OKR Lessons, Tips, Tricks, and Resources

Jeff Gallimore Uncategorized
WA target used in archery shooting at Radeberg
archery by Gunnar Richter is licensed under CC BY 3.0

We’ve been on an OKR journey for a little over two years. I think it’s pretty funny (no, not really) that when we first started, we all said something to the effect of, “This makes sense and doesn’t seem too complicated. It should be straightforward.” I mean, how hard could be it be come up with a handful of words to describe what’s most important and a few metrics to go with them every few months?

Hah! It’s amazing how something that seems so simple in concept becomes so complex in practice.

I’ve picked up some lessons, tips, tricks, and resources along our journey. These are relevant in our context and work for us (mostly). Ironically, we usually discovered them through something that wasn’t working for us. Disclaimer: If you’re considering any of these for your own organization, just remember, YMMV. Continue reading →

To Certify or Not to Certify

Jeff Gallimore Uncategorized ,
Appointment and certification of Virginia surveyor Robert Todd

That is the question.

Over the years, I’ve had discussions (sometimes debates) with many about the value of certifications. The opinions I’ve heard vary widely. On one hand, I hear, “Certifications are not worth the paper they’re printed on.” (And we don’t even print certifications on paper anymore.) On another, I hear, “Certifications are a good way to level up in your career and get better opportunities.” What’s the right answer? It depends. Certifications are worth what they’re worth to you depending on the certification and situation. Continue reading →

My Wish List for Federal IT Contracting

Jeff Gallimore Uncategorized , , ,

U.S. Constitution

I was on an industry panel at the ACT-IAC DevOps Forum a few weeks ago. The first question the moderator asked was, “From your industry perspective, what could the Federal Government do to increase the adoption of DevOps?” The moderator and panelists had a prep call a couple of days prior to the event so I had a chance to think about my answer in advance. I chose to let loose on something I would like to see in federal contracting (the first one in my wish list below). After the event, I thought about more contracting approach changes I would like to see adopted by more agencies.
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More Secure In The Cloud

Jeff Gallimore Uncategorized , ,

gauges from Jeanne Masar
“morlocks” by Chilanga Cement is licensed under CC BY 2.0

I have talked to organizations that haven’t yet moved into the cloud because of security concerns. They stay locked in their own data centers because they have a fear of exposing their systems and information to the outside world. This may sound counterintuitive to those that haven’t moved to the cloud yet, but you’re more secure in the cloud than you are in your own data center.

I’ll give you three reasons why this is true — and one big caveat to make sure it’s true for you. Read on or watch the short video I did on this topic.
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Be A Hero By Not Being A Hero

Jeff Gallimore Uncategorized , ,

i'm just a normal person

I’ve witnessed a lot of heroics over my professional career. I’ve been a part of some of those situations requiring heroics (mostly MUCH earlier in my career when I could actually “do” things). If I’m honest with myself, I liked the recognition and the sense of accomplishment. They were also memorable and dramatic and made for great stories. Later stepping into various leadership roles, I’ve also praised the heroes in other situations, believing I’m doing good by expressing gratitude and providing valued recognition for a job well done. It’s only been relatively recently that I’ve realized the harmful effects of heroics that often go unacknowledged in light of the back-slapping, award-giving, and praise-heaping “you’re awesome” celebrations. And once the celebration has died down, we move on… in a worse position than we were before the situation that required the heroics.

If you’re prone to heroics or celebrating heroics, you’re hurting yourself and your organization. Here’s how.
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Top 4 IT Fails of All Time

Jeff Gallimore Uncategorized , , ,

smilies bank sit rest

I’m a big believer in the old adage, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” You need to examine your mistakes, figure out why and how you made them, and then use those lessons so you can do better the next time. In addition, I would prefer to learn from other people’s mistakes rather than committing them myself — it’s gain without the pain. So I asked myself the question, “What are the biggest IT fails in history?” And then the more important follow-up, “What can I learn from them?”

I wanted to find the failures that were significant and spectacular. They had to be impactful and memorable. There are plenty of stories about failed IT projects that “just” wasted a lot of money like this one from the Air Force (there’s a lot to be learned from them, too). But I wanted the projects that culminated in a momentous, go-out-in-a-blaze-of-glory, end-up-on-the-evening-news kind of failure.

Here’s my short list along with the lessons I took away from each.
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Changing How We Work

Jeff Gallimore Uncategorized , , ,

Good Samaritans work with Reserve Soldiers in Puerto Rico

I’ve been thinking a lot over the last several months about how my team and I work. This is somewhat about the actual work we do, but more about how we do it. My thinking was prompted by several factors. First, we felt like we were always maxed out on capacity. The metaphorical CPU was always pegged at 100%. As a consequence, we had long cycle times and lots of context switching. Second, much of the time we felt like we were struggling against the system to get work done. It felt harder than it should have been, was draining our energy, and hurting morale. Finally, we didn’t feel like we were collaborating as a team as much as we would like. We were operating in our own silos.

We needed a change.
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Book Review: The High-Velocity Edge

Jeff Gallimore Book Reviews ,

The High-Velocity Edge book cover

If you hadn’t already figured it out, we live in an increasingly complex world. More people. More moving parts. More interactions. More uncertainty. Some organizations, like Toyota, Alcoa, and the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Power Propulsion Program, have learned how to manage that complexity in ways that have helped them separate themselves from the pack. In The High-Velocity Edge, Dr. Steven Spear decodes the magic and gives us insights into how these “high-velocity” organizations have become who they are. Continue reading →

My Leadership Approach

Jeff Gallimore Uncategorized ,

cliff hanger obstacle at Tough Mudder Tri-State 2010
“Cliff Hanger obstacle at Tough Mudder Tri-State 2010” by Dmitry Gudkov is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Becoming a better leader has become a lifelong journey and passion for me. Regardless of what my official role description or title says, I’ve realized being a leader is what my real job is. Leadership is an awesome privilege and responsibility so I want to be the best leader I can. I’ve also realized I’m far from perfect as a leader (just ask my team). But I’m a better leader now than I was last year and hopefully I’ll be a better leader next year than I am now. For me, getting better starts with getting clear on what I’m all about. And getting clear starts with writing stuff down, so here you are.
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