The “Just Sharing” Principle

“Here's what worked for us in our context, but I recognize that your context is different”

Whereas some folks share their experiences as a recommendation, some of us find it more effective to share our experiences anecdotally.

When I apply the “Just Sharing” principle

I am saying

  • This worked for us
  • This is possible (since there is at least one case where it worked)
  • You may have success with something similar

I'm not saying

  • Your problem is the same as ours
  • You'll get the same results if you do the same thing
  • You should do this
  • This will work for you

Example: Woody Zuill's Tech Talk Intro

In this 30 second introduction to his presentation on mob programming, Woody Zuill expresses an idea that we're now calling the just sharing principle:

The first time I talked about [the practice I'm about to present], people seemed to be wanting to know what they should do. And I don't believe I can tell anybody what they should do. I can't tell you what you should do. So I really go along with this quote from Peter Block. I'm not here to tell you how or whether you should do this. I'm telling you why we did it, and how we did it. And then you can decide for yourself what you want to do. I think there's a lot of good in [the practice I'm about to present] and that's why I'm sharing it.

Discussed on the Mob Mentality Show

Our context includes