Who is Brenda Bao?

Brenda was suggested by Jean Tabaka. Here is what Jean has to say about Brenda.

I was fortunate enough to meet Brenda at Agile Beijing 2 years ago. During that time in Beijing, we had an opportunity to do some coaching and community building work together. Immediately, I knew I had met an incredible Agile force. Brenda has a passion around Agile that is sure to move not just teams and organizations but entire communities. I am so glad Brenda is a part of the “Who Is agile” book. You may not know her now. I hope some day you will. We are lucky that when we look at Brenda we see “Agile” creating a space in China and the global community.

What is something people usually don’t know about you but has influenced you in who you are?

I’ve been through tough swimming trainings in my childhood. I had to leave home at 6AM before all the neighbors got up. The coach was harsh, so that we could get better records. No matter how tired I was, there’s no escape for the next day. This experience influenced my character quite a lot. You need to be a strong kid to go through those years. What happens now is that I have a super strong heart beneath my smile that could not be knocked down easily.

If you would not have been in IT, what would have become of you?

Being in IT is a coincidence. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, giving kids the best guidance in their early life. Being a trainer is one step closer. Maybe it will be my choice for my a next job.

What is your biggest challenge and why is it a good thing for you?

My biggest challenge is my looks. Very often, customers judge me from my young`looks. It’s still a good thing that getting used to being judged and sticking to what I can do makes me more mature.

What drives you?

I always believe that I was born to achieve something that I’ve not yet known. This belief drives me to follow my intuition to do the right thing and to do the thing right.

What is your biggest achievement?

Once I met a client on the subway. At that time the coaching period was already finished. But we still talked about Agile and software. I was so glad to know that even though the coaches were gone, the team still liked the Agile ways of working and was still improving by themselves. At that moment I felt a great sense of achievement because what I had been doing was really useful to people.

What is the last book you have read?

Making Software Just got the Chinese Version last week for which I was one of the translators.

What question do you think I should also ask and what is the answer?

What does Agile mean to your personal life?

Continuous improvement, responding to change, etc. All the Agile values and principles apply to individuals. Actually, to be a good Agile Coach, you need to be agile yourself first.

Who do you think I should ask next?

 

Do you like these answers? Then check out our book where we will have 89 people answering these questions.