The Moose (Bob’s) ReadME

About me

  • I’m a 60-something Boomer, Husband, Father, Grandfather, Christian, Democrat, Agilista, and well-intentioned work-in-progress.

  • I’m a veteran (Army from 1974-77) stationed in Thailand, the Philippines, and the US. Yes, my time in Thailand was “interesting.” I am THANKFUL for everyone who’s served our country—Veterans Rock!

  • To be precise, I grew up on a farm in Central Pennsylvania, Mt. Joy (Amish country). I started working when I was ~10. This is where I found my hard work ethic.

  • I have four children, two boys and two girls. And four grandchildren. And four pets, two dogs and two cats.

  • I’m an Agile Coach - CEC soon-to-be Emeritus (not CST / PST trainer), so I focus on real-world Agile adoption in the trenches.

  • I’ve been around agile approaches since the mid-to-late 1990s. Seriously! I’ve got lots of experience and have seen them work incredibly well. That is, IF you’re serious and understand that mindset-first is the approach.

  • I can be a bit curmudgeonly and opinionated. That being said, I am a Boomer! I also resonate with this George Carlin bit about the American Dream.

  • I’m pretty proud of my books and writing efforts – https://leanpub.com/bookstore/book?search=galen

  • I love collaborating with my friend Josh Anderson on the www.Meta-Cast.com. We’ve been doing it for ~15 years.

  • I love dogs. Love them! We could all learn a lot from them…and cats are ok too.

  • I’m an INTJ on Myers Briggs, although my ‘I’ has moved closer to ‘E.’

  • On Strengths Finders, Top 5: Intellection, Input, Learner, Ideation, and Belief.

  • On VIA Character Strengths, Top 5: Spirituality, Perspective, Honesty, Humor, and Love of Learning.

  • On the Leadership Circle Profile: Reactive – Protecting is my biggest challenge; Creative – Authenticity and System Awareness are my biggest strengths.

  • You can read about my Superpowers here.

  • My favorite bands are Rush, Led Zeppelin, U2, Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Crosby Stills, Nash (and sometimes) Young. And since I live in North Carolina, James Taylor, of course.

    • RIP Neal Peart. Here’s a beautiful tribute by Chad Smith.

    • Insight: I named my daughter Rhiannon for goodness sake.

  • Favorite toy – Mr. (and Mrs.) Potato Head of all sorts. I collect them and have 100+ potato heads on my team at home. Perhaps my favorite is Darth Tater, although I’ve stumbled on a Bob Ross potato head that rocks.

  • My favorite cartoon is Ren & Stimpy; anything by WB – Looney Tunes is a close second…

  • My favorite movies - A Few Good Men (because I can handle the Truth), Spaceballs, and Apollo 13 (my kids know why ;-)

  • My favorite books are anything by Terry Brooks. I’m a big fan of the Fantasy genre. GoT Rocks.

Reaching me

  • The best way is to call me on a landline ;-) or cell phone - (919) 272-0719; or Text me there.

  • Email is the next best way to reach me.

  • People send me stuff on LinkedIn messaging, and I find it hard to keep up, so don’t do that.

  • I love Zoom for virtual, interactive discussions. Love it!

  • I hate (yes, hate) IM and Slack for discussions. They tend to interrupt my flow. It goes back to a bad experience I had in the 1980s on an early version of such things, so don’t try to change me.

Working with me

  • I’m good with humble, well-intentioned, self-aware, and nice people. Not so good with big egos and hubris; not bad, just not so good.

  • Please ask me to slow down if I’m talking too fast or switching topics too quickly. Usually, it’s because I’ve become excited about the subject. And always, always Assume Positive Intent.

  • Be prepared to be held accountable. Or I won’t work with you. I’ve worked with many people (individuals, companies, volunteer groups) who enthusiastically want to work on a project with me. Then they drop the ball. Don’t do that and respect my time.

  • I get up early, ~5am EST every day. My most productive time is from 5am – 9am. That’s also an excellent time to network/chat with me.

  • I’m serious about my ethics and responsibilities as an agile coach. I don’t tolerate folks going through the motions, faking it, or simply in it for ego/money.

  • To make a decision, I need data and your feelings. Both are in approximately equal measure.

  • All that being said, I’m here to help!

Coaching

  • I love to coach at events, for example, the Coaches Clinics at the Scrum Gatherings. You can usually find me at one of those.

  • I’m also passionate about the Agile Coach Camps - https://agilecoachcampus.com/

  • I do a fair amount of coaching for agile coaches struggling in their contexts. Coaching the coaches—if you will.

  • I also help shepherd Scrum Alliance CTC and CEC candidates forward in pursuing that certification.

  • If I’ve coached and trained you historically, feel free to ask for help. I’m always here.

Writing

Beliefs

Black Lives Matter!

I’ve got lots of thoughts running around my brain. Here are just a few to give you a feel for my belief system—

End ReadMe