by Chris Daily

Happy Late New Year!

It's the end of January and most New Year Resolutions are in the trash bin by now.  Is 2020 the year of Embracing Change for beLithe?

Over the last few months, I have been considering what’s next for beLithe.  For those of you who know me, you know that I am a dreamer.  Drew and I are constantly examining if what we are doing aligns with our “why.”  We look at everything from how we market and sell to how we deliver.  We believe that people don’t choose to work with us because of what we offer, but why we offer it.

My 2019 Retro

Originally, my “why” for transitioning this part-time gig into a full-time endeavor was to empower individuals on their Agile journey.  I was under the belief that the agile community, in general, was not embracing the first value of the Agile Manifesto, and there a different approach was needed.     After two years, I needed to decide if my “why” was still there.  Is it still realistic?  Do I want to continue?

While the last two years have had several high points, there have also been times where I have contemplated throwing in the towel.  Despite all the hype about being in a startup, the pressure and challenges of starting a company are immense.  As a new business owner, some of the challenges I have dealt with include:

• Struggling between doing the things I like versus paying the bills.
• Figuring out how to market and sell when you don’t have sales in your background.
• Trying to identify companies that can help you without breaking the bank.
• Determining when and how to grow the company.
• Compromising with the voice in my head that is constantly revolting against VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity).

The list above is mostly those areas where I feel like I have screwed up.  Luckily, I have Forrest Gump’d my way through most of them.  Part of our human nature is to focus on the negative parts of our lives.  All the challenges come with some form of regret and some emotional or financial impact.  I have hopefully learned from those educational opportunities.

I am proud of the fact that we are still here.  Back to the question at hand:  Do I want to continue?

Embracing Change is a Thing

Over the last few weeks, Drew and I have had the opportunity to facilitate workshops focused on Embracing Change, Estimation, Servant Leadership, and Agile Testing.  Not your usual Agile workshops, right?  Certainly not even mainstream within the domain of corporate training world.  Yet, these are part of “why” I started beLithe.  Many folks in the Agile community don’t acknowledge the need for these skills.

The Embracing Change workshop has been one that has been thought-provoking.  Facilitating a workshop focused on defining and dealing with change on a personal level for the attendees has put my mind in a weird state to consider how I have dealt with personal and professional change over my career.   At this point, I love the journey I have so far.  I have worked with some great folks and have learned a lot.

Just focusing on the last two years, have I embraced the changes that beLithe encountered?  The harsh critic voice inside of my head tells me, probably not.  Certainly not as well as I should have.  The experiences have been rewarding, but there have been sleepless nights worrying about what was next.  Long weekends have been the norm to try and overcome the challenges.

Back to the question at hand:  Do I want to continue?

Finally...

For now, my answer is YES!  The beLithe “why” of empowering individuals on their Agile journey is still my passion.  I believe there is room for passionate people who believe in empowering individuals and organizations. Change is here to stay, and we need to continue to Embrace Change.

Want to learn more about Agile Meridian?  Check us out on our website or YouTube channel.