Presentation: "Personal Retrospectives: Self-acquaintance and Agility"

Time: Thursday 15:35 - 16:35

Location: Olympic Room

Abstract:

Aldous Huxley observed that experience is not what happens to us; it is what we do with what happens to us. What we do is what we learn. How do we transform what happens to us into learning?

In the same way that agile teams use retrospectives or reflection workshops to learn from the outcomes of development "inspect and adapt" cycles, those who practice personal retrospectives can learn to better understand who they are, the effects of their behavior and who they can become. Self-acquaintance is a tool for personal agility.

A Personal Retrospective is an active framework, individually unique, for exploring where we are now (the result of our past) or a particular event or time period, with an explicit intention of using the reflections to shape a different future. Learning from experience is not automatic; it requires an open mind, skills and practice.

This interactive presentation will include a review of the key activities in a Personal Retrospective (Clarify the Purpose, Assess Decision-making Influences, Gather Data, Realize the Learning and Plan Next Steps), interspersed with several exercises.

Ainsley Nies, Principal, Acorn Consulting Enterprises

 Ainsley  Nies

Ainsley consults with groups and organizations that want to perform at their highest level. Her work is focused on the development of environments for learning and continuous improvement and her clients learn to appreciate being human in organizations, and how to leverage that knowledge for success. Ainsley also provides individual coaching through Personal Retrospective workshops and one-on-one sessions. Ainsley’s long stint at Hewlett Packard and an MS in Counseling give her a unique consulting perspective.

In addition to consulting, Ainsley is currently an instructor in the UC Berkeley Extension Agile Management Program, instigator and organizer of Agile Open California conferences, and active in several agile groups.