Weekly Pulse by William Meller | Week 17, 2023

Weekly Pulse is content curation and highlights from readings, books, podcasts, insights, ramblings, and other interesting things I discovered and digested during the week.

So, let's go with some discoveries from the week!

#1 - How to Reshape Your Leadership Brand as You Start a New Role

#2 - What’s New in SAFe 6.0

#3 - How (Un)Ethical Are You?

#4 - What Is Personal Branding and Why Is it Important?

#5 -?Book Notes: Who Moved My Cheese - Spencer Johnson

How to Reshape Your Leadership Brand as You Start a New Role

Source:?Harvard Business Review

Author:?Michael D. Watkins

Year:?2021

Summary:?All senior leaders taking new roles need to develop and implement a strategy to reinforce or reshape their leadership brand starting well before their official “Day One.” The author offers steps leaders can take to make sure they are starting off on the right foot. First, you need to assess how key stakeholders are likely to perceive you, especially your new team and peers. Next, you need to consider what hopes or concerns people are likely to have about your arrival. Armed with this insight about how you are likely to be viewed, you must decide whether, and in what ways, you will either leverage your existing brand or work to reshape it.

3 Highlights:

"...?When joining a new organization, the people impacted by your arrival will seek information about you from whatever sources they can tap into. Your new employees will reach out to connections who worked in your previous organization and scour your LinkedIn profile and the media for information about you. It’s an entirely natural reaction to the uncertainty and high stakes associated with leadership changes...."

"... All senior leaders taking new roles need to develop and implement a strategy to reinforce or reshape their leadership brand starting well before their official Day One..."

"... It will take some time, but eventually, opinions will shift in the desired directions...."

What’s New in SAFe 6.0

Source:?Scaled Agile

Author:?Scaled Agile

Year:?2023

Summary:?For thousands of global organizations and government agencies, SAFe has become integral for adapting to change, building resiliency, and thriving as a modern, digital business. Meeting the new realities of the marketplace requires SAFe to evolve continuously. SAFe 6.0 offers the newest and most effective Lean-Agile practices, enabling forward-thinking enterprises to navigate today’s rapidly changing challenges and opportunities.

3 Highlights:

"...?The fundamental aspects of business agility, including the Business Agility Value Stream and SAFe Foundation, are substantially updated to improve support for working differently and building the future. Updates to the SAFe Implementation Roadmap and revised responsibilities for SPCs clarify the path for navigating the change...."

"...?SAFe 6.0 defines the eight properties of flow and, with an updated SAFe Principle #6, introduces eight related ‘flow accelerators’ that can make value flow faster. Furthermore, brand new SAFe Scrum, SAFe Team Kanban, Built-in Quality, and Value Stream Management articles incorporate flow directly into the teams’ daily work...."

"...?SAFe offers new guidance on harnessing three innovative technologies that dramatically change the nature of software and systems development: AI, Big Data, and Cloud. Applying these technologies is becoming critical for competing now and in the future..."

How (Un)Ethical Are You?

Source:?Harvard Business Review

Author:?Mahzarin R. Banaji, Max H. Bazerman, and Dolly Chugh

Year:?2004

Summary:?Most of us believe we can objectively size up a job candidate or a venture deal and reach a fair and rational conclusion that’s in our, and our organization’s, best interests. But more than two decades of psychological research indicate that most of us harbor unconscious biases that are often at odds with our consciously held beliefs. The flawed judgments arising from these biases are ethically problematic and undermine managers’ fundamental work—to recruit and retain superior talent, boost individual and team performance, and collaborate effectively with partners.

3 Highlights:

"...?Don’t rely on a mental short-list of candidates for a new assignment; consider every employee with relevant qualifications..."

"... Expose yourself?to non-stereotypical environments that challenge your biases..."

"...?Regularly audit your decisions..."

What Is Personal Branding and Why Is it Important?

Source:?Article of the Week

Personal branding has become an essential aspect of both personal and professional success.?

In today's fast-paced world, where everything is accessible online, establishing a personal brand can help you stand out from the crowd and showcase your unique strengths, values, and passions.?

But what exactly is personal branding, and why is it so important?

Book Notes: Who Moved My Cheese - Spencer Johnson

Source:?Book Notes of the Week

"Who Moved My Cheese?" by Spencer Johnson is a short but powerful parable that teaches us how to adapt to change and thrive in an uncertain world.?

The story follows four characters, two mice and two little people, as they navigate a maze in search of cheese. Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw represent the simple and complex parts of ourselves.

Sniff represents someone who sniffs out change early.

Scurry represents someone who scurries into action.

Hem represents someone who fears and denies change.

Haw represents someone who learns to adapt in time when he sees change can lead to something better.

I am incredibly grateful that you have taken the time to read this post.