies improve their abilities to improve their lives and ability to become more self-reliant and strive in an agile work environment.

Women need access to training and capacity building programs to excel in the knowledge economy to emerge as self-reliant and sustainable leaders in the future world. Narrowing the gender digital divide requires government, intermediary organizations, and industries to come together to thrive and recover. Greater involvement of women stakeholders is required to address the needs of the population and leverage technology to promote gender equality.

Providing digital literacy and training can help in creating an equitable digital environment. While there is a long way to go to eradicate the digital divide, efforts have been taken towards lucrative career paths and economic stability. Coordinating actions across various stakeholders along with addressing the barriers preventing women to access digital technologies.

Bold steps need to be taken to ensure women enjoy the fruits of the digital revolution at the best.

Do you feel “giving up your passion or dreams is easier than chasing them” in a culture tight place like India?

At the core of agile development are self-organizing cross-functional teams. Yet, this is often understood as e.g., backend & front-end developers working together. If an organization is aiming for company-wide agility, to fully benefit from agility it has to enable teams as value centers that are truly cross-functional by bringing in different perspectives from business, markets, cultures, beliefs, etc. This way cross-functional teams overcome not only the limitations of organizational silos but also of a singular view on the market.

If teams are really cross-functional and are resembling the diversity of the market, the products they’re creating are also better. Thus, if the whole team has the full business expertise, knows the market, reflects the full diversity of the clients, then it can even disrupt the market and isn’t waiting for some person (e.g., the Product Owner) to decide on priorities. With this real cross-functionality, the team can fully understand the company’s business and has a holistic view of it, knowing its contribution to the company’s value stream.

Real cross-functional teams are an essential building block for implementing company-wide agility and the organization benefits by creating better and in a way more real products and by having more options when entering the war of talent.

The Developer's 3 Pillars of Personal Branding: Social Media, Portfolio, Blogging

There is a different way, a way of balancing profitability with investment in people and wellbeing.

Pull back the curtain on your team. What do you see? Most likely, a mix of people and personalities working together. Look a little closer. You will notice their differing working styles. Every team has its share of extroverts and introverts. According to estimates, extroverts outnumber introverts by about 3 to 1. How does this difference in numbers impact the introverts in your team and what implications does it have on team dynamics? A team after all is a living breathing system. For it to truly unlock its potential, it must accommodate the needs of each distinct group. Especially with regards to behavior and approaches to social situations.

But what if I were to tell you that it is our collective understanding of both these board groups that are getting in the way of the team working as a unit. This was exactly where I was a few years ago before I discovered recent research on the introvert-extrovert spectrum.

Come, build your awareness on this extremely common but frequently misunderstood component of human diversity. Delve into the neuroscience of introversion where I touch on widely believed myths. Walk away with a powerful understanding of why this knowledge is important and how this helps not just you as a team coach but also the system as a whole to better collaborate. Identify concrete actions that you can then use in any group and finally use this knowledge to create more inclusive spaces for all.

As the facilitator I will guide you through this interactive session as we talk through the content, complete some simple, introspective questions and a survey and create a plan. Please bring along some pen and paper.

Learning how to read the room is key to building better relationships.

Relationships are the cornerstone to improving business and building your network. If you can quickly read the room, you will improve your chances of success in any environment! The differences between high emotional intelligence and narcissism can be destructive to your organization if you are not aware. What are the characteristics of a toxic boss? How do we cope with them? Lynn will show you how to practice reflective listening and exhibit high emotional intelligence.

Lynn will teach you to become a master of quick nunchi! Let Lynn show you how to rise above the chaos and you will leave with a concrete plan.

Look closely around your (virtual) office, fellow professionals. Do you see the gaping hole in your senior leadership positions? Do you see the missing element in your organization’s diversity and inclusion goals? Yes, let’s talk about the missing women of color in senior leadership positions.

In 2020, women of color represented 18% of entry-level positions, but few advanced to leadership positions. While white women held almost one-third of total management positions in the U.S. in 2020, women of color held a much smaller share: • Asian women: 2.2%. • Black women: 4.1%. • Hispanic women: 4.5%.

According to McKinsey, this underrepresentation of women of color in senior management cannot be explained by attrition alone. Then what can explain this gap? What are the factors preventing women of color from advancing at work? How are these factors different from those holding white women or even men of color back?

While there has been significant awareness and progress made to advance representation of white women and men of color in the workplace, we have left women of color behind by not focusing on their unique barriers and needs. Fortunately, companies are beginning to take note and are putting in measures to address this gap.

Join this talk to learn more about the factors impacting women of color in the workplace and how companies are driving greater inclusion in senior management positions. Let’s talk about how we can drive similar awareness and progress at our organizations.

My whole career, I’ve typically been the only woman in the room. I never wanted to be the token female, and yet, as I looked around the room, I wondered if I truly belonged. To not feel like an imposter, I developed camouflage so that I could fit in with my male-counterparts. As I talked to several of my female colleagues, we all realized that we all at one point wore the camouflage: some still wear it, others shed it, others wished they had not taken it off. How many more women are struggling with this idea?

The thought that you achieved your position because of a quota that needed filling feels horrible. No competent woman I know ever wants to feel like the “token female.” And Imposter Syndrome is real (Clance and Imes, 1978) when you doubt your abilities and question whether you deserve to be in a position. It applies to both women and men. As a result, when you couple Imposter Syndrome with “tokenism,” women tend to start less secure in their positions than their male peers. This problem is potentially debilitating for women in their early careers.

We need more women in leadership positions because they bring a diversity of thought and a different life experience and approach to problem-solving. So, when is the best time to shed the camouflage and be ourselves?

Team diversity refers to differences between members of startup team. Those differences can include demographic differences (like age, race, sex, ethnicity), personality (extrovert, introvert, and differing Myers-Briggs types) and functional (as in skill sets, like engineering, design, copywriting, and marketing).

How does team diversity impact your customers’ experience from the moment they learn about you through their journey with you? You will attract and relate to customers how look like you. They will understand your messaging and you will understand their needs. If you don’t represent the right dimensions of diversity, you are leaving an amazing experience behind.

Build better interpersonal relationships and create successful products

Lean Coffee meetings uses a lightweight framework where attendees create the agenda and focus is maintained with effective time keeping