After about 2 or 3 years into my agile journey there was a time when I would listen to a talk or read a book and be like “Yeah, it’s exactly like that! I wish someone had told me 3 years ago! It would have helped me a lot! Why didn’t anyone tell me that?”
The specific information provoking that thought was typically something about people, how they behave and communicate, and how change unfolds in an organization.
After even more time I now have the sneaky suspicion that “they” did tell me that. But I wasn’t ready. The factual information didn’t stick, because it was beyond my horizon. I wonder if there are some things you have to experience yourself, mistakes you have to make and only in hindsight you can appreciate the wisdom of others.
Not sure if that is disheartening (I’d rather learn from others than make mistakes myself) or liberating (we are allowed to fail). All I know is that I’m a lot more patient than I used to be. I can now let others make mistakes they need to make in order to learn. And I try to not push advice on others, when they haven’t asked for it. It’s something, I guess 😉