Those with intellect can learn things quickly.

Those with wisdom maintain what they've learned.

Those with curiosity keep exploring what they do not know.

Those with creativity keep innovating ways to use what they know.

Those with ambition keep learning what they do not know.

Those who aspire for greatness seek to utilize their intellect, wisdom, curiosity, creativity, and ambition to always be seeking improvement.

Anyhow, you can't learn what you don't know... UNLESS YOU KNOW the list of things that you don't know. So i thought I would help some of you out.

I was looking at this list and thinking... gee, do i know what all of this stuff is? Do i know how to do it? will i ever get a chance to use it? Does anyone at my work know number 15? Does anyone at my work know 23?

If your director and CTO said to you "We want everyone to work on improvement in their profession"... "Get better at what you do" and you're not even doing 1/4th of the things on this list... or even trying to do more things off this list... then you're not really trying very hard to succeed at those goals.

And if your CTO or CEO said, we're going to be more agile, wouldn't you try to find out what that meant?

What is agile?

Or would you just turn around, look at your underlings and say "more agile" then continue doing business as usual?

But James! agile is a process! we just want to get work done, just let us work.

Hang on... did you even go research what agile is? Where did you get the idea that 'agile' is a process? 

In fact, one of the statements of the 'agile manifesto' is

People and Interactions OVER processes and tools

Whoa, wait a sec, James... you're telling me that agile is Against processes and tools? that's absurd!

No, you have to weigh both sides and try to value the left side MORE.

So if your processes and tools are getting in the WAY of People and Interactions... that is an IMPEDIMENT (or roadblock, or whatever you want to call it).

So if you want to continue to be ignorant about what software agility is, feel free... I won't be angry. I might try to convince you for a while, but maybe I'll just laugh a little on the inside then continue on my merry way.

Because, guess what... if your organization does not challenge you to drop the ignorance... that's their fault, not yours. Right?

Anyhow, Sarcasm aside... if YOU really want to be more agile like your boss says, then start thinking about how YOU can change the culture at YOUR organization. Or tell your boss that you frankly can't be 'agile' in a 'non-agile' organization.

Agility is a culture and set of values... processes and practices are 'things you do' not things you value. When choosing what you do... consider your values.

If your company values are "be better than the other guy on my team so i can get the promotion over him"... agile will probably fail.

If your company values are "hide information because information will result in me getting punished"... agility will probably not be fostered there.

If your company is more concerned with setting hard dates and achieving them then setting clear goals and achieving those, then agility will probably not be interesting to them.... DESPITE WHAT THEY SAY TO YOUR FACE.