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Listen "Episode 58 – Scrum and Working with Humans"
Episode Synopsis
NICK WALKER: Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. This is our every-other-week time to meet and discuss what matters to you as a professional in the field of project management. We talk about trends in the profession. We share opinions and perspectives. And we pick the brains of some of the best in the business, getting to the heart of what motivates them and what makes them successful.
I’m your host, Nick Walker, and with me is the one who is never hesitant to share his opinion, Andy Crowe. Bill Yates is on vacation; so Andy, it’s all on you today.
ANDY CROWE: And I’ve got an opinion about Bill choosing to take a vacation, but yeah.
NICK WALKER: Uh-huh. Well, today we are privileged to talk with someone who has built her reputation on bringing out the best in people. Kim Brainard is a trainer, a coach, a facilitator, and consultant. It is her passion to help organizations and individuals develop a vision for their potential growth and development. Through her company, Agile Brain, she utilizes creative tactics and street-style coaching that brings out the best in people. Kim has over eight years of Agile experience, and 15 years of experience in IT project planning, implementation, and execution. She is a certified Scrum professional and an active participant in the Scrum Alliance community
Kim is also the founder of Santa Pays It Forward, a nonprofit organization committed to giving back to elderly men and women who are without family and in need. She implements the Scrum framework and Agile principles to make the organization successful. Kim joins us from the Washington, D.C. area. And Kim, thank you so much for being here on Manage This.
KIM BRAINARD: Andy and Nick, thank you so much for having me. Happy Monday.
NICK WALKER: Over the years, Kim, you have become what some people have called the “People Whisperer,” connecting with people on an intimate, individual level. What is it about your techniques that have earned you that name?
KIM BRAINARD: So it’s very interesting. In fact, I just had a meeting last week with someone I had interviewed for a position with a client. And one of the things they said was, “Well, we felt maybe you would never act that way or be that way in front of a client.” And I said, “Oh, I’m sorry, which way is that?” And they said, “Well, you were a little goofy, and it almost just seemed like I was sitting down with you, and we were just having a good time. Would you really act that way at a client site?” I said, “Absolutely.”
That’s why I say I’m a little unconventional, because it’s about humanizing work. Sometimes we get dressed up in our three-piece suits and our heels, and we go out, especially in the D.C. area, and we speak one way, but we mean the other. And what I mean about meaning the other is humanizing what we do and say. And so we all get dressed and go in to work, but let’s not forget to be human. And so my approach to things is let’s sit down and form relationships and build relationships. Let’s get to know one another so we can have a sense of trust. And so that’s what it’s – it’s just whispering, “Let’s be human to one another.”
ANDY CROWE: You know, Kim, I started my career when I was in college, co-oping with IBM. And that was a really amazing experience. But it’s funny because I did not at that point get the importance of being human. It almost felt like everybody there was on their “A” game all the time, that they were so incredibly professional. And again, this is in the ’80s, and things have changed with IBM. IBM’s an amazingly resilient and adaptive organization, so they aren’t the same as they were then. But I was intimidated to no end. And I never wanted to bring anything personal into that office. I was all work, all the time.
KIM BRAINARD: Oh, yeah.
NICK WALKER: It seems like this is almost a paradigm shift maybe for some organizations. Is it?
I’m your host, Nick Walker, and with me is the one who is never hesitant to share his opinion, Andy Crowe. Bill Yates is on vacation; so Andy, it’s all on you today.
ANDY CROWE: And I’ve got an opinion about Bill choosing to take a vacation, but yeah.
NICK WALKER: Uh-huh. Well, today we are privileged to talk with someone who has built her reputation on bringing out the best in people. Kim Brainard is a trainer, a coach, a facilitator, and consultant. It is her passion to help organizations and individuals develop a vision for their potential growth and development. Through her company, Agile Brain, she utilizes creative tactics and street-style coaching that brings out the best in people. Kim has over eight years of Agile experience, and 15 years of experience in IT project planning, implementation, and execution. She is a certified Scrum professional and an active participant in the Scrum Alliance community
Kim is also the founder of Santa Pays It Forward, a nonprofit organization committed to giving back to elderly men and women who are without family and in need. She implements the Scrum framework and Agile principles to make the organization successful. Kim joins us from the Washington, D.C. area. And Kim, thank you so much for being here on Manage This.
KIM BRAINARD: Andy and Nick, thank you so much for having me. Happy Monday.
NICK WALKER: Over the years, Kim, you have become what some people have called the “People Whisperer,” connecting with people on an intimate, individual level. What is it about your techniques that have earned you that name?
KIM BRAINARD: So it’s very interesting. In fact, I just had a meeting last week with someone I had interviewed for a position with a client. And one of the things they said was, “Well, we felt maybe you would never act that way or be that way in front of a client.” And I said, “Oh, I’m sorry, which way is that?” And they said, “Well, you were a little goofy, and it almost just seemed like I was sitting down with you, and we were just having a good time. Would you really act that way at a client site?” I said, “Absolutely.”
That’s why I say I’m a little unconventional, because it’s about humanizing work. Sometimes we get dressed up in our three-piece suits and our heels, and we go out, especially in the D.C. area, and we speak one way, but we mean the other. And what I mean about meaning the other is humanizing what we do and say. And so we all get dressed and go in to work, but let’s not forget to be human. And so my approach to things is let’s sit down and form relationships and build relationships. Let’s get to know one another so we can have a sense of trust. And so that’s what it’s – it’s just whispering, “Let’s be human to one another.”
ANDY CROWE: You know, Kim, I started my career when I was in college, co-oping with IBM. And that was a really amazing experience. But it’s funny because I did not at that point get the importance of being human. It almost felt like everybody there was on their “A” game all the time, that they were so incredibly professional. And again, this is in the ’80s, and things have changed with IBM. IBM’s an amazingly resilient and adaptive organization, so they aren’t the same as they were then. But I was intimidated to no end. And I never wanted to bring anything personal into that office. I was all work, all the time.
KIM BRAINARD: Oh, yeah.
NICK WALKER: It seems like this is almost a paradigm shift maybe for some organizations. Is it?
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