... On Our First Club Meeting!
- Bogdan Grădinaru
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All the people are so much bigger on the inside but first, they should discover it !
Be more pragmatic and concentrate less on emotions or ideals. We don’t say that we should forget about emotions at all, we say that the focus should be on taking action in order to achieve smart objectives.
Our first meeting in Pragmatic Coaching Club was on the 4th of May, a nice spring evening, at Bohemia Tea House. Can I say that tea was great? It was, and I will come back again in future. But, first of all, I want to tell you more about this evening. Our team had the opportunity to spend quality time in the company of very nice people. Everything was just perfect and we know that all the discussions brought us valuable information for our next meetings and for improving the pragmatic coaching delivery...
What is Pragmatic Coaching - The Tired Team Lead
- Iulia Dobre-Trifan
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In a meeting room in a beautifully designed office building, two people are having a heated argument. One is a manager, the other one, a team lead. The team lead, one of the brightest in the manager’s team, is just telling his manager that he is quitting. His reasons? Not that he doesn’t like the job or the team anymore. It’s just that he is tired, and he needs to get away. No, he doesn’t want an extended paid vacation. He just wants to quit.
The talk continues for two full hours. The topics cover a far larger scope than the initial exhaustion the team lead invoked: colleagues, conflicts, limited resources, lacking support, professional or rather personal views. It all comes down to this conclusion: the team lead will reconsider, think about his job and his resolution to quit after a few days of well deserved rest. However, he’s glad his manager gave him more than just 5 minutes of decision acknowledgement, as it had usually happened to the team lead in his previous jobs.
That is Pragmatic Coaching!
What is Pragmatic Coaching - The Ski Trail
- Ciprian Dobre-Trifan
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In a remote mountain resort, three people are having a great time, waiting for the teleski to take them up the ski trail. The ski trail is marked intermediate. One of the three people hasn’t skied since he was 10, but he’s promised the other two that he can show them how to ski. The other two have never skied before, but they enjoy sports and they take on challenges.
It takes the three people one full descent down the ski trail, rich in bumps, falling and getting back up and try again. Yet, down the trail, in the mildest section of the circuit, all three are successful in keeping their balance and skiing.
That is Pragmatic Coaching!
What is Pragmatic Coaching - Inner Strength
- Bogdan Grădinaru
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“Your inner strength is your outer foundation” ― Allan Rufus
Five years ago, in a green corner of a garden, Marian planted a tree.
This was the promise that in 2-3 years he will crop its fruits and enjoy the sweet taste of the apples. He knew at that time that fruit trees require a special kind of treatment and that an appropriate trimming will give it strength to blossom and make fruits.
All that he had in mind was that he needed to combine the tree’s productivity with the way its crown will look. And he focused more on the crown, the appearance was important to him, it gave the fake feeling that the tree was correctly attended.
After each trimming, for 4 years, the fruit tree kept growing a beautiful crown, with branches which seemed to reach the sky. The many sweet, delicate flowers which adorned its branches gave him hope that he will harvest a lot of apples and that his objective from when he started caring for the tree would be achieved.
However, every year he had the same disappointment: the tree flourished but did not make any fruits. Its productivity vanished and this happened year after year. All of this, until one day, when he figured out that all the tree’s energy and power were used to conserve and feed a beautiful crown, marvelous sight for the eye, but which starved the fruits. And he made a bold decision: he would give up the beautiful branches reaching to the sky, he would let go of the beautiful crown, he would basically cut everything additional which consumed the tree’s sap and vitality.
That moment when he took the trimmer and cut down all that was unnecessary, directing the tree towards making fruits, was the moment when he felt the change and created balance. That year came not only with hope but also with a result. The tree not only bore many fruits, but the fruits were also sound and healthy! It seemed like they were gently smiling after the long lack of performance.
To take care of the appearance and to forget about the foundation, to waste your energy on small things which give only momentary satisfaction, to try to follow several directions at the same time with the same amount of attention, will not give you the required strength to advance and grow. It will not bring you the best tonus to achieve your objectives and what you aim towards.
Keeping a balance and obtaining the desired results by achieving your objectives without living only from hopes...
That is Pragmatic Coaching!
Benefits - Pragmatic Coaching Club
- Bogdan Grădinaru
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At some point, you probably ask yourself, as we did, “Why should I join a club?” Why would I need to meet people who share ideas from domains I’m interested in, as long as there are so many groups on social media which I can follow online?
The Winds of Career Change
- Iulia Dobre-Trifan
- Category: Iulia Dobre-Trifan
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“It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.”
This is one of W. Edwards Deming’s iconic tips of wisdom, one that has been quoted in a variety of domains, to advocate the need for change.
However, looking at the business landscape nowadays, what does it really mean to change, as far as one’s career is concerned? And how does survival connect, from a professional standpoint, with change?
Technical Coaching: Man vs. Machine
- Ciprian Dobre-Trifan
- Category: Ciprian Dobre-Trifan
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Microservices and Containers (e.g. Docker) brought another revolution to the software industry, machines faithfully following Amdahl's Law. Man on the other hand is not as fast to change as the machines one invents and is still faithfully following Conway's Law. How can this struggle be managed ?
Top 3 Deal M(Bre)aking Attitudes... in Business
- Iulia Dobre-Trifan
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Here's a top 3 of attitudes that you’ve probably already met, that may easily make or break a deal. These attitudes vary from one culture to another. But they are important for most cultures, as they define Commitment, which is fundamental for Trust, which is fundamental for Good Business.
Are Your People on a Job or on a Mission ?
- Iulia Dobre-Trifan
- Category: Iulia Dobre-Trifan
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What makes some normal work-related activities be such joy-bringing and joyful activities? Could it be the fact that I, just like the guide next to me, am on a mission, not a job? Could it be that we see what we do… not as a plain, boring, job to do, for some reward of some kind, but as something else, something bigger and more meaningful?
