Melissa Boggs

Chances are, if you’ve been in the software development industry for any amount of time, you’ve heard the word “Agile” thrown around a time or two. Perhaps you’ve been part of an “Agile Transformation” or you have attended a certification course for Scrum or Kanban. In the 20 years since the Manifesto for Agile Software Development was drafted, “Agile” has taken on a life of its own. But what is “Agile” really, and what does it mean for you? Is it story points and two week deadlines? Is it kumbaya and “soft skills”? In this talk, we’ll get into some real truths and real talk about what it means to be agile in today’s changing world. Book-ended by the story of 30 fifteen-year olds in an agile classroom in Denver, we’ll breathe new life into the 12 agile principles and inspire you to create a new experience for yourself and others.

Throughout the pandemic and post-pandemic era, the world of work has experienced an awakening. After extended periods of work from home, new levels of flexibility, and almost forced work-life integration, pre existing workplace traditions are no longer palatable. Employees and leaders alike have learned that we can be incredibly productive while still being present for our lives. While we often think about employee engagement as the responsibility of the organization’s top leader, sustainable engagement requires that we partner with employees so that they are in the driver’s seat of their own experience. For that reason, our workplaces, virtual or not, require design intention to create flexibility that is built for the long term. In this talk, I will describe the five things that employees need to increase their own engagement, and the one thing that modern leaders must do to enable the type of engagement that marries employee and client needs.

Behind every major innovation, cultural or personal shift, stood one (or more) persons willing to embrace the wild idea of Possibility: the idea that what is not currently true, real, or done - can be. Our brains have been conditioned to keep us firmly in the "what is now, and what has always been" which is safe- but also boring and without forward movement. In order for us to move from cautious to courageous, we must allow possibility to move us through the healing and habits necessary. In 2020, I picked up my roller skates again for the first time in 20 years. Through hours of practice and growth, I learned more about myself and possibility than any training course had ever taught me. IN THIS 60 MIN TALK. I SHARE THE LESSONS OF POSSIBILITY THROUGH STORYTELLING AND ROLLER- DANCE. USING SKATE CHOREOGRAPHY TO DEMONSTRATE THE LESSONS REAL TIME IN FRONT OF THE AUDIENCE, I WEAVE TOGETHER A STORY OF COURAGE, COMMUNITY, AND CARE IN BOTH THE WORKPLACE AND THE RINK.