While annual performance reviews can add value when done right, they are often done in a way that does more harm than good. A helpful alternative to an annual review is more frequent feedback that focuses on successes in addition to areas for improvement. Reviews should be motivational and constructive.

Fungibility means the ability to change without needing an external catalyst. In our agile culture, fungibility is a critical characteristic. The triad of people, processes, and technology ideally should all be fungible. Just like perfection, this may never be attainable, but it’s an important goal.

Statistics provide numbers that confer credibility to ideas, recommendations, and conclusions. But we do ourselves a disservice if we unthinkingly accept reported statistics without understanding how to interpret them—and without realizing that sometimes they are presented with deliberate deception.