The Badass Business Analyst: Little Slices of Big Truths

Presented to BBC 2014

Presented by: Bob Prentiss CBAP

This session is dedicated to every business analyst who refuses to accept the status quo, accepts that we can always do better, and is willing to challenge and educate those who lack the understanding of the business analysis profession and the value it brings.

Bob the BA

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Badass BA Challenge #1!

Badass BA Challenge #2!

Go deeper.

Badass defined

•  Often vulgar: ready to cause or get into trouble

•  Of formidable strength or skill - impressive •  Having extremely favorable qualities •  A person or thing that is rugged, strong and/

or ready to show these qualities

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The Badass Business Analyst defined •  A Business Analyst whose moral compass

always guides them to do the right thing for the people, the project, and the organization maximizing business value. Someone who uses their knowledge, skill and experience to call bullshit on entitlement, and speak truth to power because they give a damn.

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What does the badass look like?

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Famous Badass – Julia Child

•  Stakeholder analysis and major relationship builder

•  Navigated political waters

•  Developed anti-shark repellent

•  Spy! 8

Famous Badass – Daniel Day Lewis

•  Dedicated

•  Got to know his stakeholders intimately

•  Learned from doing and failing repeatedly

•  Two-time Oscar winning method actor

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Famous Badass – Audrey Hepburn

•  Looked sweet, but willing to risk her life

•  Class act •  Humanitarian

•  Dutch resistance – a ballerina who passed secrets

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Famous Badass – James Doohan

•  Grit

•  Integrity •  Resiliency

•  Bravery

•  World War II Canadian ace pilot

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Famous Badass – Cecilie Hoffman

•  The original badass BA

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You might be a badass if…

You might be a badass if you spend evenings, reading about business analysis increasing your knowledge and sharpening your skill sets… for fun.

“I really thought straw would make a great foundation.”

Wilbur (Little Pig #1)

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Badass BA competencies

Badass BA competencies

•  Abundance mentality

•  Visibility •  Moral cause

•  Always influencing

•  Appropriate challenger

•  RelationSHIPS

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•  Opportunist

•  Vulnerability •  Critical thinker –

does not judge first

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You might be a badass if…

You might be a badass if you saw a good idea and stole it immediately to use for a meeting tomorrow.

“Go ahead and be a 10, I’m an 11.”

J. Rabbit

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A badass knows…

A badass knows…

•  Who they are

•  What they know

•  What they don’t know

•  A little bit of everything even if they never use it

•  They must be confident

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“You're out of order! You're out of order! The whole trial is out of order! They're out of order!

Joan of A.

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Bullshit, the power of truth, & your cause

Bullshit, the power of truth, & your cause •  Call BS on entitlement

•  Speak truth to power •  Act with knowledge and deliberate purpose

•  It is the motive for your performance

•  Badass BAs do it because it is right to do for the people, the project, and the organization

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Which of the following CLM’s has Bob the BA done? A. Kissed a Sr. Manager’s shoe to stop her

micromanaging

B. Cussed out a Sr. Director &$#*Q(!@$!!!!@#($*&!@ to show them how they were treating people

C. Let a very, very large project fail D. All of the above

“It was a no-brainer.”

Albert E.

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Risky business?

Risky business? •  Consider then act

•  Calculated, not crazy

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•  A badass takes larger, more seemingly “riskier” ventures, but they do so because they know the WWWWWH of the situation, and they believe in their cause

“I did challenge. I did! I tried and I tried but no one would listen.”

The Boy who Cried Wolf (We’ll call him… Frank)

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Challenge appropriately

Challenge appropriately

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“If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got. Yes, I traded our cow… but it seemed like a good deal...”

Jack

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Learn, think, work…. differently

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You might be a badass if…

You might be a badass if people are frequently requesting you to work on their projects.

“It’s a job man. I get up, I go to work. If I fail, I keep trying. I fail a litter faster, learn a little more. I tell ya, one of these days I am going to get him.”

Wiley E.

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Resiliency

Resiliency

•  The badass knows: –  Boundaries –  Self awareness –  To practice acceptance –  To get out of their head –  To delegate –  To keep trying

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You might be a badass if…

You might be a badass if you care enough to do something about the things you see around you.

“Every experience is a form of exploration and every time you explore you discover. One day maybe you will go to mars, or maybe you will cure cancer. That’s what nerds are here on this earth to do. To do the things that are too epic for everyone else to do.”

Kayla LaFrance

(Winner - King of the Nerds Season 2)

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Embrace your inner nerd

Embrace your inner nerd

•  Intelligence built in

•  Obsessive tendencies •  Use your “outcast” nature to motivate you

•  We see the world differently

•  Stereotype/schmereotype – nerds are the new popular crowd

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Bob the BA is a major nerd •  Loves sci-fi (all of it) •  Reads a lot of fantasy novels

•  Plays rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock

•  Played D&D (that’s Dungeon and Dragons)

•  Collects dragon artwork (car license plate is MYDRGN)

•  Belonged to a rock club growing up

•  National Honors Society

•  Chamber choir, men’s choir, mixed choir, madrigal choir, barbershop quartet, got choir?

•  Played competitive scrabble 34

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How we got to version 3…

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You might be a badass if…

You might be badass if you often think about how your requirements meetings went that day and you try to figure out how to make them better for the future.

“I just really looked up to him, you know?”

David

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Your Badass Heroes

Your Badass Heroes

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•  Your role models

•  Your inspiration •  They don’t have to be mentors

•  They can be real or imaginary

•  Be careful – heroes can take a fall…

•  Bob the BA heroes: Elaine Stritch, Sydney Poitier, The Tick, Ian McKellen, Doctor Who

Badass BA Challenge #3! Hello neighbor.

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You might be a badass if…

You might be a badass if you were so excited about your approach to your requirements workshop you couldn't wait to go to work tomorrow to see the results.

“I just couldn’t help myself.

Lestat

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The badass nature vs. nurture

The badass nature vs. nurture

The story of the crow and the lamb

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You might be a badass if…

You might be a badass if stakeholders didn't realize your meeting was almost over. "That's it? Well that went by so fast!"

“Really? I mean, isn’t there a little give and take here? I offered them cake!”

Marie A.

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People First, Career Second

People First, Career Second

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•  It is all about the relationships

•  The badass BA career will take care of itself •  Don’t work for a legacy – let it happen

•  Without building respectful relationships, you cannot maximize influence and be the change agent that people need you to be

Learning

Looking for a job

Balanced

Badass!

Social climber

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You might be a badass if…

You might be a badass if you tell someone something very personal about you, in order to relate to someone whose life is really hard right now. You did it, to make them feel better.

“How would you feel if a house dropped on your sister?”

Elphaba

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Badasses have feelings too…

Badasses have feelings too…

•  We recognize our dysfunctions and use our experiences to make us stronger

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Your Badassometer

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Padawan:You are learning to harness your personal power.

Ninja: You are stealthy, you strike strategically, and you make a difference.

Mentor: You are a role model and leader in your company. You make things happen.

Ultimate Badass!: You do not rest. You are steadfast in your approach and your cause. Your integrity is constant. You will choose people over things, character over personal gain and service over power.

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You might be a badass if…

You might be a badass if you can really, and truly facilitate, collaboratively. That means you get off your duff and you get your meeting participants off their duffs and actually participate!

“Two heads really are better than one. So are three, four, five, six and seven!”

The Hydra

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Badass collaboration

Badass collaboration

• The final frontier?

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Badass BA Challenge #4!

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You are a badass…

Remember, we are not a commodity. There are very few of us who can do what we do. We are valuable, but we need people to see that value. Now go be a badass and help the world see a little more clearly.

Learn – Think – Work Differently

www.BobtheBA.com Email me at: Bob@BobtheBA.com

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