What’s the message?

Different readers have told me that they saw different things in this book.

Here’s what it’s all about for me…

First, there’s the spread of ideas. There are people who have a new idea and just go around talking about their idea. They don’t evangelize, per se, but just go around talking about it. They feel strongly, they share freely, they are passionate, and they just keep on going. Had I known Corey Haines before I started writing this book, he might very well have been the inspiration. For those who don’t know Corey, I’ll tell you that he is traveling around, talking about and practicing Software Craftsmanship. He travels to places where someone is willing to host him and allow him to do some pair programming with them. When he leaves, he leaves a little bit of the light of Software Craftsmanship.

The folks he has worked with continue to spread the light, becoming Corey’s Lamplighters and Shadowpushers.

If you examine many of the most compelling and change-inducing ideas that have come to you, you may well find that you learned about them on Twitter or Facebook or through email. You may have heard someone speak at a conference, or been involved in a conversation. There was a moment, I suspect, when you had that moment of “Oh! This idea is important to me.” That’s certainly happened to me more than once.

I became fascinated with a simple idea about the spread of ideas, and that was the germination of this book.

Second, there’s the idea of stepping outside of one’s barriers in the service of something compelling.  Ham is in search of the Lightbringer, and that leads him to do things and think things that no one else has. Ham’s commitment and eagerness are his drivers, and along the way, he changes the world. For me, as I discovered Ham’s journey, I became aware of him as a person and explorer. His willingness to do something because it needed to be done in service to his quest evolved and unfolded as I wrote. His effect on the people who moved into and out of his immediate circle of influence was directly related to his willingness and his commitment.

In my work – both as a leader and as a coach – I’ve found too many people who start with their limitations and boundaries, the things they believe they can’t do or won’t succeed at. My greatest successes have been with those people who were able to see that those limitations were artificial and self-imposed.

In the Agile community, I’ve had several people tell me that they see this book as the story of Agile adoption and enablement. When a team or organization first moves to adopt the Agile methodologies, practicies, and principles, they are in many ways moving into unknown territories.  They are almost certainly stepping outside of the boundaries of their comfort zones. Is this book about Agile adoption? It is, if that’s what it is for you.

The same is true in other communities, disciplines, and contexts.

I hope this book made you think. More than that, I hope that it made you think and then take action on what you thought.

If it did, drop me a note.

And even if it didn’t, I hope you enjoyed Ham’s journey and the ideas it represents.

Regards,

…Steven