Agile in a Flash 39

How to Stay Valuable – The Code

Agile in a Flash by Jeff Langr and Tim Ottinger (card #39)

> Stay positive

> Stay engaged

> Stay professional

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Be valuable to your employer, whether times are good or bad and whether you’re talking about your current employer or your next one.

Stay positive. A positive attitude is crucial to building goodwill, inspiring others, and having fun. Staying positive when things are difficult is not just good citizenship; it is leadership.

Stay engaged. You are not effective when you are not participating in the work of the team. Focusing every day is hard, so use pair programming and perhaps the Pomodoro Technique (see Pomodoro Technique Illustrated) to help keep your head in the game.

Stay professional. As long as you are on the job, you are an ambassador of your profession. Learn and model those attitudes, skills, and techniques that improve the quality of work for the team (including customers and managers). As much as possible, be helpful and diligent in your work. Remember

that you are building a reputation, and make it a good one.

"Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations." —Peter Drucker