Elly Griffith-Ward
Job:
Agile Coach
Company:
Booking.com
I coach/mentor/teach/facilitate teams and their managers/directors in how to work more effectively. I use concepts inspired by Agile and Lean theories to shift people's mental models. My aim is to deliver valuable work faster, improve everyone's experience of work and change the focus from managing the worker to managing the work.
I am...
Influential
without
power
The skills I use most in my job...
Coaching: providing a safe environment in which people can explore concepts and find ways to improve themselves
Teaching: I prepare and deliver appropriate content, honed to perfectly meet the team's needs and concerns in that moment.
Research: I research new ideas in the field by reading books, articles, attending conferences and talks. Then analyse the new ideas and test them out in teams. If they work I scale.
Facilitation: I run meetings effectively so that everyone is heard, valuable ideas are gathered and turned into actions which get done
The most interesting thing I've worked on in my career so far...
I got to build an app for Hampton Court Palace - it involved a lot of behind the scenes tours. My office was Henry VIII's bedroom!!
What inspired me into digital and tech...
The dream of working in a truly Agile environment. It is a more humane, scientific approach to management which far surpasses traditional ways of working.
My educational background is...
A levels in Latin, History and Music BA (Hons) Classics 2:1 MA Heritage Management 1st Qualitative Research training Scrum Master training A looooooot of reading, researching and shadowing colleagues
What advice I'd give to girls thinking about a career in digital and tech...
Even if you study the "wrong" thing for years and years and years, you can probably still find a use for your skills in the world of Digital and Tech. It is generally a very open and forward thinking industry which values diversity of thought. The most transferable skills that I use every day came from my time as a Food Historian(!)
