In a recent discussion I had with someone about the Agile Work Axioms, he mentioned that he thought that “people are lazy by nature”. Here is my brief response:
I don’t totally agree. Those who are motivated for whatever reason to do something will be “not-lazy”, and those who aren’t motivated will be “lazy”. But the fact is, that I don’t think laziness is a fundamental truth about human nature. I think it’s a consequence of how engaged we are with our environment, which in turn is a result of both our internal state, and how attractive our environment is. Television is a great example: it is so engaging that we will sit around doing nothing even if it becomes physically quite uncomfortable. Normally, laziness is associated with avoiding discomfort.
In terms of engaging with our environment, the three Agile Work Axioms define a system of engagement:
