Getting Results the Agile Way: A Personal Results System for Work and Life

272 Pages·2010·0.87 MB·English

by  J.D. Meier

Table of Contents

Foreword
A Word from the Author
Introduction
Part I – Approach
Chapter 1 – Why Agile Results?
Chapter 2 – Agile Results Overview
Chapter 3 – Values, Principles, and Practices of Agile Results
Chapter 4 – Hot Spots
Chapter 5 – Monday Vision, Daily Outcomes, Friday Reflection
Part II – Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly Results
Chapter 6 – Design Your Day
Chapter 7 – Design Your Week
Chapter 8 – Design Your Month
Chapter 9 – Design Your Year
Part III – Results Explained
Chapter 10 – Results Frame, Personas, and Pitfalls
Chapter 11 – 25 Keys to Results
Chapter 12 – 25 Strategies for Results
Chapter 13 – Motivation
Chapter 14 – Mindsets and Metaphors
Appendix
Cheat Sheet – Agile Results at a Glance
Cheat Sheet – Supporting Practices Defined
Template – Daily Planner
Template – Weekly Planner
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Template – Monthly Planner
Template – Yearly Planner
Template – Schedule at a Glance
How To – Adopt Agile Results
How To – Adopt the 12 Core Practices of Agile Results
How To – Have a Strong Week
Additional Resources

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Copyright

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Getting Results the Agile Way

A Personal Results System for Work and Life

by J.D. Meier

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Getting Results the Agile Way

Copyright © 2010 by Innovation Playhouse LLC

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, except for the inclusion
of brief quotations in a review, without permission in writing from the author or publisher.

For information, please contact us:

Innovation Playhouse LLC
PMB 325
227 Bellevue Way NE
Bellevue, WA 98004

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.gettingresults.com

Agile Results® and Agile Way™ are trademarks of Innovation Playhouse LLC in the United
States and/or other countries.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

ISBNs:
Print: 978-0-9845482-0-0
Kindle: 978-0-9845482-1-7
PDF: 978-0-9845482-2-4
EPUB: 978-0-9845482-3-1

Legal Notice:
While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication, the
publisher and the author do not assume any responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary
interpretation of the subject matter herein. Further, readers should be aware that information in
this book, including URL and other Internet Website references, is subject to change without
notice.
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Neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility or liability whatsoever on behalf
of any purchaser or reader of these materials.

The purchaser or reader of this publication assumes responsibility for the use of these materials
and information. Please remember that each individual’s success depends on his or her
background, dedication, and motivation; there is no certain guarantee that you will get specific
results.

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To Eileen, Mom, Dad, Beck, and Brad

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Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank the following people for help with this book:

Adam Grocholski, Alik Levin, Andrew Kazyrevich, Andy Eunson, Andrea Fox, Anutthara
Bharadwaj, Brian Maslowski, Chaitanya Bijwe, Chenelle Bremont, Daniel Rubiolo Mendoza,
David K. Stewart, David Wright, David Zinger, Dennis Groves, Don Willits, Donald Latumahina,
Dr. Rick Kirschner, Eduardo Jezierski, Eileen Meier, Erin M. Karp, Ethan Zaghmut, Gloria
Campbell, Gordon Meier, Janine de Nysschen, Jason Taylor, Jeremy Bostron, Jill Heron, Jimmy
May, John Allen, John deVadoss, Julian Gonzalez, Juliet du Preez, Kevin Lam, Larry Brader,
Loren Kohnfelder, Mark Curphey, Michael Kropp, Michael Stiefel, Mike de Libero, Mike Torres,
Mohammad Al-Sabt, Molly Clark, Olivier Fontana, Patrick Lanfear, Paul Enfield, Per Vonge
Nielsen, Peter Larsson, Phil Huang, Prashant Bansode, Praveen Rangarajan, Richard Diver, Rob
Boucher Jr., Rohit Sharma, Rudolph Araujo, Samantha Sieverling, Sameer Tarey, Scott
Hanselman, Scott Stabbert, Scott Young, Sean Platt, Srinath Vasireddy, Steve Kayser, Tom
Draper, Vidya Vrat Agarwal, Wade Mascia

I would also like to thank my loyal readers of my blog, Sources of Insight
(http://SourcesOfInsight.com), for their helpful feedback.

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Foreword

One thing is certain—change happens. It happens in your job and in your personal life. One of
my favorite quotes on change is from John F. Kennedy:

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the
future.

As is the law of nature, our ability to adapt to change determines our success. To that end, we
seek out the tools and practices that will bring about that success. When it comes to books, there
are a wide variety of books that describe the next new “approach” or “method,” promising to
improve efficiency and effectiveness if we just follow their prescription for success. Most of
these models usually fall short because they fail to factor in the “ability to adapt” as a primary
premise.

Getting Results the Agile Way has “adaptability” baked into the entire framework so you’ll be able
to factor in and manage changes when they happen instead of them managing you. One of the
things I like most about the book is it has simple tools and techniques to help you break a problem
down, determine the key outcomes, and think through what’s most important to get done daily,
weekly, and monthly—all without losing sight of the end game or your long term objectives.
Having these great tools and practices that really work will help you to embrace change.

Although written for a wider audience, those of us in software development will find some of the
concepts in the book familiar. With agile software development techniques, there are several core
premises that we follow to make impact and get results. When we recognize we aren’t getting the
right result, we adapt and change our documented plan that is no longer working for us. If it has
become out of date, we don’t necessarily throw everything out, but we evaluate our standing plan.
These Agile practices have become mainstream in the software development arena because
they really help you get better results and have a greater impact.

Bottom line is it’s all about the impact—not the activities. This is precisely where Getting Results
the Agile Way can help.

I’ve seen J.D. Meier time and time again use the core principles outlined in Getting Results the
Agile Way to deliver outstanding value which has had a positive impact for our customers and
partners across the world. In the past, he has shared the approach with anyone who has asked.
Now, he shares it with the rest of you. May you enjoy the rewards of bringing value, making an
impact, and getting results!
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Sincerely,

Michael Kropp
General Manager, Microsoft Corporation

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