Louder Than Ten is a Vancouver-based Project Management Training and Consulting company. L>10 was founded by Rachel and Travis Gertz, and for the past 14 years, everything they have done has been centered around fostering healthy and humane ways of working together and managing projects. There aren’t many organizations in the digital agency space that have taken the time to develop their own project management manifesto. It is truly a unique place and now, as they do, Rachel and Travis have cranked up the volume just a scosche higher by converting their company into a Worker Owned Cooperative. This means that folks who have been working with them for a long time (like Abby Fretz: https://on.soundcloud.com/H6TJq) as well as new employees who join Louder than Ten will have an option to purchase a stake in the company and become an equal partner. This is a far cry from the sweatshop grind-it-out approach that many agencies take and it is definitely unique in the context of what is happening in the field of project management today. 

In this episode of the podcast, Rachel and Travis join me to talk about what led to this decision, why they made it, and what it means for the future of Louder Than Ten.

This podcast was originally recorded with video. You can find that version here: https://youtu.be/mFLfeDYhgE0

If you’d like to learn more about how to turn a business into a worker owned coop, here are some links:

Worker Cooperative - Wikipedia Entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worker_cooperative
Canadian Worker Cooperative Federation:  https://canadianworker.coop/
United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives: https://www.usworker.coop/en/
Democracy at Work: https://institute.coop/

Contacting Rachel and Travis
Web: https://louderthanten.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louderthanten/
Rachel LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/rachel-gertz-trainer
Travis LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/travisgertz

Louder Than Ten Goes Full CoOp w Rachel and Travis Gertz

Just another song about depravity, astrophysics, and acceptance letters. 

Words and Music by OurFounder
Played through the special instrument of Susanne Synapse

The Limits Of Metrics

This is floating ambient stream of consciousness, trying to find floating peace in a world hell bent on hate.

OurFounder stuff here.

Looking For Alignment

his Spring at Agile Australia 2018, Martin Fowler, Chief Scientist at Thoughtworks and Agile Manifesto co-author gave a Keynote titled "The State of Agile Software in 2018". He recently published the text of his talk here. (If you refer video, you can find it on InfoQ.) His Keynote centered around 3 specific concerns with the current state of Agile, the first of which was The Agile Industrial Complex and imposing process on teams.

In this episode of SoundNotes, LeadingAgile CEO, Mike Cottmeyer shares his thoughts on the Agile Industrial Complex and some of the problems it can create. During the interview we dig into why the challenges come into play and what we can do to try and resolve them.

Contacting Mike
If you’d like to contact Mike you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/mike-cottmeyer/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cottmeyer/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mcottmeyer
Email: mike@leadingagile.com

Contacting Dave
If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo
Email: dave.prior@leadingagile.com
If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to dave.prior@leadingagile.com

And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

The Agile Industrial Complex and Imposing Agile Practices w/ Mike Cottmeyer

One of the unfortunate challenges faced by those who have served as members of the armed forces is that once they have completed their service, it can be difficult figuring out how to translate that work experience in a way that is compelling to employers in technology. In this episode of SoundNotes, you’ll learn how LeadingAgile’s Jim Sutton was able to offer assistance to a veteran who recently completed his time in the Air Force and was struggling to figure out how to present his work experience in a way that made it relevant to potential employers. By taking the time to talk through his experience in serving the country, Jim was able to help him reframe his accomplishments during job interviews. If you know someone who has served and is struggling to find a gig in IT, or if you are in that situation yourself, what you’ll find in this podcast is a valuable case study explaining how to leverage experience in the service and present it in a compelling way. Those who have served have sacrificed a great deal for the rest of us and we owe it to them to take the time to help them find a path to a rewarding career. This interview provides tips on how you can take a step towards repaying the debt we owe them. Also - please make sure to listen all the way to the end of the podcast to hear how things turned out.

Contacting Jim Sutton

LeadingAgile: 
https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/jim-sutton/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-sutton-b17208/
Email: jim.sutton@leadingagile.comContacting 

Dave Prior

If you’d like to contact Dave you can reach him at:

LeadingAgile: https://www.leadingagile.com/guides/dave-prior/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsungo

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsungo

Email: dave.prior@leadingagile.com

If you have a question you’d like to submit for an upcoming podcast, please send them to dave.prior@leadingagile.com

And if you're interested in taking one of our upcoming Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner classes, you can find all the details at https://www.leadingagile.com/our-gear/training/

Being of Service to Those Who Have Served w/ Jim Sutton

One of the things a Project Manager and a ScrumMaster have in common is that at times, they are both called upon to act as a coach and act as a mentor. For anyone in a leadership role, creating clarity around the difference between the two can be challenging. And even for seasoned pros, knowing when to act as a mentor and when to act as a coach is not always easy. 

This podcast is about on mentoring and features Brandon Brown. Brandon has built a career that is deeply rooted in providing mentorship and serving others. His work focuses on creating, ensuring and sustaining safe places for young people to flourish so that they can, as he says, replace him. 

During the interview we dig into mentoring: what it is, how it is different from coaching, what it requires, and what the mentor and the mentee should expect from the relationship.

We also spend time during the beginning of the podcast discussing some of the work Brandon is currently doing around trauma for Temple University's Lewis Katz School of Medicine. This is a subject we will be revisiting at a deeper level on an upcoming podcast. 

If you'd like to reach out to Brandon with follow up questions, here is how you can reach him:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brbphilly/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/b_pbs
AboutMe: https://about.me/brandonrbrown

The Art of Mentoring with Brandon Brown

A podcast about Agile and Project Management

Louder Than Ten Goes Full CoOp w Rachel and Travis Gertz

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