Does your team feel as if they can’t really start when they take an item off the backlog? The team says the item feels too big. Or the team realizes they need someone else from some other team to solve this problem. Worse, the team needs to decompose the item more to make sure they […]
This is Johanna Rothman’s February 2026 Pragmatic Manager newsletter. The unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this email. Jim, one of my trusted advisor clients, was all gung-ho on AI last year. He told me that his AI work allowed their senior management team to define their strategy, “once and for all.” That strategy was
Several of my clients claim they have plans. But I don’t see the elements of a plan in what they do. Instead, I see wishes that the future will unfold in a particular way. I also have wishes. But the more we confuse them with plans, the less likely we will get the future we
I’m not fond of feedback for short nonfiction writing, such as blog posts, for several reasons: Too often, the people who offer feedback are not the ideal reader for that piece. These nice people might be part of a writing community, but not people who want the knowledge they will receive from that piece. That
I’m close to the end of teaching my last Free Your Inner Writer workshop. I started the workshop by challenging everything my students have learned about writing their entire lives. And these last two weeks are where they try to make it all happen. This time in the workshop is where they struggle the most.
I’m so delighted that I have the headspace to continue my podcast. Now that my Kickstarter is done (phew!), I can return to my normal cadence of writing. I finally picked up this short story again, and it’s going in a different direction. I find this delightful. (My nonfiction gets sharper when it goes in
If your company is similar to my clients, they want agility. That agility will allow their organizations to learn and deliver faster. That has all kinds of wonderful effects, such as capitalizing software earlier. But, too few teams have enough access to real product leadership, where a single product leader can make all the various
My Effective Public Speaking Kickstarter ends Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at noon Eastern. If you’re on the fence, get off the fence and back it. It’s time.
Public Speaking Myth Nine: I Have Nothing to Say If you focus your writing or consulting, you might not think you have anything to say to “everyone.” You might even feel some imposter syndrome. That’s a myth, because the most effective public speakers choose one aspect of their expertise to highlight. Just one. Use your
Public Speaking Myth Eight: Speakers Should Copy Someone Else Many less-practiced speakers think they need to copy someone else’s speaking style. But audiences can see right through that lack of authenticity. Instead, show your enthusiasm by being more of you. I am not saying bring your “whole self” to the stage. I swear a lot—I