Who is Dillon Weyer?
Dillon was asked to be part of the series since he presented at the South African Scrum Gathering in 2014.
Here is what Sam has to say about Dillon: I remember first meeting Dillon on a CSM course. He immediately struck me as someone with a great understanding of Scrum and in particular of the Scrum Master role. Since then I have seem Dillon grow as a coach.
I particularly enjoy his humble down to earth approach. He is not afraid to admit if he doesn’t know what to do, and is always willing to try something out. I appreciate his dedication to his own personal growth, and constant work to improve his relationships with others.
What is something people usually don’t know about you but has influenced you in who you are?
I think it is the fact that I lived in the UK for 12 years. It was in the UK that I was exposed to Agile, and because of that, when I returned to South Africa, I ended up in Johannesburg. If I never left SA, I would still be in East London, doing who knows what.
What would have become of you, if you were not doing the job you do today?
The road to how I have arrived at where I am now has been long with many twists and turns. Each one of these turns could have had me going in a different direction, so it is a challenging question to answer. I have had a very interesting and diverse career to date. I have been a beverage manager, PC technician, buyer, operations manager, project manager (the other type) and CTO. I often think back to how things might be different if I was still a buyer. I was a professional organist by the age of 9, so there is always that to fall back on. Hang on, does anyone play organ anymore?
What is your biggest challenge and why is it a good thing for you?
My biggest challenge is public speaking. It is good because I accept the challenge and it is something that I want to overcome this year. Watch this space for a SUGSA event near you for my debut.
What drives you?
How can I be better so that I can have a positive influence on all those around me, especially my two amazing boys?
What is your biggest achievement?
Arguably the credit goes to my wife, but delivering my second son at home has to be up there. Watching my two boys grow up and being able to influence them to become such amazing people is another. And finally, there’s the day I convinced the most wonderful, beautiful woman in the world to marry me. Ok that was three, what can I say I am an overachiever.
Is there a piece of music that has a special meaning for you?
Music plays a big part of my life, and I have a special track for so many different occasions. What I love is seeing how my two sons are developing their own taste in music, and how I am influencing it.
What is the last book you have read?
Sticky Wisdom by Dave Allan. Karen and Sam recommended this book in one of the newsletters a while back. After attending Paul Goddard’s presentation entitled: “Can laughing at our problems actually help us solve them?”, I have been on a quest on finding new ideas to help people solve problems in a new and inventive way. That is exactly what this book is about.
What question do you think we should also ask and what is the answer?
What is your goal for the next 2 years?
I have spent this last year focussing on improving as a coach. Not specifically Agile related, rather just developing my skills as an actual coach. I want to focus less on the process and more on systems and people. I have found that there is so much that Agile has to offer to so many other areas, not only in business but other areas as well. I am very keen on working with teachers to develop new ways to teach children HOW to learn, rather than just WHAT to learn. How can the children become more self-organised? How can we help them manage their work better? How can we help them solve their own problems? Sound familiar ☺.
Whom do you think we should ask next in South Africa?
Angie Doyle. I have worked with Angie for over 2 years now. When I met Angie, she was working as a BPA in a team newly introduced to Scrum. From day one Angie took to Agile like a duck to water. Angie is one of the best POs I have worked with.
Whom do you think we should ask next, not in South Africa?
Based on the fact that Paul inspired me with his presentation at the Scrum Gathering last year, I would suggest Paul Goddard.
How would you define your relation to the South African Agile community?
I feel like an adopted son. Living in the UK for 12 years and only coming back 2 years ago, I was very new to the Agile Community. The community invited me in with open arms and I am happily trying to repay the hospitality.
Johannesburg, November 2014
How to connect with Dillon
Twitter: @dmweyer
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/dillonweyer