Invitation vs. Imposition - Does it have to be such a STARK Delineation?

I’ve been reading Dan Mezick’s posts lately and he seems to be increasing his passion and push about invitation. I guess that makes sense. He IS a thought leader in this space and, as such, he probably needs to keep trying to inspire others towards this way of thinking.

But each time I read one of his posts, it rings “extreme” to me. Very stark and binary. That is – one either imposes or invites. With seemingly nothing in between. With imposition being Darth Vader to invitations’ Luke Skywalker.

For example, in a recent series of posts, he seemed to rail against the existing community of agile coaches, trainers, and pundits that very few (none) of them are pushing invitation. And challenging them as to why.

It even seemed as if he was judging all of them (us, me) in this. That if you didn’t publicly espouse invitation the way Dan is doing it, that you were somehow not doing your duty or were less of a coach. Or you had succumbed to the Dark Side.

I’m paraphrasing here, but I think I’ve honestly captured the essence of it.

A Recent Discussion

I recently saw a discussion initiated by Amr Elssamadisy. It seemed quite thoughtful to me and it resonated with my own experience.

Here’s a link to that post and the comments.

I considered it something in the “gray area” between imposition and invitation. Something that a thoughtful leader could navigate.

Amr directly asked Dan about his thoughts. And Dan shared them via a series of four comments.

I thought that Dan struck too binary of a stance in his reaction to Amr. That is, I’m wondering if he could be more moderated and open-minded to the possibilities of something positive between invitation and imposition? That is, are there circumstances where what Amr suggests might work? And what might those conditions be? 

What I’m really pushing on is the starkness of his view.

I also wrote a blog a while back that tried to focus a bit on the space between invitation and imposition. You can read it here.

Wrapping Up

In the end, I think Dan might be a tad too extreme. Sure, his ideas are:

• Thoughtful;

• Seem to be well-grounded in research;

• Well-intentioned;

• And often invitation is a powerful approach to real change.

But I don’t see them resonating in the real-world that leaders face today. And I don’t see sufficient trust in solid leadership to strike the right balance. Sure, many can’t do it effectively. But in my experience, many leaders can and they can inspire the results that Dan speaks to.

So, from my perspective, I’m publicly saying two things:

1. An invitation is a powerful and often the best stance to create the space for agile change.

2. BUT, it’s not the only approach. That is – the space in between can often be the way to go…

Amr, thanks for your insights. Dan, thank you for pushing us to consider better approaches!

Stay agile my friends,

Bob.

Thoughtful

Tobias Mayer is one of the voices in the agile community that often makes me feel uncomfortable.  

Rarely does he mince words. Or, as I’m inclined to do, use too many words. He’s mastered the art of short, thoughtful, and thought-provoking prose.

And you can tell he’s not being controversial for its own sake. A strong sense of genuineness comes out in his writing. It’s simply him…sharing…his personal discovery and thoughts.

He recently (May 2019) published an article on LinkedIn entitled Small Things. In it, he spoke about getting back to a place where learning, in this case in the agile space, as being a small, person-to-person experience.

It made me reconsider how I engage in “teaching & sharing” my agile experience in the world. Yes, I’ll still do workshops. But I might try to make them smaller, more intimate experiences. Not focusing so much (gulp) on registration numbers.

And instead of my talking so much, I’ll try to create more space for conversations and for story-telling. And this leads into considering the space itself. Space matters. Do I schedule a class in a sterile hotel OR do I look for a much more interesting space where we’re close to nature and have room to lounge, spread out, or even be alone for reflection?

And instead of forcing things like TFTBOTR, Lego games, Liberating Structures, Speed Boat, and a myriad of other facilitative techniques on my attendees, I might just try to create a space for dialogue. Where each person can find their voice, share their stories, and we can all grow and learn.

Wrapping Up

As I thought about Tobias’ article, it came to me that we both might have the same intent in our writing. Or at least I do.

I want folks not to read my words as fixed or prescriptive or declarative or judgmental.

Instead, all I ever try to do is create a space of thoughtfulness.

I’m hoping that I inspire each and every reader to simply consider my stories and my words. Looking for any helpful truth in them. And then decide, for themselves, if there is anything worth acting on? Is there anything useful?

That’s it. I’m not trying to make a global point or posture as some agile expert. I’m simply trying to touch one person at a time.

Stay agile my friends,

Bob.

Leaving Your Nest!

I can’t believe our Meta-Cast podcast, brainchild of myself and Josh Anderson, is approaching it’s…

150th Episode

WooHoo!!!

We began it in 2010 and will be celebrating our 10th Anniversary in January 2020.

So, yes, this is a PLUG for the Meta-Cast.

Leaving Your Nest…

But it’s also a plug for a recent 3-part series that Josh and I recorded about leaving your nest. That is, if indications are that you need to.

I’d recommend listening to the whole series…in order. And we hope it nspire folks to either Stay or Go.

• Part 1 - Leaving the Nest

• Part 2 - Kicking you Out of the Nest

• Part 3 - Landing Safely

Stay agile my friend,

Bob.