Podcast – Badass Agile: Recent Episodes
Fuse Chamber, Inc
No amount of tooling makes an organization go faster or do better. AI has made that clearer than anything else I’ve watched in nine years of doing this. What it has produced instead is what people are now calling the human wreckage of AI.
How I Met Angela DuganSo one day I’m cruising around LinkedIn, in a market where nobody can get hired and companies swear they can’t find anyone, and here’s someone doing something simple. She posted about a role she wasn’t hiring for. Didn’t have the requisition, and said so right in the post. It felt awkward, it felt vulnerable…and she put it up anyway, Because she wasn’t willing to wait until she desperately needed somebody before she started meeting people.
She got dozens of replies in days. Almost every one of them said the same thing. “It’s a relief to talk to a human.”
That’s Angela Dugan. She’s VP of Product Delivery at Red Foundry in Chicago, and she went first while everyone else was feeding resumes into a machine.
Stop Looking For Your Past RolesYou’ll hear about the advice that ended her own job search, which is the part I want you to sit with: stop looking for your past roles. Look for the activities you want to do, the outcomes you want to drive, the impact you want to have. She stopped hunting for anything with “agile” in the title. That’s how she got a director job at Microsoft, and the VP job she has now.
She shares the story of her layoff. She was cut from Microsoft when the AI money started moving and the people money stopped. Two days later she left a comment on somebody else’s post. Not an ask, just empathy for someone in the same wave. And her future CEO saw it. Someone she’d consulted for back in 2014 and never stopped talking to.
Ten years of keeping one relationship warm. That’s the whole story.
The Human Side of Business and TechThis episode is about the human side of tech, AI and Agile. Right now the job market is breaking, but it won’t stay that way. Know why? Because results speak. And what we learn from Angela Dugan is that doing things the right way (which could mean leveraging AI, but not just throwing tasks carelessly over the fence to AI) gets noticed. Because the RIGHT people make impact. They touch the bottom line.
And isn’t that what we’ve been talking about here on Badass Agile? Outcomes. Not frameworks, nor conventions. Not fashion or trends or fast money.
Find Angela Dugan: LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/andugan/ (Put a note in the request.)
She’s also at the local Chicago events and at VS Live.
Show Notes
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need to stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Q1 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgilea
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Ripe for DisruptionIn an environment begging for disruption, Agile lost its reputation. It wasn’t because the 12 Principles were ineffective.
It’s because we let it fall prey to comfortable, common thinking. Slow it down, make it safe. Don’t shake the floor; just go faster.
When we want calm and predictable, we choose patterns. Copy something that works and repeat it. But patterns get stuck, and stuck patterns are hard to break.
The disruptor doesn’t wait for permission. They act. They see a future that promises better, and they march toward it. They are fearless and determined authentic. That’s what Curry Barker is.
In this episode, I’ll share why I think disruption is the only path to innovation and change and “better”. Disruption means taking a risk; doing things that others won’t. On the surface it seems like recklessness. But if we’re honest, nothing great was ever created from status quo.
We need disruption right now. Not just in Agile, but in business, politics and culture. What Curry Barker teaches us is that you should just take your camera and GO. If you can attract a little attention or brew some success, the right people will find you. And maybe you can make lasting change.
It’s certainly a more compelling and gratifying life. And right now, companies are looking for that disruption. They want to be shown. The market will pay a premium for those who go first, take risks, and fight long enough to gain footing. It’s not an easy path, and that’s exactly the point.
LET ME HELP YOU CREATE YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITIES
Reclaim control of your income and opportunities by picking a market that is hungry for your solution – and defining a product that they will pay for – in just 90 minutes! Don’t be late to this trend! Sign up today!
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need to stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Q1 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
GET THE BUSINESS OUTCOMES PARTNER PLAYBOOK
Learn how to deliver undeniable ROI that saves your job and accelerates your future
https://learning.fusechamber.com/outcomes-partner-playbook
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgilea
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The Rise of The Authentic Agile LeaderI’m obsessed with voice. If you look carefully at history….THERE IS NO politician, writer, performer, or business leader who got the attention and results they’re famous for WITHOUT BEING BOLD.
Like the revolutionary voices of our culture, the authentic Agile leader has the potential to create a new future. It doesn’t matter WHAT future, only that it is different than status quo. An evolution from what we have done for the past quarter century.
After all…aren’t we supposed to be about iteration and innovation?
If you like this episode you might also like:
Episode 229 – Why Sameness Is Not A Strategy
Sameness Strikes Again
Create A Movement With Your Voice
NEW! PICK YOUR PRODUCT!
Reclaim control of your income and opportunities by picking a market that is hungry for your solution – and defining a product that they will pay for – in just 90 minutes! Don’t be late to this trend! Sign up today!
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need to stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Q1 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
GET THE BUSINESS OUTCOMES PARTNER PLAYBOOK
Learn how to deliver undeniable ROI that saves your job and accelerates your future
https://learning.fusechamber.com/outcomes-partner-playbook
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgilea
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The Forge Programs: Navigating the End of the Agile EraNine years of Badass Agile has led to this exact moment. The ground under the industry has shifted. The comfortable era of easily landed roles and endless demand for generic agile support is gone. If you are watching your position disappear or feeling the walls close in on your career, know this: the panic you feel is a signal, not a failure. Fight-or-flight is the natural response when a career path stops providing security, but reacting with fear is a guarantee of becoming obsolete. The Forge, Forge Lightning, and Forge Genesis are the necessary antedote to that drift.
Survival Demands More Than AgileThe market doesn’t care about your certifications today. It cares about survival, revenue, and clear-eyed leadership. Professionals who stick to the old playbook are finding themselves invisible. If you want to remain useful, you must move beyond the framework and into the mechanics of actual business value.
My original year-long program, The Forge, provides the structure for that transition. We don’t talk about “agile transformations” in a vacuum; we focus on the raw, difficult leadership skills that translate directly into business outcomes. Whether you are leading a team through a crisis or fighting to stay relevant in a bloated corporate environment, The Forge helps you build the resilience and vision that others currently lack.
Leadership is about more than just managing a board. It is about the ability to see the path when everyone else is lost in the fog. Through The Forge and The Forge Lightning (which is a 12-week version of the 12-month Forge), we strip away the nonsense and work on what actually moves the needle. You learn to speak the language that executives respect, and you develop the backbone to stand by your decisions when things get uncomfortable. This is about transforming your career from a commodity into an essential asset.
How is Forge Genesis Different?Many of you know that the traditional path is failing, yet you hesitate to build something of your own. This is where The Forge Genesis changes the equation. Entrepreneurial thinking is not just for founders. It is the only way to insulate yourself against job market volatility. You have skills that the market needs, but you are likely struggling to package them in a way that commands respect and compensation. The Forge Genesis focuses on the brutal, necessary work: validating problems, crafting solutions that solve real pain, and selling those results. We cut through the noise of empty resumes and help you show the world exactly what you are worth.
This transition from employee to builder is the hardest move you will ever make. Most people fail here because they try to do it alone, or worse, they try to do it by following a book. The Forge Genesis provides the roadmap for the hellish middle—that time when it feels like nothing is working and your brain is screaming at you to go back to the safety of a steady paycheck. We teach you how to stay the course, how to refine your offering, and how to communicate your value in a way that creates undeniable demand.
Building Your Own FutureThe danger is waiting for a market that is not coming back. If you want to lead, you have to be the one who defines the value. The Forge and The Forge Lightning cohort experiences are built for those who recognize that the old rules are dead. With The Forge Genesis, We provide the classroom, the accountability, and the direct, unvarnished feedback needed to stop trading time for pennies and start building a career that creates its own momentum. The transition you are going through is painful, but it is also the perfect catalyst. The Forge is designed to take that energy and turn it into a concrete, market-ready advantage.
You are at a crossroads. You can stay in the current cycle of applying, interviewing, and feeling invisible, or you can commit to the work that changes everything. The Forge programs are not for everyone, and that’s by design. It’s for those who are ready to stop settling for whatever scraps the economy leaves behind. It is for the leaders who know they have more to give and the entrepreneurs who are ready to build something that lasts.
If you liked this episode you might also like:
The Forge Experience: Alumni Insights and Successes
Badass Unscripted – The Forge – The “Holy $&#! Who Was That?” School
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need to stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Q1 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
GET THE BUSINESS OUTCOMES PARTNER PLAYBOOK
Learn how to deliver undeniable ROI that saves your job and accelerates your future
https://learning.fusechamber.com/outcomes-partner-playbook
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgilea
*
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
****
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
AI Agile promises easier work, but it creates a leadership trap for anyone trying to stand out. When leaders turn to AI Agile for content, resumes, or pitches, the output becomes uniform and robotic, blending into the surrounding noise. Distinction requires consistent effort in uncomfortable areas: making direct outreach, stating difficult positions, and drawing connections others overlook. AI Agile excels with patterns and averages, while humans provide the vision, novel combinations, and genuine attention that drive results.
AI Agile Comfort Takes HoldComfort has taken hold. AI Agile accelerates writing, image creation, and social posts, which feels efficient. However, the generated material follows a predictable rhythm and tone, similar to formulaic music. This appears in articles, headlines, and newsletters, lacking distinctiveness and appearing across platforms. Many accept it as sufficient because of the speed, leading to widespread adoption and reduced variety.
AI Agile Fails to Break ThroughThe underlying challenge persists. Efforts to achieve visibility on social media rely on AI Agile claims about algorithms, yet identical approaches from all users return the situation to uniformity. Without a clear personal voice, connections fail to form, and influence does not expand. Applications for roles, outreach for opportunities, and scheduling now operate at an unsustainable pace, where AI Agile delivers only standard results.
Counter AI Agile with FundamentalsA return to fundamentals addresses this. Counter tendencies toward minimal effort, standardized automation, and imitation. Favor straightforward methods over convenience. Each day, select tasks that demand more than the baseline expectation. Complete work now that positions you ahead later. Conduct outreach without prior notice. Present observations in original terms. Identify trends before they gain attention.
AI Agile Limits ExplorationAI Agile processes existing data and projections effectively but cannot pursue uncharted paths or generate true invention. Moments of insight occur during routine activities like showers or commutes, outside structured inputs. Leadership involves decisions under uncertainty, which AI Agile avoids. Routine execution suits automated systems and those who follow established paths. Those who direct outcomes shape what comes next.
Practical Steps Beyond AI AgileSelect one challenging action daily, drawn from routines of established performers, and complete it.
Assign AI Agile to repetitive tasks where individual judgment adds no advantage, such as outdated mechanical processes, while retaining direct interactions.
Maintain control over initial ideas, extended thoughts, and exploratory findings without external processing.
Understand core methods thoroughly, including variables like proportions and duration, to achieve reliable outcomes with variation. Delegate routine elements to AI Agile, allowing focus on structural improvements that reduce pressure and repetition.
Essential contributions remain uniquely human: understanding context, demonstrating attention, and recognizing opportunities. Delegating these reduces necessity for human involvement.
Want to learn more about elite leadership? Forge Lightning supports the development of leaders equipped to navigate ahead. Forge Genesis assists those recognizing the need for independent ventures in these shifting times. Contact chris@badassagile.com or visit learning.fusechamber.com to learn more (links below).
If you like this episode, you may also like:
Will AI Save Agile?
The Real AI Opportunity
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need to stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Q1 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
GET THE BUSINESS OUTCOMES PARTNER PLAYBOOK
Learn how to deliver undeniable ROI that saves your job and accelerates your future
https://learning.fusechamber.com/outcomes-partner-playbook
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgilea
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The Evolving Role Of The Agile CoachBeing an Agile Coach is no longer about staying buried in frameworks or cheerleading teams. It’s about getting out of the team room, talking to the business, and understanding what people are measured on, what they fear, and what they need to move faster and create value.
Why It MattersWhen we build regular conversations with the business, we stay closer to real priorities, spot changes sooner, and become more useful to the organization. You also make your value visible, which matters when most people still don’t fully understand what an Agile Coach does.
What To Do NowSee your job as helping connect technology to outcomes that show up in the business, not just in process metrics. That means networking, asking better questions, joining strategy discussions, and looking for low-risk experiments that improve speed, revenue, or customer results. In a world where technology is no longer the bottleneck, the Agile Coach who stays curious, visible, and aligned with the business is the one who stays relevant.
If You Liked This Epsiode you may also like:
Episode 231 – What A Great Coach Does
Outcomes, Not Outputs – How To Resurrect Agile
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need to stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. Next cohort starts in Q2 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
GET THE BUSINESS OUTCOMES PARTNER PLAYBOOK
Learn how to deliver undeniable ROI that saves your job and accelerates your future
https://learning.fusechamber.com/outcomes-partner-playbook
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The Real State of Agile in 2026 It’s been nine years since I started this show, and I can tell you this. Agile isn’t going anywhere. But man, has it ever changed shape. Agile in 2026 is barely recognizable from when I started. Our resumes are no longer welcome in recruiter inboxes. Funny, because what we were hired FOR has never changed. Businesses need to move the needle on metrics that count.
I can’t offer you a new framework for doing that. I’m still doing amazing stuff that inspires me and exposes me to new challenges and people. What underpins my daily work are those agile principles that I’ve been practicing for 20 years now.
The tribes mission is still clear. We build leaders who deliver what matters. We chase excellence. Fundamentals shape who we become, not just what we do. Agile in 2026 demands it.
The Four Pillars of The ForgeThere’s four things I teach in The Forge that will make you badass no matter who you serve or how you serve them. Adopt and embrace these and you’ll be valuable in any market. What the industry decides to call you won’t matter. The impact that you make will still be distinct and distinguished.
- Vision leads. See ahead. Predict sentiments and shifts. Define a future others buy into.
- Action beats thinking every time
- Drop “until.” It stalls everything. Don’t wait for perfect. Make the call. Build the thing. Start the blog. Have lunch with the boss. Arnold Schwarzenegger nailed it – progress creates motivation. Small wins build momentum.
- Get rid of “should” too. It reeks of conformity. Society wants sameness and ceilings on weirdos. Fly your flag. And no judgment on others. Leaders honor choice. Check yourself if tempted to correct someone else’s lane.
- Resilience seals it. Fail fast. Learn faster. Agile teaches this, but resilience is the most uncommon quality in business. Post and see. No response? Pivot tomorrow.
- Continue failing and learning as your means to chase mastery
The Show Pivots Yet AgainBadass Agile will evolve yet again. Less talk about the job, and the framework. More real agility for a time that is moving at the speed of AI. Leadership: Vision. Discipline. Focus. Mastery. Leaders see voids. Followers wait.
Grab the Business Outcomes Partner’s Playbook at https://learning.fusechamber.com/outcomes-partner-playbook. Links below. Share it. Stay in the fight.
If you like this episode, you may also like:
The 2026 18th State Of Agile Report
Badass Unscripted – The Forge – The “Holy $&#! Who Was That?” School
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need to stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Q1 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
GET THE BUSINESS OUTCOMES PARTNER PLAYBOOK
Learn how to deliver undeniable ROI that saves your job and accelerates your future
https://learning.fusechamber.com/outcomes-partner-playbook
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
*
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
****
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Meet Kevin Sutherland of SI Delivery ConsultingKevin Sutherland is doing bold things to bring agile methods to large-scale government. He went from early days with Accenture, through first-hand experience with waterfall and the pitfalls of massive system delivery, to founding his own company focused on state-level innovation. Kevin isn’t just theorizing about agile transformation, he’s in the trenches, dealing with resistance, bureaucratic inertia, and public stakeholder pushback.
Kevin discusses what makes public sector agile so distinct and challenging. What are the unique obstacles in government (political incentives, captive user bases, absence of commercial profit motives) that make scaling agile so complex? Regulation, oversight, legacy systems, and decades of policy layering are persistent blockers that most commercial agilists rarely encounter. Many true agile practitioners just avoid or walk away from government environments, choosing not to engage because the culture or ecosystem isn’t receptive.
You’ll hear what Kevin is actually testing and using in a time when agile has become a dirty word in many orgs, and how he finds ways to deliver value without strictly using “agile” terminology or dogma. You’ll hear about the incremental approach and the transformational strategies he’s developing in Minnesota. You’ll also learn about the tension between short-term, emergency-driven bursts of agility and the longer, harder work of organizational transformation.
His strategy in action starts with outcome-focused use cases, and creating a safe, incubator environment for experimentation to enable change without risking the status quo. Getting buy-in from the willing, finding pockets of urgency, and managing vendor relationships in environments where incentive structures aren’t naturally aligned are some of the ongoing challenges.
Underlying everything is the growing pace of technological change, especially with AI reshaping expectations about speed and delivery. It’s difficult to know what agile principles look like when roles themselves are changing, and the fundamental problems aren’t getting better on their own.
There are never simple answers, but Kevin’s work will give you a clearer sense of the complicated, often contradictory world of government agile and why persistence, honesty, and outcome orientation matter so much.
You can find Kevin Sutherland at:
https://si-delivery.com
Minnesota MES Modernization Strategy RFI Mural Board – includes the strategy videos and links as well as the results of vendor feedback and engagement:
https://app.mural.co/t/minnesotamesmodernizationcan3670/m/minnesotamesmodernizationcan3670/1754081683082/fccc2005d83a2d11a12bea54bf6c2caa55b5fdbc?sender=uc99ad10c761de24074363019
Procurement Innovation – contenton procurement innovation at the State Health IT Connect Summit in Feb.
https://procurement.innovation.si-delivery.com
Procurement Innovation Contract Examples – samples of contract templates that could be used to execute the approach and shrink procurement lead times.
https://si-delivery.com/starter-kit
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need to stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Q1 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
GET THE BUSINESS OUTCOMES PARTNER PLAYBOOK
Learn how to deliver undeniable ROI that saves your job and accelerates your future
https://learning.fusechamber.com/outcomes-partner-playbook
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
What’s the Real AI Opportunity?You know me. I think the AI thing is a bit of a sandstorm. A gold rush. There’s no question its useful (I use it for a ton of stuff actually) and there’s no question its only going to get better. But in the early stages of any new tech, there’s a lot of hype, a lot of bandwagon-joining, and a lot of waste. (Y2K? NFT’s? Anyone…?)
What I can say for sure is there’s not a ton of benefit in building Custom GPT’s that will ‘replace what we do’. First of all…why would we hasten our own exit? But also, where’s the consistency of knowledge going to come from? The internet? The bad ideas peddled in certifications? Reddit?
Then I hear there’s AI opportunity in binding and automating JIRA workflows, or even PO through development strands. Interesting ideas with no real contenders yet.
But here’s what I DO know. Businesses, especially the biggest ones struggle with speed. They’re desperate to innovate – if only to beat their competitors to market. They have the best talent pools, and funds to build and experiment. They’re just no darned good at it. Same story. Silos, dependencies, lack of executive support, fear of failure, organizational inertia.
And THAT growing distance between potential and capability is the real AI Opportunity.
What Will Never ChangeAI will keep growing and shifting. The big surprises are still ahead of us. And you don’t need to call out what they are. What you need to recognize is that big groups of people are always slow to move. There’s a natural heaviness to large groups, and with only a few exceptions, they’re not nimble, or agile.
It doesn’t matter what the next big thing is. ChatGPT went crazy almost overnight. I first heard about it early 2022 and its been all we’ve been discussing since. If it takes you 2 1/2 years to leverage the advantage, you’re behind.
I’m not even sure people WANT to adopt AI that rapidly. Because in this moment, there’s a lot of fear hovering over job loss, ethical use and security.
Which means the real AI opportunity will remain elusive to companies unless they learn how to manage that inertia. You could be helping them overcome that fear.
If you liked this episode, you should also check out…
Will AI Save Agile?
Episode_272_AI_and_Agile
Adam Smith of Tension – Navigating AI Disruption and Leading The Unknown
GET THE BUSINESS OUTCOMES PARTNER PLAYBOOK
Learn how to deliver undeniable ROI that saves your job and accelerates your future
https://learning.fusechamber.com/outcomes-partner-playbook
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need to stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Q1 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Welcome back Adam Smith, founder of Tension, a Toronto-based user experience firm.
It’s been about a year since our last conversation, and Adam Smith’s journey through the rise of AI, the shifting value of UX/UI, and the broader changes across creative and knowledge industries made us reflect more deeply on what we actually do—and how we define ourselves.
Adam describes how AI has drastically reduced the manual “effort hours” that once drove the bottom line in UX/UI work. Yet he insists that the real differentiator comes from human experience, intuition, and the scars earned from tackling messy problems. AI can prototype quickly, but it can’t replicate the nuanced understanding that comes from his decades in the industry.
Later in the episode, we get to the good stuff. Everyone, regardless of their job title, must face disruption head-on. You can’t wait for the new normal. The burden is on US to lead, question assumptions, and carve opportunities out of the unknown. Adam shares his own methods, including writing as a vehicle for self-discovery. He uses writing to process uncertainty, consider his audience, and reinforce the value of authenticity and connection. Something that AI just can’t do.
Entrepreneurship, in its purest form, is about being comfortable fumbling in the dark. It’s about having the courage not just to keep a business afloat, but to create, experiment, and occasionally fail. The ability to find and filter meaning, purpose, and contribution as the foundation for work is, we believe, now essential for anyone seeking to thrive as automation only gets better and better.
Adam Smith’s foray into entrepreneurship and disruption reminds us that tech may change how we work, but it doesn’t change why we work.
Find Adam Smith at Tension.
You can also follow him on LinkedIn.
If you enjoyed this episode, you should also check out:
Intentional Design with Adam Smith of Tension
Agile In Toronto At Night – Adam Smith
GET THE BUSINESS OUTCOMES PARTNER PLAYBOOK
Learn how to deliver undeniable ROI that saves your job and accelerates your future
https://learning.fusechamber.com/outcomes-partner-playbook
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need to stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Q1 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
It’s not just an ideal time to create a movement, it’s essential now.
Agile isn’t going to rebound to its original shape. Corporate work isn’t going to get less stressful. Jobs aren’t going to become more abundant. And AI isn’t going to save you from anything.
It’s not that things are crumbling. They’re shifting. And if you build the courage and skill, you can create a movement that will let you capitalize.
A movement, like this podcast itself, starts when you can see something isn’t working. When a better way is obvious to everyone, except the people who sign your checks, and their unquestioning followers.
Why You Should Create A MovementI get that this might be for everyone. Sometimes we just want to show up, punch in and collect our cheque. I wouldn’t judge anyone for not wanting to shout into the darkness. To be the first to say what we THINK everyone else is thinking. But then, that’s what leadership is about. You don’t have to be special, or even more ready than anyone else to create a movement.
What I want you to know is that this is available to everyone. And from personal experience, I can tell you it feels good. It feels good when you start something that others have been waiting and hoping for. It feels good when your work causes others to rise, and build momentum.
Change is often forced upon us. But there are times when we are inspired by a tiny current rather than a spectacular crash. A small group of inspired, dedicated individuals who believe there MUST be a better way. That’s how Agile itself started. Rooted in service, they decided to stop doing what wasn’t working and create a movement of their own. Not for everyone, but for US. And 25 years later, we are not only due, but I’d argue that currents more powerful than software development alone demand that we rise.
If you liked this episode, you might also like:
Have Your Own Voice
Why You MUST Stand For Something
CHECK OUT FRED DEICHLER
I’ve really enjoyed reading Fred’s substack. He’s not just talking about AI, he’s playing with it and writing about what he makes, and why it matters from the perspective of an Agile practitioner. A very, very good read. Find him at www.triforceagility.com and let me know what you think!
GET THE BUSINESS OUTCOMES PARTNER PLAYBOOK
Learn how to deliver undeniable ROI that saves your job and accelerates your future
https://learning.fusechamber.com/outcomes-partner-playbook
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need to stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Q1 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
You chose this tribe. You opted in, because you’re a Badass Agile Leader.
This is the call. Time to raise your voice. You have experience, you have something to say. Your wisdom is worth something. Rather than chill on social media and bark about how bad things suck…why not DO something with that passion? With that point of view?
Before we start, I want to shine a light on someone who’s actually out there delivering on the promise of Agile. Kevin Sutherland works in perhaps the most challenging environment. Public Services, or government, are complex, siloed, and mired in legacy. Kevin is holding firm, bringing real Badass Agile Leadership to state-level teams (and the taxpayers they serve).
Check out Kevin Sutherland and follow his path to insititutional/large enterprise agility:
Check out His State systems modernization video.
Check out Kevin Sutherland on YouTube
How A Badass Agile Leaders Answer the CallAs I was saying, time to use your voice to lift up the entire tribe. No one is out there painting a firm vision of the future. What was written 25 years ago needs some adjusting for a modern context. Lessons learned through failure inform a new reality.
A Badass Agile Leader recognizes there’s a better way that defies the pedestrian chatter. They refuse to follow the herd, yet the know innately that wisdom lives within the herd. They hold no desire on being ‘the leader’ as much as they inspire the masses to organize, and sometimes, to wake up.
That’s what I love talking about now. A Badass Agile Leader knows how to stand for something, and to stand up for something.
Not everyone is comfortable being seen, much less rocking the status quo. But if you’ve been following this show for any amount of time, you KNOW that change requires courage. Maybe even sacrifice, and growth. Or maybe you’d just like to be part of a new movement, from the second row or further back.
This is all good. But a Badass Agile Leader hears the call right now. It’s undeniable. The old days aren’t coming back. No more calls from recruiters, no more premium rates. Unless…we do our duty and make Agile relevant to our modern context. If Agile isn’t doing the job, I know you’ve noticed. You probably have an opinion about what should be done differently. That’s your asset right now.
If you enjoyed this you might also like:
Episode 103 – Herds Versus Heroes
Employee Mindset
Why You MUST Stand For Something
GET THE BUSINESS OUTCOMES PARTNER PLAYBOOK
Learn how to deliver undeniable ROI that saves your job and accelerates your future
https://learning.fusechamber.com/outcomes-partner-playbook
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need to stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Q1 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Time To Stand For SomethingIt’s our season to carve out an authentic place as leaders in the new universe of Agile. Following the crowd isn’t enough. In this environment, flooded with process trainers and framework enforcers, there’s an absence of meaningful leadership. We’re encouraged to focus on the steps and systems, but how are we developing the leaders we actually become, or what values we fiercely defend?
We wander the halls of organizations spouting the same textbook answers, rarely asking if these practices serve our teams, or make a lasting impact on business outcomes. I challenge you now to stand for something. To risk stepping away from the safety of crowd-pleasing, and to lean into the experiences, struggles, and perspectives that have shaped us.
Your personal battles and growing pains (in my case, it was dealing with criticism, overcoming bad habits, or finding confidence through disciplines like boxing) are more than just anecdotes. These struggles shape how we lead, communicate, and influence the culture around us. It’s only when you weave those hard-won lessons into your approach that you become truly distinct. And in this market, distinction matters. If nothing else, its a chance to lead by YOUR rules, not by those set by an industry. What sets us apart isn’t quirkiness for the sake of being different, it’s a principled stance forged from our real experiences.
As AI and remote work have forever transformed the industry, we face a choice. We can recede into the background, recycle what everyone else is saying, or stand for something only we can offer. Our unique viewpoint, even if it feels vulnerable or counter-establishment, IS the value we offer to our teams and communities.
This show has always had an element of resisting comfort and conformity. The best way to do that is to explore the truth that only we offer. Are we willing to risk rejection by speaking it? When you put yourself out there, whether in a podcast, a blog, or leading a team, you attract people who resonate with your message. That personal touch, rooted in our struggles and transformed into insight, becomes our greatest asset. In a changing landscape, its when you stand for something meaningful that you rise from an average leader into an influential one.
If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like:
Non-Conformity is the Key To Your Agile Future
Going Against The Grain
GET THE BUSINESS OUTCOMES PARTNER PLAYBOOK
Learn how to deliver undeniable ROI that saves your job and accelerates your future
https://learning.fusechamber.com/outcomes-partner-playbook
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need to stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Q1 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Time to Stop Doing and Start Leveraging AgileLet’s get real about the current state of Agile in our industry and what it means for your career. I get the fear and uncertainty many of us are feeling. We’re seeing pay cuts, shrinking opportunities, and the sense that the “glory days” of Agile might be over. But it’s not the end. Agile as a mindset and practice isn’t going away anytime soon.
Companies still value Agile, even if it’s not feeding hype and dollars into it the way they once were. We’re now at the mature end of adoption curve. Like any other tech trend, the “new frontier” phase might be over, but there is lasting value in your Agile skills. As long as you’re leveraging Agile for the benefit of customers and shareholders, rather than policing framework rules.
There are two main paths forward: you can leverage your Agile experience entrepreneurially by bringing it to new business areas, or you can help organizations connect Agile to real business outcomes, especially as companies struggle to harness technologies like AI. The future is about leveraging Agile and integrating it into business operations for tangible results, not following the mechanics.
Waiting for the perfect new role isn’t a strategy. It’s time to get creative, gritty, and proactive. There are no well-worn paths here. You’ll have to use your skills of experimentation and continuous learning to restore momentum in your career. If you’ve been feeling stuck or like it’s time to give up on Agile, it’s time to think differently and seize new opportunities. Time to shift to Leveraging Agile.
GET THE BUSINESS OUTCOMES PARTNER PLAYBOOK
Learn how to deliver undeniable ROI that saves your job and accelerates your future
https://learning.fusechamber.com/outcomes-partner-playbook
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need to stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Jan 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Certainty In Uncertain TimesA turbulent world has an impact on our industry and our personal sense of purpose. Unrest, confusion, and uncertainty not only shapes markets, it bleeds into our daily work and our identities as Agile practitioners. We don’t shy away from admitting how tough things feel right now: many of us are tired, a little lost, and wondering if all the skills and experience we’ve built still matter in a climate that doesn’t seem to value what we bring.
This crisis of purpose is widely shared, and it’s okay to feel frustrated. The Agile community, once hailed for its energy and transformative power, is now met with skepticism, and sometimes, outright dismissal. When we start internalizing these messages, we risk stepping back, waiting for someone or something else to make things better. To make things certain again. We wait for permission. We hope for a change agent or a new visionary to lift us out of this malaise. But what if none is coming?
So Who’s Gonna Save Us?This moment forces us to ask tough questions: who organizes the millions of practitioners? Who inspires, motivates, and charts the next step? Instead of lamenting the “glory days,” we explore the idea that it’s up to us to fill that leadership vacuum. We create our own certainty. And yes, it’s daunting. Imposter syndrome and the noise of detractors can be paralyzing, but I want to push you to see the salvation in this possibility. Like open source—we have permission to own it.
To do that, we’ll need to step beyond incremental tweaks and complacency. Small changes won’t cut it. We need bolder action. Perhaps creating new ways to engage leadership or communicating the value of Agile in executive terms. This may be uncomfortable, even scary, but the alternative is inertia, both in our work and within ourselves. In the face of uncertainty, we must BE certainty itself.
Ultimately, we face a challenge: we must become the certainty, the leadership, and the vision the moment requires. Let’s refuse to wait for the torch to be passed. Let’s choosing to pick it up. If we’re honest, Agile practitioners are change leaders by nature. The world isn’t going to give us permission or clarity; we have to create it.
If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy:
Badass Unscripted – Embody True Certainty
Episode 230 – The Difference-Makers
GET THE BUSINESS OUTCOMES PARTNER PLAYBOOK
Learn how to deliver undeniable ROI that saves your job and accelerates your future
https://learning.fusechamber.com/outcomes-partner-playbook
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need to stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Jan 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Outcomes, not OutputsWe wonder why Agile is dying. Should we be so surprised?
You’re probably watching your wallet these days. Prices are up, the economy is slow and uncertain.
Your employers are no different. In 2026, story points, velocity, lead time and throughput might matter to YOU, but they don’t matter to THEM.
Not to say that those measures aren’t important. Heck, you can’t tune your development, testing and deployment operations if you’re not looking at them.
But if you were called to the mat tomorrow, if you were asked to prove the ROI of what you do, those metrics don’t tell a compelling story. It’s about Outcomes, not Outputs.
Coaches and SM’s are now being called to defend their worth. They’re not interested in how well-tuned the development machine is if that doesn’t translate to real business results. The measures that the business cares about have to do with their financial outcomes, not outputs that don’t face the customer.
Are your efforts helping the company create shareholder value? Do they impact earnings-per-share? If your boss spends a few million on a cadre of Agile Coaches this year, is that a net-positive investment for the company? More cashflow? More customers? Fewer abandoned carts? New subscribers?
I know. I sound super-corporate right now. And maybe you hate that. But if you’re looking to accelerate your career in 2026, you can’t ask the people who fund it to trust you, sight unseen. They’re taking a closer look at the books, and these questions are long overdue. How are you contributing to our results? The Dev team might be considered a necessary expense, but if your Agile Shirpa talent aren’t making the team more impactful than they would be on their own, why are you even here?
Remember, its Outcomes, not Outputs.
This is the future of Agile practice in large enterprise. You have to collaborate with the business, and drive results for them. If you want to learn how, you should check out my brand-new Business Outcomes Partner Playbook. Get the edge so you can get your career back where it belongs, and say good-bye to to the upheaval and uncertainty that’s ripping through our industry.
Did you enjoy this episode? You might also like these:
The 2026 18th State Of Agile Report
Episode 224 – Circulate Value – The Agile Survival Skill
Episode 235 – Agile Is A Doorway
LEARN HOW TO DELIVER UNDENIABLE ROI THAT SAVES YOUR JOB AND ACCELERATES YOUR FUTURE
Get the Business Outcomes Partner Playbook Now!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/outcomes-partner-playbook
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need to stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Jan 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Pivot your career by becoming an Agile Business Outcomes Partner. Help companies get what they’re begging for – real, measurable business value from their Agile investments. Buy the audio+PDF playbook here.
The State Of Agile Report Finally DroppedFor a bit there, I thought I’d missed it. I’m not 100% sure if there ever was a 2025 report, but for no good reason, I checked this week, and voila! There it was. The 2026 edition.
I don’t exactly set my watch to the annual State Of Agile report, but it IS very very good. What I like most about it is the data focus. We’re not hearing from pundits or experts. The authors poll 350 organizations with a set of prepared questions about Agile as it is today; in doing so, they’re able to draw contrasts to how it looked in past years. They ask about adoption rates, satisfaction, quality issues or improvements, Agile role definitions, Agile’s impact on planning and business strategy…and the answers give a good internal temperature of how we’re impacting business and technology.
Calling Out TrendsThe State Of Agile Report spends a good amount of space on trending stats. It’s good to know how things ARE, but even better to know where they’re going. There’s been some sharp changes since the last report, and they reflect what you’ve probably been feeling out there in the field.
Investment Is Up, But Trust and Quality Are DownWhen you see all of the layoffs and dried-up opportunities, you’d likely assume that spending on Agile is down. That was the big surprise in the 18th State Of Agile Report…Investment is actually UP. Most companies are increasing or sustaining existing investment in Agile. And yet, we can clearly see that interest is waning. How can this be? Whether its sunk-cost fallacy or the commitment and consistency principle, companies are not ready to cancel all their Agile programs quite yet. For reasons discussed later, there is a lot more order and automation in development operations, and apparently that’s worth spending to keep in place.
Buyers Demand Proof of ROIBut at the same time, one of the biggest jumps in this year’s State Of Agile Report is the increased scrutiny on Value. Folks want to know – how is Agile impacting my core business metrics? Where is this investment mapped to improved business outcomes? The answer is often “we don’t know”. That’s causing a lot of shifting in how much companies invest – which is why we see roles being eliminated, repurposed, combined or redefined. Three quarters of respondents say there is an increased pressure to defend or prove the ROI of their Agile spend.
Three quarters. This is a huge signal.
Roles are ChangingMost respondents reported that their Agile roles have changed in some small way. A small number have shifted off of Agile tasks altogether, but most have found their roles hybrid-ized with traditional PM or project/product roles. Some have found that the coaching-only role is diminished. Others still report that they are responsible for ensuring Agile has traceability back to business outcomes, as described above.
Systems are Nice, But They Don’t Help Make Better DecisionsIt’s subtle, but its there….what we’ve professed all along is actually supported by data. Systems, tools and processes, while important, take a back seat to business imperatives. Many respondents in the State Of Agile Report describe satisfaction with they’re systems, in terms of visibility into the development pipleine. But again, the link between that pipeline and measurable value is cloudy at best.
Ai Can Help (But Maybe Not Yet)But wait! Isn’t AI going to save Agile? Maybe someday, but not quite yet, according to The State of Agile Report. The problem with AI is the spotty, disorganized adoption. Guardrails are few and inadequate. Agentic AI shows promise for automating end-to-end workflows, but only if we treat AI like any other employee or business partner.
Reading Between The LinesThere’s good news and bad news in The State Of Agile Report. After a quarter-century, Agile has definitely settled in. A lot of what we used to be tresured for has become table-stakes. But the future belongs to those who can become Business Outcomes Partners – those who are able to tie Agile investment to business value.
Get The State Of Agile Report HereDonwload your own copy here:
https://digital.ai/resource-center/analyst-reports/18th-state-of-agile-report/Get My Guide to Becoming A Business Outcome PartnerBe the first to get this career-changing guide. If you get it before January 12, 2026, you can use coupon code BOXINGSAVE15 at checkout to save 15% off your total price.
BOXING WEEK SALE
Save 15% Off ALL MY PRODUCTS until Jan 12 2026. Use code BOXINGSAVE15 at checkout.
https://learning.fusechamber.com
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need ot stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Jan 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
If you like this episode, you might also like…
State of Agile Report 2024 Review
Win Executive Support by Marketing Your Agile POV
Episode 224 – Circulate Value – The Agile Survival Skill
Fighting the word “Accountability” Whether or not you like the word, you can’t run a high-performing team without accountability.
I recently read a post that blamed accountability and commitment for all of Agile’s failures.
One commenter went so far as to suggest that accountability was an affront; an assault.
If you’re on a team, or even if you’re being paid to do a job, you’re accountable for something. Someone, somewhere needs you to sign up for a result. They need you to do a certain thing by a certain date. That’s a commitment. That’s accountability.
Changing The Word Won’t HelpSure, we can get rid of the word, but it won’t do much to address the reality that makes us fear it; visibility, responsibility and persistence are required to make a great Agile team.
There’s little value in being comfortable and easy. Instead, developing the muscle of making small promises and delivering on them CONSISTENTLY is what builds reputation AND speed. Maybe scale too.
BOXING WEEK SALE
Save 15% Off ALL MY PRODUCTS until Jan 12 2026. Use code BOXINGSAVE15 at checkout.
https://learning.fusechamber.com
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need ot stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Jan 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
If you liked this epsiode, why not try…
Episode 118 – How To Improve Accountability
Episode 172 – Commitment Culture
Episode 199 – Should We Eliminate Commitment?
Solving the Agile Executive Support ProblemThere is a statistic in the Agile community: the number one reason Agile initiatives fail is a lack of executive support. We see this stat, we nod our heads, and then we proceed to complain that leadership just “doesn’t get it.”
But CEOs and executives aren’t sitting around wondering how to make YOU and your team more effective. They are worried about revenue, market share, and survival. If you don’t have executive support for your initiative, it’s not because they don’t care; it’s because you haven’t given them a compelling reason to care.
Executive support is something WE have to take responsibility for soliciting. The problem is that most Agile practitioners have zero experience driving high-stakes conversations with people in power. We are great at talking to teams, but we freeze up when it comes to the C-Suite.
So, how do you fix this? You don’t do it by waiting for the next quarterly review to make your case. You do it by practicing in public.
The “Muscle” of InfluenceSpeaking to power is a skill, not a talent. Like any muscle, it needs resistance training to grow. You need to get in the habit of having a strong point of view on what Agile success actually looks like, and you need to start marketing that opinion aggressively.
Here’s what I did. I took a specific, tactical approach to building this muscle: Start doing LinkedIn Lives.
This isn’t about getting “likes.” It is about two critical outcomes:
- Clarifying Your Message: When you commit to broadcasting your expertise, you force yourself to articulate your thoughts clearly. You stop hiding behind jargon and start speaking in value.
- Building an Audience that trusts you: By hosting a platform, you create a space where you can invite leaders, stakeholders, and people of influence to join you. It changes the dynamic. You are no longer the person begging for five minutes of their time; you are the host offering them a spotlight.
Stop Wishing for Executive Support. Claim it.If you want executive support, stop treating Agile like a methodology and start treating it like a product you have to sell. When you market your POV publicly, you build credibility. You build trust.
Most importantly, you practice the art of holding your ground in a conversation. By the time you actually need to pitch an initiative or ask for executive support to your internal leadership, you won’t be nervous. You will have had that conversation a dozen times already on your livestreams.
Don’t wait for permission to be a leader. Turn on the camera, state your case, and build the executive support you need to change minds and create Agile success.
If you liked this episode, you might also like:
Episode 228 – Agile Has Lost The Script
Episode 230 – The Difference-Makers
How To Revive Agile (And Your Career
FORGE GENESIS IS HERE
All the skills you need ot stop relying on job postings and start enjoying the freedom of an Agile career on YOUR terms. First cohort starts in Jan 2026
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-genesis
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
I figured it was about time I addressed this one.
You can’t breathe without taking in some serious AI hype right now. How much is fluff and smoke, and how much is real? AND…how will this apply to Agile?
Will AI Save Agile?Great question. I have a few gut-level reactions to this. First, I think there’s a gold-rush feel to what’s going on right now. With any new technology, especially the monumental ones, there’s always speculation that this ‘changes the game forever’. But that can’t always be true.
On the one hand, AI has a lot of issues. But its early stages. I think the biggest threat is the unbridled greed that goes with mass adoption. Who’s regulating the copyrights of the material AI is trained on? Who makes sure that AI doesn’t recommend or do dangerous or immoral things?
But the big question I have is “why would you want so much stuff created by robots?” I can’t articulate why, but I know I don’t want to read a book or watch a play written and mounted by robots. And hey, if LLM’s need our inventions to grow, learn and innovate, what happens when we no longer create ‘things’?
AI’s Role in AgilityAs of this writing, so much of the conversation is about using AI to take the rote tasks out of a Scrum Master’s day…preparing reports or briefs, summarizing retrospectives, and writing user stories. But there’s also discussion that maybe AI can replace Scrum Masters and Coaches. That’s a little scary for those of us who hold or want to occupy these roles in the future. So maybe someday AI can plan our sprints, produce empirical estimates, and even hold coaching conversations.
But Will AI Save Agile? That supposes that the solution to all of our current Agile pains have a known solution. After all, we can’t code or teach things that we have no certain knowledge of. And until we do, it would impossible for AI to magically fix what’s wrong with Agile in 2026. That’s still very much a human concern. Stay tuned – I’ll be exporing more about AI’s role in the future of Agile in some upcoming episodes as I learn more…
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
CREATE A PROFITABLE BUSINESS FROM YOUR AGILE SKILLS WITH FORGE GENESIS
Everything you need to ideate, validate, market, and sell to enterprise OR consumers.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/the-forge-genesis
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
If you liked this episode, you should check out:
Episode 240 – Why Big Agile Fails
Non-Conformity is the Key To Your Agile Future
Episode 151 – What’s Next?
I’m launching new cohorts for The Forge Lightning and The Forge Genesis. Go to https://learning.fusechamber.com to find out more and register today.
What’s The Latest in Badass Leadership?Something is definitely up.
People are angrier, meaner, less fulfilled, less patient and more intolerant. Manners and decorum are taking a back seat to ego and impulse.
I won’t get into where I think this is all coming from, but I do know one thing. If you want to make things better, the fastest way is to set an example with Badass Leadership.
For a leader to set a powerful example, they have to be in control of their emotions. You have to let situations bounce off of you – including criticism, failure, unfairness, difficulty and conflict. Technically, it doesn’t have to “bounce off of you”, but the badass leader must be in charge of their response to situations like these.
That means you’re aware of how situations affect you. You understand your default reactions, and learn how to subvert them. It means you know what is important to you as a leader, and never allow your ego (or your emotions) to take precedence over your vision.
It’s never been more important to let your badass leadership shine.
What Is Badass Leadership?Thinking back to some very early episodes, Badass Leadership refers to the qualities that a highly seasoned and powerful leader possesses. You are not influenced by currents and tides, nor the opinions of others. You can see clearly where you want to go, and are willing to experiment in an effort to get there.
You don’t value being right. You don’t need credit, acclaim, wealth or fame in exchange for what you do. Your leadership is about serving. That means bringing clear value to those who need it the most.
At its core, Badass Leadership is about strength. Steadiness, especially in the face of adversity, is a sign of great wisdom and power. Having the humility to realize you’re not perfect, but on a path to mastery, is key.
When you’ve begun to master emotional control in yourself, you’ll notice something very cool happening. You can notice it in others. If you’ve been working on emotional control in yourself, you can then use your wisdom and experience to help others. That’s what Badass Leadership is all about.
Here’s some episodes touching on Badass Leadership I thought you might also enjoy:
The Forge – Badass Agile Immersion Experience
Career Freedom with Forge Genesis
Episode 168 – The 13 Qualities Of A Badass Leader (Revisited)
JOIN MY BETA COMMUNITY FOR AGILE ENTREPRENEURS AND INTRAPRENEURS
The latest wave in professional Agile careers. Get the support you need to Forge Your Freedom! Join for FREE here:
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/Sa3udEgz
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
THE ALL NEW FORGE LIGHTNING
12 Weeks to elite leadership!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/forge-lightning
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Paul Lepage, Foundation BTSOn this episode, I sit down with Paul LePage, founder of Foundation BTS, a managed IT services and threat management company, in his office in Newmarket, Ontario. Paul shares his path from corporate IT manager to successful entrepreneur, revealing how embracing agile principles and learning from failure played a pivotal role in building his business.
He shared real-world stories about risk-taking, adapting to rapid changes in technology, including the growing impact of AI, and figuring out what it truly means to lead and serve in today’s market.
Whether you’re an Agile Coach or Scrum Master thinking about striking out on your own, or just looking for inspiration on leading with resilience and passion, I think you’ll enjoy Paul’s practical wisdom and candid storytelling. Join me for a look at what it takes to build a thriving business on your own terms.
Find Paul and Foundation BTS here:
https://foundationbts.com
paul.lepage@foundationbts.com
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like:
Episode 87 – Fear of Failure
Episode 106 – Business Agility – Placing Small Bets
Episode 212 – The Agile Entrepreneur
How Important are The Agile Principles?To me, the 12 Agile Principles are everything you need to build and guide your practice.
Rather than memorizing a ton of frameworks, rules and regulations, the Agile Principles allow us to hold in memory a few simple, yet elegant, virtues that can be adapted to any industry, client or context.
It’s easy to recite the twelve Agile principles, but living them is a whole different story, and we aren’t always honest about the ways we fall short.
This episode focuses on which of the original Agile principles we tend to violate most often:
- We like to tell ourselves we’re chasing value—but a lot of what we build comes out of habit, orders, or assumptions, not a clear understanding of what our customers or business really need. We reflect on how often our teams lose sight of value, just following a checklist or building for the sake of building. It’s easier to focus on looking busy than to ensure we’re actually moving the needle for the people we’re supposed to serve.
- We have a tendency to overcomplicate things. We think we’re sophisticated, but mostly, we layer on extra steps, plans, and artifacts to delay real delivery. Simplicity takes guts, and it exposes us to feedback—something many of us quietly shy away from. Our retrospectives and solution workshops often balloon into Excel nightmares, prioritizing spreadsheet gymnastics over real action.
- We talk as well about our collective discomfort with saying “no”—a crucial principle of focusing on “work not done.” Too often, we say yes by default and take on more work than we should, fearing the consequences of pushing back on business or leadership. The end result? People are stretched thin and real value gets lost in the noise.
- Working software—or “finished stuff”—is also on the chopping block. We admit that we usually measure progress by the wrong indicators: meetings attended, hours booked, and busyness, rather than what’s actually delivered.
- And let’s not forget the supposed collaboration with “the business.” Despite Agile’s emphasis on constant feedback and in-person communication, genuine dialogues with stakeholders are rare. Schedules are packed, and direct conversations get traded for emails that are read too late (if at all).
Honestly, a lot of us treat Agile principles like slogans, not lived virtues. We tend to avoid the riskiest, but most effective, aspects, and fill the gaps with invented “principles” that are easier to check off. This episode is a nudge for all of us to look inward and challenge the ways we’re cutting corners or playing it safe, instead of truly leading our teams and adding value.
You Might Also Like The Following Episodes:Episode 43 – Revisiting the 12 Agile Principles
We Failed Agile
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohorts for Fall 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Developing your Agile Coaching skill is NOT about MOREAs you progress in your career, you might be tempted to accumulate MORE – more knowledge, more processes, rules, and templates. Why not sign up for one more newsletter, or substack, or Discord, or podcast, or blog. Why not read one more book? Why not go to another Agile Coaching camp, or conference?
It makes sense on the surface. If something has the potential to help me, why not get more of that?
But then you never really develop the instinct to solve specifically for each customer. You’re busy trying to remember and apply all of the rules, processes, and best practices you’ve collected.
Agile Coaching in The Age Of OverwhelmIt feels like we’re busy enough – Agile Coaching usually involves helping multiple teams at once. We may feel “on the hook” for financiall results, budgets, team happiness, individual well-being, and corporate practices and standards. That’s a lot. The last thing you need is more information – especially if it all seems to contradict one another. You’re going to feel overwhelmed pretty soon, and in 2025, we don’t need help with that.
We already feel like Agile is on borrowed time. Our reputation is at stake and we’re trying harder and harder to prove ourselves worthy. That’s not a great way to feel.
Just One MoreSo we keep searching for that magic hack. We keep digital clips and link lists of our favourite articles. Stuff we promise ourselves to remember to try. Here’s what I want you to remember. There is no magic salve. There’s no one thing you must do in order to be great. In fact, you can’t chase greatness as though it were a destination. You will approach greatness through humble practice. Humble meaning – be curious, be open to learning, but don’t crowd yourself with someone else’s rules or virtues. You have to earn them. The hard way.
What To Do InsteadRather than obsessing about how well you conform to other people’s prescriptions of “good” Agile Coaching, set your own standards. We do that by learning to trust the process. Try, fail, repeat.
If you believe that you don’t have enough info to get started, you’re suffering from “but first” syndrome – the belief that there’s a low-water mark of things you need to know or have before you begin. In the beginning you know nothing. The paradox is, the more you know, the more you realize you still know nothing. You will always be stretching and reaching. Don’t let the sense of inadequacy thwart you. The only way to get great is to endeavour. Do the work. Your Agile Coaching will automatically get better as you work.
If you like this topic, you might also like…
Badass Unscripted – Too Much of The Wrong Thing
Badass Unscripted – Uncommon Agile Leadership Without Certification
Episode 209 – Knowledge
Focus On Go
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for Fall 2024! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Sameness In Agile PracticeThere seems to be an awful lot of sameness out there. If you follow social media, especially LinkedIn, I’ve been seeing more and more Agile advice that encourages people to follow templates. Whether it be for retrospectives, standups, meetings, reports, or what to say to your boss, we’re promoting sameness as a virtue – whether we intend to or not.
Why Is Sameness a Problem?I think the big issue with sameness is that it teaches us not to trust our unique voice. As agilists, we solve problems for businesses. We deliver solutions to market in a way that allows us to serve the end customer better. We owe it to them to bring our creativity and originality to that enterprise. When we don’t, our work is seen as a factory where requirements are poured in and what comes out the other side is measured primarily on cost and productivity.
Why We Crave SamenessHere’s the thing – we’ve been taught to keep quiet, to know our place, to stay in the development room. We no longer see ourselves (if we ever did) as crucial to business success. And we must. If you expect Agile to survive the next five years, and not be replaced by the latest fad or marketing invention…sameness has got to go.
We can’t wait for someone to save us…our success, and our reputation for being badass practitioners rests with you.
Check out Episode 229 – Why Sameness Is Not A Strategy and Non-Conformity is the Key To Your Agile Future for an earlier take on this issue.
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for Fall 2024! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Corporate Agile refers to the diluted practices, unnecessary compromise, and prioritizing uniformity and safety over innovation and impact. Now 25 years old, has the potential to make work better. Yet, as it’s been adopted by massive companies, we’ve seen a slow erosion of its core intent.
What many of us are feeling is that in large companies, genuine Agile ways of thinking and working rarely fit. We see the focus shift to efficiency, dashboard-driven status checks, and a risk-averse culture where the boldness of Agile is stifled.
So why do we keep doing Corporate Agile? The benefits that once justified staying inside these environments—steady pay, benefits, job security—have almost disappeared altogether. Layoffs, stagnant career growth, and a loss of purpose and connection to meaningful work are becoming the norm, not the exception.
Within the Agile community, we’re grappling with the realization that many of the practices and mindsets that once set us apart are now seen as basic “table stakes.” The expertise that used to matter so much is expected everywhere, often in a watered-down form. The market doesn’t value these skills in the same way, and many of us are wrestling with what comes next. Do we keep conforming to systems that don’t value us, or do we find new spaces to apply (and expand) the Agile mindset?
I’m challenging our loyalty to institutions that don’t reciprocate, and asking you to imagine where Agile might bring real impact outside the safe confines of big corporate IT. We can ditch the Corporate Agile, and take our skills and learning into sectors and settings where its spirit can thrive again, and where we as practitioners can rediscover genuine meaning and pride in our work.
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for Fall 2024! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Finally – Career Freedom in the Agile SpaceThis week, let’s focus on a new future for your Agile practice. If you’re unhappy with the status quo, where agility has gotten stuck in endless frameworks, roles, certifications, and tired routines. This episode is for you. We explore Forge Genesis, a project that’s taken shape from persistent questions about what comes next, especially for those of us craving true career freedom and impact outside of traditional frameworks and job opportunities.
The Troubling Current StateAgile has reached an inflection point. Framework fatigue has set in. Companies are growing skeptical, and the market is crowded with followers rather than leaders. We believe that just doing what’s written—or expected—is no longer enough. More and more, we face resistance: anti-Agile bosses, managerial pushback, a return to rigid control. Organizations are searching for consistency and predictability, but we know the real breakthroughs happen when we embrace change and tackle new problems head-on, not when we play it safe.
Time To Leverage Your Valuable Knowledge and ExperienceSo we’re turning away from the “employee mindset”—titles, roles, job definitions—and looking at what we need to become: builders, entrepreneurs, problem-solvers ready to spot real needs, craft solutions, and bring those ideas to those who crave them. The skills that serve this mission aren’t just the ones you find in Agile manuals. It’s about communicating a vision, connecting with real needs, testing assumptions, marketing new offerings, and having the courage to take a risk. That’s the path to true career freedom. We want to help people step beyond the familiar and begin shaping products, services, or movements that truly matter—inside or outside traditional organizations.
Not that everyone needs to quit their job and go solo. But if you do feel called to create, to lead a new way, or to focus your hard-won expertise on problems that excite you, you need more than just Agile know-how. You need the entrepreneurial skills to identify and connect with people who need what you can offer. That’s where Forge Genesis comes in.
What Can You Offer?So many people I’ve met have something to offer. A service. A product. Content. Expertise they’ve gained and honed through years in the field. It could be time to take your idea to market and have career freedom. But unless you know how to do the icky stuff – selling, communicating, marketing, branding, finding an audience – you’ll be stuck with an audience of one. You’ll lose hope and go back to the regular full-time or contract scrum master/coach positions (which are vanishing fast!)
This episode is an invitation to find—or create—the arena where you can be most useful, influential, and fulfilled. Whether you’re itching to found your own venture, start a new consortium, or even revolutionize Agile education, we’ll be here to guide you through the mindsets and moves that make it real.
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for Fall 2024! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Better Meetings – The PDF Guide FREE!***Enter Coupon Code BADASSAGILE at checkout to snag Dave’s “Guide To Better Meetings” for FREE right here!!!
Sign up for Dave’s “Better Meetings in One Hour” live event!Get 10$ off Dave’s live event – “Better Meetings in One Hour” by using Coupon Code SAVE10 right here!!!
Check out Dave at Better Ways of Working here…
Agile careers are shifting. You have to stand out and create meaningful, independent value in a space that’s not as rich with traditional opportunities as it once was. In this episode, I bring on Forge Genesis member Dave Borzillo, a seasoned leader with a background in engineering and decades of experience in software, project management, and aerospace. Acknowledging what’s facing agile professionals today – job scarcity, the limits of typical agile roles, and the need to pivot from simply finding another job or contract – to actually building something of our own.
Most of us are feeling these pressures. It’s no longer just about snagging a coveted Scrum Master job through a recruiter—those gigs aren’t as plentiful, nor as lucrative. So, we’re asking ourselves what comes next? Do we simply adapt our titles, or is there something deeper and more sustainable we can build on our own terms?
Dave’s story will resonate with anyone who has experienced the unpredictability of layoffs or economic downturns, and who wants to take ownership of their skills in a way that no external force can take away. We explore his decision to focus on a specific pain point so many organizations face—running better meetings. As we discuss, most companies struggle with turning meetings into true vehicles for alignment and action, even though many of us in the agile world might see this as basic skill. Dave explains how he carved out a niche for himself by honing and packaging up his unique facilitation approach, which he calls the “Frame, Flow, and Follow-Through” system.
We also reflect on the importance of learning how to actually market and sell this kind of expertise—something most technical folks aren’t naturally trained to do. Through experimentation, trial and error, and coaching, Dave learns the ropes of entrepreneurial selling, sharing some of the missteps he encountered along the way.
Ultimately, we’re redefining agility not just as a set of frameworks or job titles, but as a mindset for continuous adaptation—building products and communities around our authentic expertise and creating new opportunities even when the job market tightens.
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for Fall 2024! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
“Non-conformity” is a loaded word.
Conformity feels safe. It’s comforting to look around, see everyone else doing the same thing, and assume it’s the right path. But comfort rarely leads to success or fulfillment.
Think about the people you genuinely admire—the ones whose careers and lives you’d love to emulate. Chances are, these people aren’t rule followers; they’re true originals. They’re not concerned with fitting in or copying what others do. Instead, they’re focused on creating something new. They innovate, take risks, and never settle for status quo.
Right now, everyone seems fixated on trends. If you’ve scrolled through LinkedIn lately, you’ve probably noticed endless posts featuring AI-generated action figures and avatars. Interesting, entertaining, yes. But if everyone is doing it, its no longer special When everyone is doing the same thing, nobody truly stands out. Following these trends won’t differentiate you; it makes you blend in even more.
Conformity won’t help you secure your future, especially in uncertain economic and political times. The safety promised by following rules is an illusion—because being just another face in the crowd won’t get you noticed, hired, or valued.
Stepping out as an original thinker isn’t easy. When I started the Badass Agile podcast, it was a leap into the unknown. People questioned me, doubted me, and sometimes outright rejected me. Including myself. But that rejection was just the cost of entry to building something uniquely mine, something valuable. Non-conformity required that I learn resilience and courage—qualities that genuinely attract people who are looking for leadership and inspiration.
If you want to be fulfilled, start seeing yourself as someone who creates unique value. It begins with recognizing your own voice and ideas, then having the courage to share them openly. Experiment, make mistakes, and stay committed despite setbacks or criticism. Be ready to walk away from security for the sake of pursuing something genuinely impactful.
Not everyone will embrace this path, and that’s fine. If you’re content with your comfort zone, no judgment. But if the thought of making a distinctive mark excites you, start by documenting your thoughts and ideas daily. Practice sharing your vision courageously and authentically.
Non-conformity is always risky. But in my experience, it’s the best—and perhaps only—way to build a life and career that truly matters.
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
In this episode of Badass Agile, we explore what it means when the thrill and satisfaction of being the hero in our work begins to fade. Many of us who work in Agile or similar fields were drawn to the practice for the real impact we could have helping others adapt to change, master the unknown, or achieve things they thought were out of reach. That feeling of significance has powered our professional lives.
But as technology matures and becomes commonplace, and as Agile practices become standardized across industries, the nature of our impact changes. We’re no longer the rescuers bringing people up to speed with new tools or processes—those skills are now table stakes. The field feels crowded; it feels like we’re no longer making the difference we used to. Some of us feel unsettled by this shift, even questioning whether our roles are still needed. There’s a shared anxiety: if we’re not the heroes anymore, what’s next?
Let’s dig into this inflection point, acknowledging the discomfort that comes with realizing that merely being well-versed in Agile ways or knowing the latest technique isn’t enough. The work itself—the “how” and “what”—isn’t changing at the breakneck speed it once did, and the vast knowledge base we used to rely on is now easily accessible to anyone. If we’re honest, we recognize that sticking strictly to the old playbook—serving in traditional Agile roles, focusing on routine team practices, and repeating patterns—isn’t as valuable as it once was.
So, as a community, we’re challenged to reconsider where our value truly lies. The idea is to look beyond the established frameworks, to step up and address the emerging issues that teams and organizations still face—problems that Agile hasn’t solved yet. There’s a call to listen more deeply to our clients and teams, to identify pain points that persist even after Agile has “arrived,” and to find ways to serve that are innovative and unique.
Rather than clinging to the hero story of the past, we see this as an invitation to evolve our practice, deepen our impact, and innovate new forms of value. As uncomfortable as it is, there’s an exciting opportunity here: not to be the hero in the same old way, but to discover the next frontier where leadership, courage, and service are needed most.
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for Fall 2024! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
We’re all creators. Whether you’re a developer, product owner, scrum master, or agile coach, what you do matters. In fact, every action, every conversation, and every idea creates ripples of impact far beyond your immediate surroundings.
Recently, two former students from different Forge cohorts met at an Agile conference. They shared a moment, snapped a picture, and reminded me of something vital: that moment never would have existed without what I’d created through the Badass Agile podcast and the Forge program. It’s a powerful reminder that the things we build, no matter how uncertain we may feel when we start, can grow into impactful experiences that connect and change lives. This makes you a creator.
Too often, we view ourselves as merely fulfilling job roles. We forget our creative power. But here’s the truth: Agile isn’t just a methodology—it’s artistry. Like painters, musicians, and sculptors, we shape experiences that leave a unique imprint on the world. Whether you’re crafting a document, facilitating a meeting, or coaching a team, you’re creating something uniquely yours. That creation, however subtle, sends ripples through the lives it touches.
In uncertain economic times, standing out means recognizing your distinct creator ability. What sets you apart isn’t your adherence to agile principles alone, but your courage to innovate, experiment, and offer something of true personal value. Your unique contribution—something no one else can replicate exactly—is your ultimate competitive advantage.
Fulfillment and joy in work don’t come from simply collecting a paycheck. They arise when we see ourselves as creators, deliberately shaping our impact. The most rewarding moments aren’t planned; they’re the unexpected confirmations of the difference we’ve made.
So ask yourself today: What ripples am I creating? What unique experience, idea, or innovation will I offer the world? Remember, you’re not just here to do a job—you’re here to create a meaningful legacy.
You might also want to check out this episode about Agile As Artistry…
https://badassagile.com/2022/11/24/episode-225-agile-as-artistry/CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for Fall 2024! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
If you’re an agile practitioner, coach, or leader, there’s one thing we all fundamentally crave—freedom. But not just freedom in the abstract sense; I’m talking about the freedom to do meaningful work in innovative, impactful ways.
Over the past few years, particularly since the upheaval of the pandemic, the landscape of work has radically shifted. Jobs have become transactional. Loyalty between companies and employees has waned, and many of us now find ourselves asking deeper questions: What is all this work really for?
The agile community is uniquely positioned to answer that question. Our expertise isn’t limited to implementing agile processes or managing software teams. The true power of agile lies in its core values: resilience, antifragility, mastery, and dedication. These values give us the tools to help others transform their ideas and dreams into reality—whether that’s through coaching, teaching, consulting, or creating tangible products and services.
This new economy offers an unprecedented opportunity. Instead of being commodities in large companies, we have the chance to build careers centered around our passions, interests, and unique expertise. Imagine creating agile solutions for healthcare, arts, or even auto racing—whatever sparks your joy and fulfills your purpose.
But here’s the catch: these entrepreneurial skills aren’t widespread. Many talented people struggle with defining their market, engaging customers authentically, or leveraging social media effectively. This is precisely why programs like the Forge Genesis have become increasingly valuable. They’re designed specifically to help agile entrepreneurs refine their offerings, attract the right customers, and ultimately achieve that freedom we all desire.
The future of agile isn’t confined to traditional software roles. It’s about embracing our capacity to innovate, connecting deeply with clients, and bringing something uniquely valuable to the market. If you share this vision, you’re part of a special group of practitioners shaping a freer, more meaningful agile practice in 2025 and beyond.
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for Spring 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile**
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
In this episode I explore the challenges and limitations that the current corporate approach to Agile presents. Agile has devolved from a dynamic framework into a rule-bound guidebook that often prioritizes pleasing corporate structures over innovation. This “employee mindset”, and its focus on maintaining the status quo stifles innovation – and speed.
I challenge you to embrace an agile spirit that favors experimentation, flexibility, and a willingness to break free from rigid frameworks. The conversation also addresses the need to help Agile teams focus on value creation and client impact – instead of adhering strictly to prescribed processes. I invite everyone to rethink their approach to Agile and to prioritize outcomes and impact over traditional rule-following. It’s time to let go of the fear of failure and to cultivate a bold, adventurous spirit in the pursuit of excellence and service.
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for 2025! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
3 Skills to Secure Your Agile FutureMake your agile future more viable amidst current market challenges. It’s time to focus on three critical skills we’ve never really addressed before: understanding real customer needs, convincing clients to adopt lean methodologies, and mastering the art of pitching and selling your ideas. By focusing on these areas, you can break free from traditional roles, and offer unparalleled value to organizations. Time to move beyond just technical proficiency to becoming customer-focused proactive problem-solvers and effective communicators, ultimately providing a roadmap to secure and elevate your agile career – OR build your own product or service business.
JOIN THE FORGE GENESIS*
Beta cohort for Fall 2024! Email for more information:
contact@badassagile.com
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
In this episode I’ll share how Agile changed my life and career over the years.
First off, Agile taught me a ton about how businesses really work and make money. It helped me understand the importance of putting the customer first and solving real problems they face. These lessons helped me start my own business and focus on innovation, instead of deepening my career as a Project Manager and consultant.
I talk about using Agile to push boundaries in your career, whether you’re staying within a company or thinking about starting a side hustle.
If you’re curious about how Agile can inject meaning and fulfilment into your professional life, have a listen. This episode is full of insights and tips to help you make Agile work for you, both professionally and personally.
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for Fall 2024! Reach out at contact@badassagile.com
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
NEW! Grab my new guide to Finding Agile Opportunities outside software and tech!
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/310wb5ytc52ym3mwi7o21/Revitalize-Your-Agile-Career.pdf
In this episode of the Badass Agile podcast, we discuss How to Revive Agile in today’s dynamic business environment. I’ll explore the current challenges facing agile professionals and discuss the need for a shift in mindset and approach. I’ll emphasize the importance of adapting agile principles beyond traditional software development, suggesting ways to apply agility to various business areas. You’ll gain insights into the evolving demands for agile and be encouraged to embrace new skills and conversations to thrive in the industry. Join me as we explore the practical steps and mindset shifts required to navigate the changing landscape and deliver impactful solutions.
03:06 Tech agility alone insufficient; focus on transformation.
09:29 Become the go-to person for inspiration and information.
10:36 Coaching, career advice, and product info available.
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for 2024! Click here to sign up for an information session:
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
In this episode, I discuss the need for reinvention in the agile community amidst the changes brought by the pandemic and the shifting landscape of work. This is a great opportunity for individuals to lead and redefine the value of agile practices, bringing adaptability and the creation of new approaches to thrive in the evolving industry. Want to learn how to embrace change, break habits, and find new ways to bring meaningful transformation in your practice? Join me as I discuss why now is the perfect moment for reinvention.
00:00 People seek direction, but leading and adapting is key. Accept change; reminisce but move forward.
05:02 Replace old habits with healthier, empowering choices. Embrace change and new opportunities.
06:30 Setting higher bar for agile, redefining practices, sharing experiments, validating need for change.
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for 2024! Click here to sign up for an information session:
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
To find out more about The Forge, sign up for an information session, or reach out directly at contact@badassagile.com
Unveiling Transformations: The Forge Experience In this episode, we dive into the personal and professional journeys of several individuals who have completed ‘The Forge,’ a year-long development program evolved from a podcast into an immersive course. This episode features:
Laurens Bonnema – Visit Laurens’ LinkedIn profile and check out his sketchnoting site
Ken Goodman – Visit Ken’s LinkedIn profile and check out his TikTok account.
Tracy Baer – Visit Tracy’s LinkedIn
Andras Ivanyi – Visit Andras’ LinkedIn Profile and try his new Goal Crusher app at https://toad.works
Each share their transformations, ranging from enhanced self-confidence and leadership growth to launching new ventures and fostering impactful community connections.
What Changed Because of The Forge? I ask each alum about the most profound changes and skills acquired through the program. All agree that maintaining a personal vision and accountability partnerships have been a massive benefit.
We talk about crafting a bigger vision for future cohorts, soft skills improvement, and methods to enhance continuous personal and professional growth.
Join us to understand how ‘The Forge’ helps people become better leaders and coaches, elevate their careers, and deliver bold outcomes.
Chapters/Contents00:00 Transforming a Podcast into a Course
00:22 Meet the Pioneers
01:27 Lawrence’s Journey: From Listener to Author
02:44 Ken’s Path: From Software Engineer to Agile Coach
03:39 Tracy’s Story: From Agile Team Lead to Manager
04:50 Andras’ Experience: From Ideas to Execution
06:20 Building a Lasting Community
08:11 Key Takeaways: What the Forge Gave Us
09:14 Lawrence’s Transformation: Knowledge to Action
13:17 Tracy’s Growth: Vision and Accountability 1
6:46 Ken’s Evolution: Mindset and Coaching
19:02 Andras’ Realization: Finishing What You Start
22:02 Achievements and Success Stories
23:33 Setting the Vision for Success
25:03 Taking Immediate Action
26:56 The Changing Landscape of Agile
30:25 Who is the Forge For?
37:20 Personal Growth and Confidence
43:23 Final Thoughts and Where to Find Us
Links And ResourcesCHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for 2024! Click here to sign up for an information session:
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Every Department Has Agile Delivery ChallengesThe Essential Need for Circulation and helping all areas of the business with Agile Delivery Challenlges. In this episode of the Badass Agile Podcast, I highlight the importance of circulation in life and its parallel in agile practice. I emphasize how staying still leads to stagnation and blockages, and stress the critical need for movement and change.
To uncover agile delivery challenges throughout the enterprise, practitioners should continually evolve, meet new people, and have new conversations to keep up with the ever-changing business landscape.
The simple-yet-difficult nature of the Twelve Agile Principles means that most teams don’t practice what they preach. I include 9 practical examples for becoming more valuable and innovative within an organization.
Most organizations admit to wanting more agility. To help them with their agile delivery challenges, we must circulate and grow – reaching out beyond standard practices and environments to deliver true value.
00:00 Introduction to Circulation in Life and Agile
00:40 The Importance of Movement in Agile Practice
01:30 Revisiting Agile Principles
02:22 Agile Delivery Challenges
03:45 Practical Steps to Evolve and Innovate
04:41 Applying Agile Beyond Software Development
07:10 Final Thoughts and Call to Action
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for 2024! Click here to sign up for an information session:
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
I’ve been hosting this show for seven and a half years, watching the agile industry. As I publish less, I’m focusing on validating new ideas. My goal is unchanged – delivering the highest value, and transferring elite skills to leaders based on the principles that actually work.
I’m shifting from traditional scrum and agile topics to core principles of simplicity and wellness, creativity and innovation. If Scrum Masters and Agile Coach roles disappeared completely, we’d be ok; what we create and for whom is key. I aim to inspire and ignite a passion for excellence and practical agility in a rapidly changing world. My goal is to help you get the skills to stay relevant and in-demand in a new landscape of work.
LinksCHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for 2024! Click here to sign up for an information session:
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Episode Sections00:00 Introduction and Show Evolution
01:01 Purpose and Mission of Badass Agile
01:37 Personal and Professional Changes
02:04 Redefining Roles and Titles
04:07 Focus on Simplicity and Mental Wellness
05:43 Creative Process and Innovation
07:25 Conclusion and Future Directions
TranscriptIntroduction and Show EvolutionI’ve been doing this show for seven and a half years now, and in that time, our industry’s grown and changed and the show has changed too. So what’s next for Badass Agile? That’s this week on the Badass Agile podcast.
Greetings team. Welcome to the Badass Agile Podcast. I’m your host, Chris Williams.
Hey friend, good to see you. I’m glad you’re still tuning in. You might have noticed that I’ve been publishing less and that’s on purpose. You know, sometimes,
you have to spend the time figuring out what’s next, what belongs, what feels good, validating your intuition, and sometimes trying some new things and seeing what floats.
Let’s talk about what the changes are, what they mean to you and to me, and to the show.
Purpose and Mission of Badass AgileBut first, let’s take a moment to remember. As always, why we’re here. To create an elite tribe of leaders who truly serve their clients and communities by doing what matters and what works. Relentlessly chasing value and excellence like a badass.
There’s so many resources out there about what to do to be agile, but we focus on who you need to become. In order to lead teams. So let’s hammer down those fundamentals to create a truly unique and powerful force in this industry.
If you love the show, tell your friends, and don’t forget to check out my products and services at learning.fusechamber.com
Personal and Professional ChangesLook, I’ll be blunt. I’m not a scrum master or agile coach anymore. I haven’t done it for quite a while. As the years pass, I’m less willing to be defined by a job title. It’s what I do that matters, not how I do it or who I do it for. And frankly, I’m a little bored of the same conversations. I want something new.
Consistency and comfort, habit, let’s call it, has to be balanced with a little bit of novelty, some kind of excitement. And let’s think about this.
Redefining Roles and TitlesIf you’re defined by your title, well, what happens when the title changes? Because that’s what’s happening now in our industry. Many of us find ourselves lost, struggling to define what to put on a resume or what positions to even send a resume in for now that our old familiar titles are disintegrating.
What is it we really do? You know what I think? I think we’re creators. No matter what your job title is, I see a crack letting in some light. In the future, we won’t be classified by and bound to that role.
We’ll define ourselves by what we make, the value we create, and who we make it for. Now this is really important news because this way, If the title disappears or falls out of favor, we’re not stuck in that rut.
We’re not all of a sudden finding ourselves without work, unable to snap into a new position if we lose the one that we already have when we help large organizations focus on pockets of value. To deliver fast for competitive advantage. You can do that almost anywhere in any department on any kind of product or offering.
And it never goes out of style. We should be expecting this. The rapid pace of tech means we’re going to change more often. Us agile folks should be comfy with that. It is after all, what we preach to our clients. And I’ve always said that I create massive art and experience to inspire and ignite people to a life of distinction, simplicity, and strength.
That’s my personal vision statement. And further, I’ve always said that the podcast was about those fundamentals of excellence. It was about who you need to become, not the doing of Agile that made people and teams So I’m going to keep doing more of that. And in keeping with the work that I’m doing inside the forge, I’m going to talk less and less about pure scrum or agile.
I might even have to change the name of this show someday. If you think about it, I’ll talk more and more about the fundamental principles.
Focus on Simplicity and Mental WellnessI’m going to focus on simplicity. Because in my professional life, I’ve been called to bring that simplicity to the mental wellness sphere. What that means is, I’m all about finding a return to the things that we were built to be.
To do and the people we were built to do it for because simplicity means stripping away. And we have a lot of social and technological buildup right now. It’s time for a cleaning. Like when you get all the plaque and tartar cleaned off your teeth, it’s bad for your smile. It’s bad for your heart. What you’re going to see is my basic agile principles reframed.
The focus is on ideal mental states, mental attitudes, And the habits that pave the way for agility, high performance, and effectiveness. I love talking about the people fundamentals too. How to influence, how to lead, how to inspire, how to sell your ideas. And market what you do inside and outside an organization.
I love learning and growing in those areas specifically. So I’m always studying, I’m always getting better. And my experience tells me that people love learning about it, too. But when I say fundamentals, I don’t mean the things that you can read anywhere. There’s enough rehash on the internet already. I’m talking about the foundational ideas that usually defy the accepted norm.
When I say simple, I don’t mean easy. Because it was easy, Everybody would already be doing it. This is the stuff they don’t teach in school. This is the chemistry set of the true rebel, the hero.
Creative Process and InnovationAnd in the process, I’ll also talk more about the creative act, whether it’s technical innovation, if that’s an area that interests you and helping your clients, whether it’s writing a blog post or a book or playing the trumpet.
New ideas and expressions are the seed of great outcomes and we could use more positive change right now, couldn’t we? The less time we spend consuming mindless content on social media, the more freedom, the more space we have to create new things.
And you’ll find it doesn’t matter how many likes you get, creating for the sake of creation is the master skill at the heart of every great agilist, at the heart of every great entrepreneur, at the heart of every great visionary.
Agile surrounds solutioning and solutioning is really just creation. So let’s magnify that. Let’s learn about the creative process. And let’s do more of that process. In this time of so much AI and so much sameness, there’s never been a better time. But I’m also going to talk about why. The why of what we do.
In some ways, my friend, this podcast has been a letter to you. A way to connect like minded souls over a common belief. A common desire to do something more than manage people and manage the tasks of one of a million projects in a big corporate machine. A chance to love what we do for once, to have the freedom to make art, to create truly what we want.
Beautiful and meaningful experience.
Conclusion and Future DirectionsSo as I’ve said before, in the past, I’m arcing away from the technical and the bookie agile, and I’m assuming that we have this agile skill, this agile way of thinking and doing, and it’s a tool in our toolkit. Now we don’t have to stress over the what or the how I feel like at this point, we’ve probably got it.
It’s going to be more about where you can apply that agility to continue to thrive and to add value and to serve and to create meaning for yourself and others by bringing those tools to bear in a world that’s very, very different than when they first dreamed up and wrote down agile a quarter of a century ago.
It’s a different place, and we have to let go of the fact that these aren’t the same halls we used to occupy decades ago. It’s not the same people, it’s not the same time, it’s not the same opportunity. All of the parts have shifted, and nothing looks like it used to. Emotionally, we have to unattach from that comfortable feeling.
To exhibit our bravery now to bring these truly great ideas that the agile movement stirred in us and woke up in us and bring them to places where they’re most needed. So hope you don’t mind the break. And I hope you can sit with me through the change. If you’ve got questions or comments, I’d love to hear them.
As always, you can find me out there. Check me out on LinkedIn. You can find me on Instagram. You can find me at badassagile. com. I look forward to seeing you next time and until then stay badass.
Adam Smith returns after four years in with his design venture, Tension Consulting Inc. Adam discusses intentional design, building trust with clients, and customer-centric focus in UI/UX services. He speaks in-depth about understanding clients’ needs and objectives – and how global and internal events over the past four years have shaped small business. Adam gets modern delivery, and every agile practitioner can learn from his mindset and approach.
CHECK OUT ALL MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HERE:
https://learning.fusechamber.com
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*New cohort for 2024! Click here to sign up for an information session:
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
**Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
I’ve noticed across all the Agile discussions that we’re not listening to the business.
In this episode of Badass Unscripted, I explore the concept of true agility and the common pitfalls that prevent us from achieving it. Let’s discuss how agile has evolved over time, warning against the tendency to prioritize conformity to rules over genuine innovation and problem-solving. I discuss the importance of embracing change and continuous learning, emphasizing the need to move beyond rigid adherence to existing frameworks and instead cultivate a mindset of exploration and creativity.
ELEVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING – Now Live!
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for 2024! Click here to sign up for an information session:
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BECOME A SPEAKER OF IMPACT
Learn how to captivate and influence by unlocking the voice already inside you.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/rivet-the-room
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Visit Carl’s website to learn more about his work and find links to purchase his book, “The Biology Of Leadership” in print, kindle or audible formats
https://www.virtuecompass.com
Check out our Identity Talks video session here:
https://badassagile.com/identitytalks
PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for 2024! Click here to sign up for an information session:
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BECOME A SPEAKER OF IMPACT
Learn how to captivate and influence by unlocking the voice already inside you.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/rivet-the-room
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Time to work on your own terms.
Four years after the global pandemic, work – and why we do it – has changed. You have a choice to make. You can live by the guide, follow the rules and show up the same as everyone else. Or, you can spend your energy and live life on your own terms.
Time to be an original. You won’t enjoy serving your teams (and our agile craft won’t grow) until you decide to jump the rails. In this episode, I’ll share insights on finding fulfillment, contentment, and happiness in the way we work and the value we offer. Time to embrace authenticity, challenge conventional rules, and offer your unique contributions. Questioning norms. Show courage. Bring what you were meant to bring. You can carve your own path and make meaningful impact within your teams and communities.
PROFESSIONAL STORYTELLING
The most coveted communications skill – now at your fingertips!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/storytelling
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for 2024! Click here to sign up for an information session:
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BECOME A SPEAKER OF IMPACT
Learn how to captivate and influence by unlocking the voice already inside you.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/rivet-the-room
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Going against the grain is the easiest way to find more authenticity and distinction in your leadership. It definitely helps you stand out in the Agile space.
Throughout this episode, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on breaking free from conventional thinking and norms within the Agile industry. I want to challenge you to embrace a different way of thinking and leading. I want you to embrace your unique point of view. Especially if it runs against the grain of accepted thinking. From questioning traditional practices to setting new standards and embracing uncertainty, I’ll be providing a thought-provoking perspective on the power of thinking and acting differently in the world of agility. So, get ready to challenge your mindset and be inspired to make a lasting impact as I take you on a journey to think, feel, and act like a true badass.
GREAT DEALS ON THE FORGE*
For a very limited time, get an incredible deal on The Forge, my year-long immersion for elite leaders. Reach out at contact@badassagile.com or click here to sign up for a quick info call!
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
BECOME A SPEAKER OF IMPACT
Learn how to captivate and influence by unlocking the voice already inside you.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/rivet-the-room
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
In this episode, I explore the 3 signs you’re addicted to process and its implications for coaching and leadership. I challenge the traditional concept of rigid classifications and explain how it can restrict our understanding and creativity. Throughout the episode, I identify three signs of having a process addiction and provide insights on overcoming it. I emphasize the significance of focusing on core principles and adapting to change in the dynamic world of agility and leadership. Join me as we uncover how to break free from process addiction and embrace a more agile and fearless approach to leading teams.
BREAK FREE OF CORPORATE AGILE!!*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for 2024! Click here to sign up for an information session:
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BECOME A SPEAKER OF IMPACT
Learn how to captivate and influence by unlocking the voice already inside you.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/rivet-the-room
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Why are we afraid of the word “do”? We have to talk about accountability and commitment in the world of agile leadership. I read more and more about not using the word do – as in “what did you do yesterday/what will you do today”. I think its never been more important to walk the talk, make big promises, and actually deliver on them every single time.
Let’s look at how language and attitudes in the agile community are changing, and why it’s crucial to go beyond just following the scrum guide if we want to truly succeed. I’ll be getting real about the need for each of us to step up, take the reins, and fearlessly pursue excellence in everything we do.
Join me as we unpack the idea of true freedom and autonomy in agile leadership, and what it really takes to stand out in this fast-paced world. Get ready for a no-nonsense, down-to-earth discussion that’s sure to leave you fired up and ready to tackle your agile leadership challenges head-on!
WANT TO THRIVE IN THE NEW AGILE ECONOMY?*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for 2024! Click here to sign up for an information session:
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BECOME A SPEAKER OF IMPACT
Learn how to captivate and influence by unlocking the voice already inside you.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/rivet-the-room
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The State of Agile Report, for the first time, has recognized the challenges in delivering success to big enterprise. By the numbers, we can see even practitioners question the ability to scale agile on global stages.
GET MY FREE GUIDE TO THE FUTURE OF AGILE! Learn to thrive in 2024 by creating more value and leveraging opportunities that everyone else is missing!
Overview of State of Agile Report 2024* Download The State of Agile Report for 2024 * Last year’s criticism of the report * Comparison with previous report * Current realistic observations
Dissatisfaction and Challenges with Agile Adoption* Difficulty adapting * Decreased satisfaction in medium and larger companies * Losing trust in agile * Misalignment of Agile’s purpose
Usage and Satisfaction Patterns* Limited use of Agile outside of technology * Top priorities for Agile users * Regional differences in measuring teams * Satisfaction rates of enterprise agile and scrum methodology
Success of Agile in Small Companies* Correlation between small companies and successful Agile implementations * Benefits of Agile in small company environments * Resistance in the business side to embrace Agile
Barriers to Agile Adoption* Resistance to organizational change * Lack of understanding and support from business teams * Management and leadership participation
Necessary Shifts in Agile Adoption* Need to move Agile out of tech * Elevating Agile to the leadership level * Focus on successful small-scale implementations
WANT TO THRIVE IN THE NEW AGILE ECONOMY?*
Download my FREE Guide and learn how to shift from roles and process and use your agile skills in new and exciting ways!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/future-of-agile-signup
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for 2024! Click here to sign up for an information session:
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BECOME A SPEAKER OF IMPACT
Learn how to captivate and influence by unlocking the voice already inside you.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/rivet-the-room
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
In Episode 248 – The Year of The Agile Entrepreneur, I discuss my prediction that 2024 will be the year of the entrepreneur and intrapreneur practitioner. I emphasize the need for a shift in mindset and skills for professionals in the agile industry. I talk about the changing landscape of agile, the importance of adding value to businesses, and the skills required to thrive in the evolving marketplace. I urge listeners to develop skills in listening, solution-oriented thinking, and pitching value to become the leaders organizations are seeking.
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for 2024! Click here to sign up for an information session:
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BECOME A SPEAKER OF IMPACT
Learn how to captivate and influence by unlocking the voice already inside you.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/rivet-the-room
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Do We Have a Social Duty? Specifically, do we have a duty to influence how social media is used? In today’s episode, I’m delving into the world of social media and discussing the responsibilities of agile practitioners in this digital age. I’ll be challenging leaders to rethink how they engage with social media and the impact it has on our society. I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the negative aspects of social media and how we as agile leaders can resist the temptation to contribute to divisiveness and hatefulness. I want to encourage you to take a stand and make a positive contribution to the online community. Join me as we explore this important topic and consider the role we all play in shaping the digital landscape.
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for 2024! Click here to sign up for an information session:
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BECOME A SPEAKER OF IMPACT
Learn how to captivate and influence by unlocking the voice already inside you.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/rivet-the-room
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.comWANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
In this episode of Badass Agile, I want you to think about the evolving landscape of agile roles and the necessary success skills for 2024. I challenge you to look beyond traditional job titles and industry-defined roles, emphasizing the important skills of adding value, setting ambitious goals, fostering creativity and innovation, making decisive decisions, influencing others, and cultivating resilience.
By shedding the constraints of predefined job descriptions and embracing a mindset focused on delivering tangible value and making a meaningful impact, you can carve out a new, unconventional path in the agile space. I stress the significance of adaptability, courage, and a willingness to challenge the status quo, urging you to transcend established norms and create your own unique journey with these skills.
I encourage you to explore the ways in which you can apply agile principles and skills for 2024 beyond the confines of tech-specific roles, envisioning a broader and more impactful contribution to the organizations you serve.
Throughout the episode, I underscore the need for agile professionals to embrace change, take risks, and boldly navigate the shifting tides of the agile landscape.
Overall, this unscripted episode offers a candid and motivational exploration of the essential skills and mindsets required for thriving in the dynamic world of agile, inspiring you to embrace a transformative approach to your career in the field.
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for 2024! Click here to sign up for an information session:
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BECOME A SPEAKER OF IMPACT
Learn how to captivate and influence by unlocking the voice already inside you.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/rivet-the-room
UNLOCK THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO GROW IN 2024!!
Courage, resilience, influence, decisiveness…learn ALL of these in The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Can you handle an honest look at why Agile fails? The reason is often OUR failure to uphold its core principles. I share a story – one you can probably relate to – that illustrates the tendency to focus on the wrong aspects of Agile. This leads to missed opportunities to solve challenging problems. By shining a light on the human nature aspects of agile, I underscore the significance of addressing tough questions and harnessing the power of Agile practices to deliver tangible value. This episode served as an eye-opening exploration of the underlying human problems that often contribute to Agile challenges, offering valuable insights and lessons for both leaders and practitioners striving to navigate and master the Agile landscape.
JOIN THE FORGE*
New cohort for 2024! Click here to sign up for an information session:
https://bit.ly/forge-webinar
BECOME A SPEAKER OF IMPACT
Learn how to captivate and influence by unlocking the voice already inside you.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/rivet-the-room
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
2023 brought great change to business and technology. Priorities have changed, and we may not be focused on the right things to support our clients and practitioners. Where will Agile go in 2024?
The future of agile lies in a relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation. Let's use our skills to create a better work environment, deliver better products, and strive for better balance.
Don't obsess over the outcome. The only thing that creates the outcome is the daily practice you commit to.
Is social media dying? Has it gone past its use-by date? It seems that there's ever more division and complexity, and you have to ask...is it really adding value?
Many times, the problem lies in the misconception of what agile truly offers and the failure to communicate its value effectively. We need to bridge the gap between what we're delivering and what businesses actually find valuable...
Why do big organizations struggle with agility? Scaling frameworks often complicate matters without providing much benefit. Let's explore the characteristics of large organizations and the mindset of the "average employee". By understanding these dynamics, you can understand why Big Agile doesn't always fit big enterprise - and what you can do about it.
I'm a little biased, but there are certain things a training experience MUST do in order to delivery lasting value.
If your ship is sinking, you don't want to cling to the rails and hope everything will be ok. Let me show you what to do next.
The industry is facing a crowded market, a decline in quality of work, and a lack of focus on outcomes. We still tend to overthink and over-document, leading to a lack of actual delivery. Tune in to learn how the changing landscape, driven by COVID-19 and technological advancements, is reshaping the way we work and approach agility beyond just software concerns. Get ready for an eye-opening discussion that will leave you questioning the state of the agile biz.
As an agile practitioner, you have a duty to lead and to make real change. I think we're most imminently qualified to bring real cultural and social change to our workplaces...and beyond.
Is Agile Losing Favor?: "I see more ads for Agile project managers. I see more online sources calling Agile a form of project management. Does that mean that Agile is losing favor? Does it mean that there's some things that we missed or wrote off about the traditional Project Manager that are coming back in style?"
On this episode of Badass Agile, I discuss how applying Agile concepts to creative fields, leadership, and business strategy could result in easier and more consistent creation of better quality outcomes.
We could have gone back to normal by now….but we haven’t. Because we can’t. Things are forever changed. To the badass, that means opportunity.
Think about everything that has changed since the pandemic.
-People have seen what a balanced life looks like
-People are learning that the traditional economy is unreliable – even unstable.
-People have SEEN that the systems and rules that we were brought up with were nonsense.
-Because they’ve SEEN it, not just read about it, they KNOW that things can be different.
When the system refuses to acknowledge and respond to these changing forces….you see what happens
-People quit even if they have nothing to fall back on
-They divest themselves of a decades-long career
-They realign themselves to a passion project
-They suddenly find courage to do what they’ve always wanted to do
When people start finding courage – tasting it for the first time, you’re on the brink of a revolution.
At the same time, we have people rushing to tech careers (not necessarily a bad thing) including scrum master roles, the market saturates. So what does this mean for badasses?
A window has been opened. Not like bitcoin or NFT’s – these are real, irreversible shifts. Good ones. That means there are opportunities for you. I don’t care if you want a promotion, raise, new job, new company, a switch to independent work – or if you just want to serve better and bigger – now is your chance. You must seize the open window where the PAIN is loud and clear but most organizations are too slow to respond to it. That’s where you come in.
Not gonna lie. This takes courage.
The easiest way forward is to just stick your chest out and go boldly through the aisles.
-Ask anyone you know what their pain point is. I guarantee its not software
-Listen carefully for common threads. You will hear a lot about people – finding good people, keeping good people, motivating good people.
-Sit at home in the morning or at night, on the train or before the sun comes up with a pen and paper and start thinking about those problems. Get obsessed. read. study. research. But most important, come up with solutions. How does what you know about scrum/agile have the potential to help?
-Don’t think inside your existing box. Take the greatest hits from your knowledge and think about what you could be doing differently to help solve these problems.
-Remember the rules of the badass. Be visionary, don’t ask permission. Do the thing that has never been done before. Seek the hard challenges. Laugh in the face of danger.
-If you can’t figure these out, hire me.
Be bold. Let’s go.
JOIN THE FORGE*** New cohort starting soon! Click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forgeBecome Badass with my NEW FREE Mini-Course.
Go to https://badassagile.com and look for “Becoming Badass”
Want to recession-proof your leadership? Check out my new course – The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.com
Don’t Miss Out on Our New FREE Community
Click here to join now!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/7zrAfCY7
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS? Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The pandemic and rapid technological advancements have shown us that the old ways of leading no longer apply. Adaptability and understanding your team’s needs and values are essential in this new landscape.
JOIN THE FORGE*** New cohort starting soon! Click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forgeBecome Badass with my NEW FREE Mini-Course.
Go to https://badassagile.com and look for “Becoming Badass”
Want to recession-proof your leadership? Check out my new course – The New Leadership
https://newleader.badassagile.comDon’t Miss Out on Our New FREE Community
Click here to join now!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/7zrAfCY7
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgileCheck out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.comLooking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.coFollow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
There’s a lot of opinion out there. But not all of it will help you. Bickering with trolls on social media doesn’t help you succeed. And it’s not good for our craft. Choose sources that are experienced, open and maybe swimming aginst the current.
JOIN THE FORGE***
New cohort starting soon! Click here to discover more:
www.badassagile.com/the-forge
Become Badass with my NEW FREE Mini-Course. Go to badassagile.com and look for “Becoming Badass”
Want to recession-proof your leadership? Check out my new course – The New Leadership
newleader.badassagile.com
Don’t Miss Out on Our New FREE Community
Click here to join now!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/7zrAfCY7
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The New Leadership Skills for a Changing World
Make sure you stay relevant in a changing marketplace. Don’t get left behind. Check out my new course at newleader.badassagile.com
In this episode of the Badass Agile podcast, host Chris Williams discusses the new skills required for modern leaders in the ever-changing economy. The pandemic and rapid technological advancements have shown us that the old ways of leading no longer apply. Adaptability and understanding your team’s needs and values are essential in this new landscape.
Key takeaways:
- Connection – Learn to make people feel seen, heard, and valued by connecting with them on a deeper level.
- Understand values – Watch your team closely to understand their values and what motivates them. This will help you create a more fulfilling work environment.
- Build agreements – Once you understand your team’s values, you can create agreements that stick and are based on what they want and need.
- Emotional intelligence – Work on understanding yourself and mastering your emotions to become a more authentic and effective leader.
- Deliver value – Focus on delivering value quickly and efficiently, so your team can have a better work-life balance.
- Develop a creative practice – Immerse yourself in your clients’ or customers’ world and constantly ideate potential solutions to their problems.
- Commitment and focus – Learn to stay committed to your goals, avoid distractions, and remain focused on delivering results.
Conclusion:
Modern leadership requires a shift from traditional management styles to more empathetic and understanding approaches. By connecting with your team, understanding their values, and delivering value consistently, you can create a more fulfilling work environment and achieve greater success. Adapt to the changing world and avoid becoming a dinosaur by embracing these new leadership skills.
Call to action:
For more information and tips on how to become a more effective leader, check out Chris Williams’ new course at newleader.badassagile.com. Don’t forget to follow Badass Agile on Instagram and join the Facebook Badass Agile Listener Lounge. Stay badass!
JOIN THE FORGE***
New cohort in March 2023! Click here to discover more:
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/23/ywm0ga0
Don’t Miss Out on Our New FREE Community
Click here to join now!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/7zrAfCY7
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
There’s a lot of opinion out there. But not all of it will help you. Bickering with trolls on social media doesn’t help you succeed. And it’s not good for our craft. Choose sources that are experienced, open and maybe swimming aginst the current.
JOIN THE FORGE***
New cohort in March 2023! Click here to discover more:
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/23/ywm0ga0
Don’t Miss Out on Our New FREE Community
Click here to join now!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/7zrAfCY7
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The best kind of coach is one who understands where you want to go, where. you are, and what strategies are likely to work (universally and just for you). Are you doing that?
- Coaching is about hearing what the other is all about. The prescriptions that you give will be based on the individual, the team, the context, the outcome, existing processes and beliefs.
- Be fearless in your curiosity about other people.
- Be fearless in sharing your ideas.
- A great coach is widely experienced and understands how to connect the threads between experiences. This is the primary difference between scrum master and coach.
- A great coach intuitively knows what experiments to try FIRST that have the best hope of improving results
- A great coach knows that agile may not be the best approach
- A great coach is not attached to any one way, or to their own rightness.
- A great coach serves first.
Don’t like life coaches…here’s why. There’s a saying that what we hate in others is what we fear most in ourselves. I see a great many coaches that are either inexperienced or were raised in a certain paradigm. All of their knowledge and skill is neatly tied to those frameworks and ways of thinking.
You can’t effectively coach people if you don’t know how to identify goals and outcomes and support the tough changes required to get them. This requires intuition and certainty that allows you to speak truth to people, challenge ideals, identify unhelpful mindsets and habits, hold people accountable, and measure results. That’s hard to do, and most coaches know that, so they despise those who can and suggest it’s not important.
If you can’t connect, inspire, persuade, lead, and sometimes rock the room, you can’t coach. People always talk about how sport coaches are masters of the skill, but the coaches they write books about are the ones that elevate the character and commitment of the team and the individuals within it. Period.
JOIN THE FORGE***
New cohort in March 2023! Click here to discover more:
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/23/ywm0ga0
Don’t Miss Out on Our New FREE Community
Click here to join now!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/7zrAfCY7
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Episode 229 – Why Sameness Is Not A Strategy. Don’t be an algorithm-pleaser! If you’re talking about agile on social media, but you’re copying what everyone else is saying or doing, you’re not a true original. And you’re a follower, not a leader.
JOIN THE FORGE***
New cohort in March 2023! Click here to discover more:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpceGoqz0pE9BDHMWm4VUiopnhlGb5JM8t
Don’t Miss Out on Our New FREE Community
Click here to join now!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/7zrAfCY7
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
People and Culture are a growing concern for companies and their executives in 2023.
The past 2 years have been challenging for large organizations – and their people. Economic uncertainty. Geo-political tensions. Increased polarization. All have created challenges for employees and employers.
Join Sofia Theodorou (People Executive), Carl Oxholm (Owner of Virtue Compass Inc), and I as we discuss the trends and outlook for the coming year.
Don’t Miss Out on Our New FREE Community
Click here to join now!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/7zrAfCY7
JOIN THE FORGE***
New cohort in March 2023! Click here to discover more:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpceGoqz0pE9BDHMWm4VUiopnhlGb5JM8t
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Strength is still a requirement – and it’s making a comeback.
I recently attended an event that was supposed to be about heroes – big impact, big ideas. But guess what? The only next step was planning the next meeting. No action. Nothing gets shipped. No “done thing”.
What happens without the strength and ambition to DO? Give it 18 months and we’ll wonder why things didn’t happen. Drained of hope and certainty, we’ll quietly shut the initiative down. Put it on the pile of things we never accomplished.
The gift of agility is not to self-congratulate on big dreams. Making the dream REAL is the only marker of transformation.
YOU should be part of our new elite community – FREE!
Click here to join now!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/7zrAfCY7
JOIN THE FORGE***
New cohort in March 2023! Click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Agile has lost the script – we’ve become divisive, intolerant…maybe even a little arrogant. When we lose our desire to elevate the craft and the community as a whole, history tells us that the final days are near. Instead of behaving like noble beings worthy of trust and talent to make work better, we making this into a circus. We should know better.
Don’t Miss Out on Our New FREE Community
Click here to join now!
https://learning.fusechamber.com/offers/7zrAfCY7
JOIN THE FORGE***
New cohort in March 2023! Click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Each year, I like to do an annual forecast. What does 2023 have in store for agile professionals?
Here are the trends you need to watch – and react to – this year:
- We’re getting polarized as a community – a sign that things aren’t in good shape
- Increasing need for community building that does NOT Centre around framework and method
- Business Agility continues to grow
- Increasing need for people who can sell culture change to leadership
- Shorter-scale projects to focus on completion, and continuity
- Obviously handling the burst of AI tools that have started to gain attention
JOIN THE FORGE***
Click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Agile teams are considered high-performing, so their survival depends on managing negative energy.
We’re often unaware when we leak negativity. As a defense mechanism, it operates without our awareness or permission. But negativity has a toxic effect on teams – and you might not even know its happening. Learn more about the sources of negative energy – and what you can do about it in this episode.
JOIN THE FORGE
Click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast – “The Badass Agile Entrepreneur”.
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We’re also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don’t forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
If you want to follow the agile or scrum manual or worship the rules, you can't be an artist.
An artist expresses their opinion, their creative contribution, or their vision with the tools of their medium. By definition, your art must be an original. Nobody else could make the exact same thing. Artistry involves discovery, failure, and risk. What you make might not work right away. It might require sweat and continuous refinement. It might force you to admit that you don't know everything. It might take you to unexplored and dangerous places.
Doesn't that sound like agile?
Without these elements, you're applying a recipe. You're blindly implementing best practices and rules. There is no room to create something new that serves the distinct character of your team, your client, or their customer.
Agile Survival
Agile survival depends on circulating value.
You can't stand still, surrounded by the same four walls, and expect to grow.
A Bad Pattern
We've gotten into a bad pattern in the past few decades. If we're not talking software, we don't know how to serve our clients with agility. Most CEO's don't know for sure what agile is - or what it can do for them when used beyond the technology sphere.
You can apply Agile and Scrum anywhere you have a high-value and uncertain outcome. We should be using our superpowers to help companies bring products and solutions "to the market" quicker. That could be product, solutions, culture, revenue, or change.
How You Can Help
Remember, our universe is changing. There are more and more scrum masters and coaches every year. If all of us are heading straight for the software team rooms, we're going to oversaturate the market and lose our value. Here's where we can be helping to busines solve their MOST important problems. For example:
Remote work - how can you make this work for people who no longer want to work in centralized offices? Help companies experiment with new modes of working. Figure out the challenges and change the perceptions that remote work is bad/impossibleQuiet Quitting And Great Resignation - people are quitting and they're not being replaced. This increases resource pressure and dissatisfaction on the people left behind - and then they quit too. Whoever solves tis problem first will recover from this unique challenge. There's no template - this has never been done before. Innovation and creativity is required.Throwing Money at #2 - turns out that's not what was needed. We've filled a resource gap with resources that can't/don't want to work with passion and purpose. Economic Instability - there has never been a better time to help companies react to unstable conditions. That could include bringing new products to market, pivoting, increasing customer value or loyalty, diversifying revenue streams, or simplifying existing processes or structures. We can also be teaching new agile and scrum practitioners how to approach these opportunities.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for an upcoming info session about our online leadership immersion experience.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for an upcoming info session about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/15/l71zgcl
Or click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast - "The Badass Agile Entrepreneur".
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
www.badassagile.com
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Agile Certification is a for-profit product. Can it be an effective way to become a better Agile Leader?
Education is a way to develop skills and learn concepts quickly. Modern education, and industry certifications are designed to ensure predictable outcomes from regular employees. While Agile Certifications can be a great way for a beginner to ramp up quickly, they are NOT the best way to develop Agile Leadership skill.
We are not trying to be doctors or lawyers. Life, death, or freedom do not depend on what we do as Agile practitioners. A computer-based quiz and a paper certification is not a testament to our effectiveness in our role.
Leaders don't graduate. They arise.
The best way to develop your skill is to immerse yourself in a team. Lead when called for, and be content to follow too. Focus on becoming visionary. Develop your discipline. Learn to focus and commit. Learn to persist in the face of challenge. In the face of your own shortcomings. Find mentors and walk toward mastery. This is the most effective path. You can use Agile Certification to complement the journey, but it can never be a replacement.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for an upcoming info session about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/15/l71zgcl
Or click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast - "The Badass Agile Entrepreneur".
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
You cannot ascend if your beliefs, routines thoughts, experiences and emotions are limited to your present circumstances and reality. Think and feel bigger than your environment.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for an upcoming info session about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/15/l71zgcl
Or click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast - "The Badass Agile Entrepreneur".
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Either we struggle with change or we struggle with productivity. If we struggle with change we struggle to start things, but sometimes we struggled to sustain them. Change is very hard but I'm convinced that one of the reasons we plan so much is because we're avoiding action. That's right - I'll say it again. We're not foolish. We know that nobody can predict the future and that most attempts to plan into that future will create rough guess estimates at best. So we don't really believe that planning will save us. It's time to act.
Wasn't the promise of agile 20 years ago that we can reduce upfront planning? It's obvious now that this is a tough nut to crack. We don't plan because we're chomping at the bit to get moving. We plan because the act of planning is in and of itself a safe activity. It requires energy to plan. It requires energy to act, to do, to create. To produce and to ship
And yet it seems like we'd much rather do more planning than shipping. Why? Because planning risks nothing. To create deep complex spreadsheets ventures nothing. And the bigger we make those spreadsheets, the more detailed we make those plans, the more likely it is nobody will look at them.
This is very clever, but what's required is action. We shouldn't be making deeply complex plans that shield our commitments. We should be making bold declarations and exploring into the unknown. We should be honest about what we know and what we don't know.
But most importantly, we should ship We should sit down every day and lean into the hard things
Do the things that we keep promising to do but never seem to get around to. Finding the things that we ladle excuses on and stop making excuses. This is simple but hard. Such wisdom is obvious and yet somehow counterintuitive. We know what we should do, but we don't do it
So what can you do? Commit, fail, recommit, failed, commit, commit, commit. Success comes at the end. Eventually, it sticks. If you commit all the way and nothing happens, try something more reachable. But remember, it still has to be shippable.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for an upcoming info session about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/15/l71zgcl
Or click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast - "The Badass Agile Entrepreneur".
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Despite the bad news all around, I have tremendous hope in us. This is a time of great divisiveness, and yet, we've been through this before. The Agile Leader has the ability to begin with one - one team, one community, and demonstrate by example how we can move from division to accord. Unless we learn to move in the same direction, we can never truly accomplish anything great.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for an upcoming info session about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/15/l71zgcl
Or click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast - "The Badass Agile Entrepreneur".
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
It's not the quitting part I have a problem with; it's the quiet part.
You absolutely should insist on a sustainable, balanced life. Agilists are supposed to be good at this. You must reclaim your time - no one will do it for you. But how?
Easy. Stop focusing on the "things you must do". Meetings, admin, various tasks, and responding to emails. Focus on the top 3 high-value items to deliver. To make it easier, rank all of the things you (think) you are accountable for this week. Top to bottom, no ties. Now, draw a line under the top three. Those are the items you guarantee you will finish this week. Everything below the line - you probably won't get to. This is a far more effective strategy than disengaging in conversation and negotiation. It's not the way of the badass to simply quiet quit.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for an upcoming info session about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/2/98ol1c7
Or click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast - "The Badass Agile Entrepreneur".
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Sensitivity to words. Aversion to risk. Sensitivity to truth. The power of anonymity and self-righteousness. Avoidance of challenge and growth. These raging currents threaten the nobility of our potential.
There is something to be said for having reached a level of self-awareness and greatness where you recognize how limitless, productive, fearless, and effective you are. Most people hold back for fear of being judged or rejected - or worse. Notice how common that fear is, the extent to which it limits most of the population; AND you begin to realize what is possible when you think and act like an uncommon badass.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for an upcoming info session about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/2/98ol1c7
Or click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
WANT TO GROW AN AGILE BUSINESS?
Check out my new premium podcast - "The Badass Agile Entrepreneur".
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Quiet Quitting is trending so hard, it has its own hashtag. What is it, and what do you need to consider?
What Is Quiet Quitting?
Quiet Quitting is a passive form of protest. It is the act of giving up your duties beyond the bare minimum - without actually quitting your job.
It's Happening Whether You Like It Or Not
As a leader or executive, quiet quitting is happening whether you're paying attention to it or not. It's important to lead the narrative inside your walls and beyond. You'll be judged on how you handle this situation. And it has the potential to be a problem - for your company and the economy at large.
Quiet Quitting and Agile Leadership
If you're an Agile Leader, think about how Quiet Quitting will manifest itself in your teams. Know how to ask questions about what's causing it and how you can help. The root causes of quiet quitting are overwhelm and burnout. A sense of duty to take on everything, only to have an employer take advantage of your willingness to overwork yourself. When the extra work is not recognized, frustration sets in. When the frustration is not tended to, you feel unvalued. Unheard.
Don't Avoid The Difficult Conversation
If you're an employee, think about whether you're really sticking it to the man, or if your quiet quitting is really avoiding the hard conversation. Avoiding isn't what high performers do. It's not the way of the Badass. The hard thing is always the hard thing. It is exactly what we must do in order to ascend. To thrive.
For an alternative viewpoint on how to reduce burnout by prioritizing value, check out this episode.
https://badassagile.com/2021/07/21/badass-unscripted-solve-their-biggest-problem/
Also, check out my related episode on #thegreateresignation here:
https://badassagile.com/2021/09/21/episode-197-the-great-resignation/
CHECK OUT THE NEW BADASS AGILE ENTREPRENEUR PODCAST
https://learning.fusechamber.com/#podcast
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for an upcoming info session about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/2/98ol1c7
Or click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
It's not about what you know. Intimate Scrum or Kanban knowledge does not create greatness. Your mindset, character and habits do. I'm at my best when I'm creating heroes - people of vision, discipline, grit and self-awareness. Combine these with your desire for excellent practice, and you become effective. Unforgettable.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for an upcoming info session about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/2/98ol1c7
Or click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Main reasons for backsliding:-Not enough time to build a habit-Not enough of an emotionally compelling reason to stay the course (alignment to higher ideas, desire for benefit, avoidance of pain)-The pain of change is WORSE than the pain of not changing-When things get busy or difficult, we let go of anything NEW or not related to SURVIVAL
This problem is amplified when a coach just parachutes in and delivers messaging, strategies and tactics, but can't help the team habitualize them.
How to avoid backsliding
All coaching engagements must include measurement and follow up, just like a good doctor. I need to know if you're taking the medicineAll commitments must include personalized WHYHand off accountability to a nested coach or lead if you won't be there to follow up and trackMake failure OK - make mastery a path, not a destination. Let people revise their targets without letting themselves off the hookCreate accountability pairsUse creeds and agreementsPre-arrange what the team will DO if they catch themselves falling off of a practice
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for an upcoming info session about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/2/98ol1c7
Or click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
If you have areas of your life and work that NEVER seem to progress…you're stuck. It's a headscratcher, because you have other areas where you're crushing it. So you KNOW you can set and hit goals.
You know you want to FINALLY tackle it. That thing you never tackle. You know you're making excuses. You're putting it off. Even though you SAY it's a top priority. You might even be experiencing change because you're not addressing it. And still…nothing happens.
And it never will, until you learn that knowledge and desire are not enough. The will - not the motivation - is the key. The self-discipline to take a stand, to decide, and then to execute the tiniest increment.
Then, you can trust yourself. You build the confidence that this challenge doesn't own you. You become bigger.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for an upcoming info session about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/2/98ol1c7
Or click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Instead of acting in circles around things we can't impact, what if we focused on those things we could actually control? The things we should control. The things we've been told we're not allowed to question.-Our time-Our reputation-Our Action level-Our influence-Our attitude-Self-reliance, discipline-Habits
Working to change other people, events - the past OR the future - is where we leak the most energy.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for an upcoming info session about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/2/98ol1c7
Or click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Much of our defining, outward behaviour emerges through experiences that forge our beliefs. Beliefs become default ways of acting and reacting - many of which don't serve us. Approaching mastery often feels like 'becoming limitless,' which is precisely what we must do. We have to shatter the boundaries caused by our beliefs.
When our beliefs are negative or constraining, we may avoid doing the right things, either because we feel it pointless or because striving in the face of low odds is demotivating.
Here are the beliefs that keep us from performing at our best:I/we can't do thisWe can't change themThis won't workI'm supposed to be right - perfection is my yardstickI'm not allowed to do thisI don't need help - I've got thisNobody can do this but meI don't have enough timeI don't have the right toolsI don't have enough knowledge or skillUsually, these statements turn out to be false. Even when they are accurate, we can decide that it doesn't matter.
To change beliefs, we first name the opposite. "I CAN do this"; "I WILL find the time.". Changing from negative to affirmative gives us all the accountability - and all of the power. The challenges remain, but our confidence to win creates new energy.
We also have to stay resilient and committed to the goal. There's a reason we feel these goals are tricky - they are. But toxic beliefs are only formed when we see challenging goals as impossible. Our inner certainty and ruthless experimentation will create results that had been out of our reach before.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for an upcoming info session about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/2/98ol1c7
Or click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Many of us are unwilling to hear what we don’t want to hear.
Many of us are unwilling to do what we don’t want to do.
Many of us are unwilling to experience what we don’t want to experience.
This unwillingness means we are like a leaf in the wind…spinning around in circles. We are sailing at the whim of the tide.
This is the reason for your lack of momentum. This is why you are stuck in the same place you were a year ago. Or five. Or ten. Or more.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for an upcoming info session about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/2/98ol1c7
Or click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.agilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
By focusing all of your efforts on service, passion, purpose - everything can change. Learn why a simple shift to service-based mindset amplifies your results.
A focus on creating value for the benefit of others - a group, a customer, a stakeholder - makes it easier to build trust, influence, followership AND persistence.
Make it clear who you serve, how you serve them, and why you care - and notice the difference it makes.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for an upcoming info session about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/2/98ol1c7
Or click here to discover more:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Check out the new online magazine about the future of agility:
https://www.theagilehorizon.com
Looking for your first Scrum Master job? We help make the transition easier:
https://www.theagilesidekick.co
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Perhaps the reason we struggle to let agile be is because we don't trust in creativity.
If you think creativity has no place in the corporate headquarters, you'd be wrong. Solutioning, experimentation, and innovation are all creative processes. They are essential to agility, and to providing value in the marketplace.
Because I have a daily creative ritual, I'm able to envision new outcomes, solve problems, and offer new products and services faster than most. How can you get more comfortable with the creative process?
Put down ideas daily. Don't pause, don't think, don't judge. Just do. Every so often, groom your list of ideas. Put the best ones in a backlog that you can prioritize and execute on. Some will sit there for years. Some will go in the trash.
But sometimes, you come up with one that is, much to your own surprise…genius. And then you get more confident in your ideas. You trust yourself more. You become the person that others wish they could be.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
There are three things that affect performance at scale. I call them the three 'P's. Past, Permission and Perfection.
The master skill is to teach your teams how to let go of the way they've always done things (and the certainty that comes with it), the need to ask for permission or approval on every decision and intention (and the certainty that comes with it), and the need to do things perfectly before you show them to the world (and the certainty that comes with it).
See a pattern? Me too.
Check out these ideas and let me know what you think!
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
I hate to disappoint you, but leadership isn't a thing either. Our belief that it IS is holding us back.
Leadership skill is alluring. We've all seen a great leader and admired them. Their mastery of language, their calm, certainty. Poise. Their influence. Their vision.
You can't buy leadership skill. Studying leadership theory gets you nowhere.
At best, leadership is a collection of skills, most of them to do with human connection.
There is no list of things you can say or even do that assures leadership success.
Your job is to do, boldy, until you figure it out.
Your people will tell you what leadership is, and just like a good product owner, they'll tell you what done well looks like.
There's a misconception that a leader does all the important stuff. That they command, and others follow.
Leaders simply go first. They hold themselves accountable for a result.
They're not supposed to know what to do in every situation. Except to be certain that they will set an example. They will capture the hearts and imagination of the team. They will protect the team from harm.
There's too many do's and don'ts on social media. You can't possibly remember them all.
The best place to start is to create a compelling vision. You can lean on that anytime you need it. Maybe the next most important thing you can do is listen.
There are too many trends in leadership. That's a trap - people don't fundamentally change. The world around them does. The skills they need to be successful are commitment, and consistency. Resilience and courage.
Can you model that? If you can, you can lead.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Sorry to disappoint, but agile isn't a thing.
-We treat it like a program you install or a product you buy.
-We expect that there is magic in the arrangement of principles and practices.
-We expect this to make things somehow 'better'
-Worse, we sell it (or allow it to be sold) as though it will
-As a result, we fail to focus on the attitudes and practices that bring about victory
-Sadly, those practices still require hard work, risk and courage
-We focus instead on detailed conversations that don't drive results
-Agile never evolves
-Agile will eventually go extinct.
-The spoils go to those who see. Those who question and learn.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
How does your Scrum team handle blockers? How can you be more successful handling impediments?
I love blockers. I'm obsessed with organizing myself and my teams so that blockers don't create failure. Instead of quitting, we choose to 'find a way or make a way'. When faced with real impediments, how do we behave? It's never a matter of your agile/scrum skill. It's a function of your will. Condition your mindset so that you are unstoppable.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
I’ve found that success requires constant examination. Agile, specifically, is just a tool. It's a set of guiding principles and structured actions designed to bring about a consistent positive result.
But the things that are actually required are never modelled or enforced.
Courage, awareness, humility. These are the skills that add up to the spirit of the word agile. True flexibility and fluidity in execution.
So how do you get more of these? There are five questions that I ask myself every day.
Don't underestimate the value of great questions. Great questions work because we know we're going to have to answer them at the end of each day. We don't want to show up empty-handed.
So here are the five questions.
1. How did I lean into my fear zone today, beating my internal quitter, and playing all out?
2. What failed, and how did you invert it?
3. How did I empty my cup today, smashing a belief or habit?
4. What did I learn?
5. What could I MVP?
You can easily customize this list. I encourage you to use whatever works for you. Here's a bonus tip. If you want to really magnify the impact of this practice, use an accountability partner.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Here's a habit I'm willing to bet you have adopted without even noticing... You think without thinking.
To me, this means that we often accept what we read, see or hear because it's familiar. With so much visual communication, if something looks similar to a trustworthy source, it must be trustworthy.
The more an idea is repeated, the more it is amplified in our minds. Our ideas are as likely to come from somebody else’s Ted Talk or Instagram feed as they are from our own minds.
Every day we're told what to buy. We are told what to say. Were even told what to believe. It's very easy to tell what ideas are popular, and it's very easy to choose the popular ones as our own.
Fashion is supposed to be about individual expression. But so often, it really is about fitting in with the crowd. Your “individual choices” have been pre-selected for you. This includes your thought patterns, ideas, and beliefs.
To truly express yourself freely, you must take time to be aware and contemplate during your daily life. From there, you begin to notice patterns, ask questions, and forge your own ideas.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Hesitation Kills. Don't let your company fall into extinction - or even fall behind your competitors - before you finally learn this lesson.
Unlike any other time in history, the market is screaming for solutions. Great Resignation, political and identity divide, social media, web 3.0, cryptocurrencies…all of these are new forces that companies are caught with their pants down in dealing with.
Great companies will arise from this confusion. Those who aggressively deal with the future are those who will capitalize on it and survive.
You can pretend these forces don't affect you, but you can't pretend your company is in first place when it's actually at the bottom of the pile.
How can your Badass Agile skills help you create a better company:
-Teach leaders to use the principle of maximum value first to communicate your approach.
-If you don't have an approach, communicate your commitment, passion, and care
-Propose or help leaders propose experiments that help address your business challenges. Minimize risk by testing aggressively and keeping experiments short.
-Don't stay attached to any one 'way'. Kill your darlings. If it doesn't work, let it go and move on.
-There is no fast-forward button. Unlearn certainty and safety.
-If you do what's right for your people and your customers first, you usually can't go wrong.
-Most important, don't freeze in analysis and forethought. Move. Get off the 'x'.
-Inspire people with your courage and massive action.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The best learning experiences are those where you meet yourself for the first time.
-Who are you?
-Why are you here?
-What do you fear?
-What do you believe?
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
We place value on being spectators...observers to the wisdom of others. But what does 'being in the know' really buy you?
-How much time do we waste on social media trying to know the latest?
-How many meetings do we attend for the purpose of being looped in or informed?
-How many books do we read hoping it will transform our practice...only to forget most of what we learned, and give up when it doesn't yield instant results.
-what would happen if we assumed that what we need to know will find us?
How will it find us?
-We must be bold, courageous and internally certain. We must leap.
-Each day lean into the fear zone. It is usually the case that the scariest thing is the most important thing to do. When we fail to ask, to call to action, to take risks, when we busy ourselves with other work that we THINK is meaningful, we don't get what we want. We have been educated and conditioned to believe that this is important work...but its not.
-We must be truly self-aware. We must listen to ourselves, know ourselves, and be able to get feedback from others as well - to truly KNOW things. Know what we want. Know what we fear. Know what delights us and ignites our passion.
Ask yourself each day - what's the scary thing?
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Only Uncertainty can give you Certainty.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
You want to help your company be more agile, so you create all of these extraordinary processes and guides, and then you go to your next project and find none of it works? How can this be?
When we talk about impediments to flow, we don’t talk about the notion of rigidity. The only time things are rigid is pretty much when they’re dead. That’s when we become stiff, brittle and breakable. In life, we are supple, flexible and fluid. And isn’t that what the word agility implies?
So how does rigidity impede flow? The temptation is to believe that firm processes create the opportunity to move faster. But I think there’s a minor distinction that we miss when we overthink all of this stuff. Routines are good because they encourage discipline, and discipline work can be a fundamental part of the flow. Having well engrained habits can also help us with flow.
But we bump into trouble when our processes are so rigid that they impede creativity and flexibility. When we only permit ourselves to think in a small number of ways, being rigid isn’t really about habits and discipline anymore; it’s about stubbornness and narrow vision.
Think of a piano player....or think of typing at your keyboard, for that matter. If an artist wishes to be fluid, graceful, their hands cannot be stiff and tight. They must be relaxed, accepting, confident, and free.
Rigidity also prohibits the free flow of new ideas when we are stiff and clinging to certainty, clinging to tradition, and clinging to process. It’ll be nearly impossible for new expressions, new attachments, and new connections to grow. When we are rigid, we resist change. We cannot see how a different way could work, even if it is radically different from everything we thought we knew.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
I love changing perspectives, and I love having my perspective changed. Better still, I look for ways to merge creativity with my study and practice of agile.
I welcome you to the Agile Horizon (www.theagilehorizon.com). Commencing with the March issue, we will bring progressive ideas to our worldwide audience. In the process, we will build a unique creative experience for writers and thinkers - if you wish to contribute, reach out at chris@badassagile.com
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
I’m pleased to announce the public lauch of “The Forge Professional” - a corporate/team edition of my leadership immersion program.
The Forge Professional condenses key learnings from the year-long program into 12 weeks. Working in cohorts of 10-12, you’ll learn how to achieve bold outcomes with effortless effectiveness. As part of the experience, we will practice these skills on your toughest challenges.
These elite skills will spark the single greatest change in the history of your organization.
Website coming soon - until then, reach out to chris@badassagile.com to get more information and enroll your teams.
We've lost the art of being direct and decisive. Yet...isn't that what agility demands? Fearless leaders are in short supply. We're too nice.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Two decades into this Agile thing, we're still struggling to get results. Why is that?
After 20 years of theory AND practice, we're not much better off. We probably make better-quality software, and we probably make it faster - which certainly pushes up some business metrics. But I still see too many organizations missing the point.
Courage, trust, and accountability must accompany an efficient process. Unless used consistently, these qualities won't create improvements.
It won't surprise you that these are the most challenging aspects to implement. Courage requires us to lean into our fear zone - to do what we are uncomfortable doing.
Trust requires that we let go of our irrational - but powerful - need to hang on, to keep control of things that others are better qualified to do.
Accountability requires that we prioritize and dedicate time to the things that matter. We must make and keep tiny - but public - commitments. We have to show our work.
These behaviours are tough to inspire. Here's what you need to do to bring home the full potential of Agile:
-demonstrate these qualities by example
-create lots of safe opportunities for failure
-inspire and encourage every day
-let the victories flow
-create an environment of learning where feedback, knowledge sharing and coaching are constant activities (rather than events)
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
We have got to put Agile thinking into other parts of the business.
With millions of certified professionals hitting the marketplace, you’re going to have to figure out how to compete quickly.
Here are some key areas where you need to help business react to trends, lead the industry, and solve their own problems efficiently.
1. Sustainable Business - Buyers are more actively concerned with the ways in which their suppliers impact global problems such as climate, poverty, diversity, violence, corruption, war, natural resources and politics.
2. Sustainable People - We are burning people out, and now that workers have seen a different future, things will never go back to the way they were before COVID-19. Companies that fail to get it will be disassembled and left in the dust.
3. Faster, more effective processes - from business and project planning, new product introduction, sales, marketing and support, everything will need to be both faster and more effective in 2022.
4. Creating mindset shift - The biggest challenge to transformation, automation, digitization, etc is the inability to do things differently - at the leadership and team levels. Fixing this problem is like playing whack-a-mole: If you get one handled, you have to switch to the next one and then the first one gets away from you again.
5. Flattening organizations - how to create flatter mini cultures for innovation. Organizations need to forget the idea that you can evolve by getting 100,000 people to row in the same direction. Creating pockets of innovation energy will allow you to get the advantage by moving fast, and delivering first.
6. Leadership coaching, investment in leader/employee education - People are itching to leave their organizations and find something better. It could be more money. It could be better opportunity or greater flexibility.
7. Decentralized Finance - creating personal and business capital need not come from a handful of powerful players. The trend started with crowdfunding, gig economies, virtual banks and micro-loans will only strengthen. Whoever helps build these technologies - and those who use these new sources of capital - will need to know how to prioritize and adapt quickly.
8. Crypto-currency, blockchain and Web 3.0 (Meta-verse)
You can delay or defer any of these, but what about what comes next? Failing to act swiftly is what turns otherwise majestic companies to ash.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
We preach agility and moan about the lack of mindset change, but are we agile in ceremony, or in life?
An Agile Mind:
-Is flexible, does not get stuck on things. It doesn’t dwell on challenges, discomfort, bad fortune, etc.
-Does not judge
-Is comfortable with what IS
-Does not seek knowledge or safety
-Learns by doing
-Is self-reflective and self-aware
-Is focused on their offering - value, happiness, fulfillment of physical, emotional and mental potential.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The more we try to learn the 'rules' of Agile practice, the more we should be learning that there can be no rules.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Here’s how you know you have no competition.
When you interact with people, notice if:
-They make promises and then don’t keep them
-They make excuses
-They become harder to find when work has to be done
-They complain about not knowing what to do, but fail to observe definitions, instructions or frameworks
-They avoid conversations and actions that require change mindset
-They talk about work, but never do any real work….plans are in spreadsheets and powerpoints, but nothing ever gets built.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
At the end of each year, I like to look ahead to the currents and opportunities of our craft. While I see some progress here and there, I don't see potent shifts. I'm learning that it's better to create them. Will you join me?
Despite the prevalence of retrospectives and the value of looking back to celebrate wins and inventory lessons, I've found it more powerful to look ahead. The future is ours to design, and I've discovered that part of leadership is the will to design it. So let's get busy creating our 2022.
I believe we should be applying our best energy to solving the most critical problems. As of right now, I think those are: 1) how we use agile mindsets to respond to the shifting environments of work and wellness, and 2) how we finally attack the problems that inhibit scaling - mindset shift.
Everywhere I look, the biggest challenge facing large organizations is people. We are not experiencing an exodus based on laziness or greed but a global cultural shift. The necessity of working from home has created nothing short of a rebirth. We have seen what is possible. We've had a chance to contemplate what matters.
We realize that we accepted the status quo, working harder and longer days, too often to achieve pointless ends. We have sacrificed our health, growth, and family time to benefit our employers.
I called this trend in one of my first-ever blog posts. Written in 2005 on the now-defunct myspace.com, it was about how change happens in inches - imperceptible shifts that occur slowly over time. Our liberty is chipped away - or clawed back - in tiny increments. Ingesting them is less painful than swallowing the inevitable end.
People are demanding better conditions as the remnants of their blind loyalty are crumbling like ash. Some are ditching the commute. Some like the comfort of working from home. Some feel the work-life balance is better. Many are beginning to question the worth of giving 60-80 hours per week for little benefit and less happiness.
Something is different this time. In sharp contrast to the past, businesses can no longer treat people as hot-swappable assets. In great numbers, we find great courage. There's a new attitude at work - "It's just not worth it." Companies can't afford to wait this one out or build a solution over several years. People are expecting leadership. To meet the challenge with silence now would shift the image of powerful, Fortune 500 companies into blundering, powerless egotists. A failure to act in times of existential change will forever destroy trust.
There are two opportunities for us. The first is to help companies see the change and lead through it. We can help them design their response. I believe agilists must help leaders develop a concise and inspiring vision and help inform it. After all, we are supposed to stand for happier, healthier teams. We know firsthand that we can't inspire better delivery with a burned-out squad that has lost its faith. We can show them what a better tomorrow looks like.
The second is to help the masses claim their future. There is nothing wrong with capitalizing on change and uncertainty.
Notice that neither of these has anything to do with software delivery. Personally, I'm out of the coaching game. Specifically, I no longer coach software development teams. At this stage, most companies that have adopted Agile either get the plot or are starting to realize where they're falling short. Good counsel in this space is no longer hard to find.
My clients need the most help putting down the theory and getting after the practice. The biggest impediment is their willingness to accept change and act courageously in response to it.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
In the debate on measurement, we seem to have strong views on what we DON'T want to examine, but little to say on what we will put our hands up to be accountable for. We can't forget that a team is not just accountable to itself and the end customer.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
One of the best things that has happened because of this podcast is inspiring courage worldwide.
There's a fine line between recognition and impact. I like hearing when people enjoy the show, but I like it more when what I say breaks your patterns of thinking and challenges you to not only think differently but to DO differently.
To be bold. To do more.
The only way to generate courage in the world is to model it. To do it. You can't just talk about it or read about it. It's nothing to get inspired about it - quite another to live it and breathe it.
If and when something I say or do encourages people to take a leap - to speak truth to power, to demand change, to speak for true autonomy and trust for their teams - then I'm really living.
I want to encourage you to try it for yourself this week. Make a podcast. Write a book. Reach for a dream job or goal. Change part of your life that hasn't been working for the past decade or two. Make a bold commitment - publicly - and follow through.
When you do, you'll be showing people not only the results of courage but the experience of living a life of courage in action.
And that's way more satisfying than leading, coaching or teaching 'stuff' - systems or processes or philosophies.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Nothing good - no uncommon outcome - is easy, otherwise, everyone would be doing it, and it wouldn't be uncommon. How do you know if you're performing like an uncommon badass?
Here are some guidelines
-If you are comfortable, you're not growing
-If you're locked into a predictable pattern that you can do in your sleep, you're not growing (think of the RULES that we've defined for running standup, for example. Do those rules make us better, or do they avoid tackling the harder issues that make great standups so rare?)
-If you are never scared, and afraid to be scared, you're not growing.
-If you catch yourself saying "it can't be done" or "it can't change", you're not growing
Here's how to stay in growth mode:
-Do things that are new and uncomfortable for just 20 minutes a day
-Study books or concepts that you don't agree with, just to find learning and integration opportunities
-Make sure to do something not just different, but HARD every once in a while.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
What are the key learnings that made me radically more effective?
After 200 episodes, it's time to reflect!
-First, some gratitude. Thank you to all who have listened to and supported the show. To all who have become members of The Forge, and supported me across multiple platforms, products and experiments. You have taught me everything I know, and I'm nowhere near done.
-Next, let's think about which principles and guidance (which are really all my reflections and thought experiments( have worked with insane levels of results
Here are the principles that have not only persisted over time; but represent a departure from common thinking and have proved MOST valuable to practitioners. Think of this as a short course in the Badass Agile way.
1. At the core of becoming badass is your ability to create your own reality. You can add value in a way that is fulfilling and native to you; being a truly unique voice. You can create whatever you want in terms of team performance or outcomes. Dream big and refuse to see the world as others see it.
2. The beauty of Agile rests in a single truth - consistency over time. This trumps massive effort, long hours, job titles, degrees and certification, book knowledge, expensive consultants, and an ever-expanding list of tips, techniques, and contradictory best practices. MAKE SMALL PROMISES, AND KEEP THEM. The smaller the better. The more consistent, the better.
3. Toughness still matters. No one can hand you safety, you have to claim it. Persisting through difficult times, ignoring haters and rejection, and laser-like focus for just a few minutes a day (see #2) is literally everything.
4. If Agile doesn't grow past tech, it will die there - probably really soon.
5. Agile represents change. If you can't understand human beings, see the meaning behind their actions and reactions, and effectively influence them to support and contribute to the change, none of this will work
6. Agile, Scrum, Kanban, etc are chalk line frameworks. Dogmatic application and rejection of new or different thinking is as fatal in work as it is in politics or religion. How you apply these processes to a problem or team will never be the same way twice. Admit you are almost always wrong and know basically nothing and you will have graduated to Master Coach.
7. Everything you know about Agile is already in The Empire Strikes Back. Re-watch the middle section twice a year and you'll be really OK. "That is why you fail" is everything.
8. If Agile doesn't free us from the tyranny of long days and nights, especially right up on release day, we've learned nothing and we deserve to have it all burned down and start over. To quote Scrooged - "mankind should have been my business".
9. There is no right way or wrong way. There is probably something you're doing too much of, and something you're not doing enough of. Heed the wisdom of 'start/stop/continue'. Everything good comes from balancing and then rebalancing. Everything is always changing.
10. You can never transform everything 100% all at once. that's not how you build muscle, learn a skill, or upgrade the ship of Theseus. (Look it up.) Agile teaches us to prioritize. Let's make sure we learn that lesson in all we do.
11. Certification is education, not certification.
12. How much you know about agile or scrum is meaningless. How well you create value is everything.
13. Being badass really means painting strong pictures and moving toward them without hesitation or apology. Your results in the real world are all that matter, not the opinions, thoughts, complaints, or criticisms of others. They are normal and expected, but have no bearing on the impact you make in this life. Believe otherwise and be prepared to regret it at the end of your life. Be massive and limitless.
14. "Most people live lives of quiet desperation", (Thoreau). This may seem a little negative,
We have a duty to seek the truth, even if it doesn't align with our existing beliefs. To red-team our ideas; to challenge what is accepted and permitted without scrutiny. Otherwise, we fall to dogmatism and to preaching what we think is right just because we think it's right.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
In a race to keep your talent, offering what YOU think they will like is a short route to failure. People want to matter. That can be hard to do when dealing with one person, much less 10,000. Nevertheless, if you want to be the envy of your industry, start thinking about how to make people feel like they matter.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Let's have a little controversy today.
People are afraid of commitment. They're starting to say we should change the word - eliminate it all together. I'm fine with minimizing estimates. I'm super fine with re-negotiating scope based on changing priorities on the ground. But I'm not OK with allowing words like commitment, accountability, and promises to leave the lexicon.
Agile is about change. Change - transformation - or improvement of any kind implies movement. We must move from where we are to today to where we want to be in the future in order to transform. Movement requires action. Neurons must fire. Muscles must activate. We must DO.
And if we DO in the context of a team, we need to know what's happening next. Who will do what when? How do we interdepend and interact? This requires telling people what our actions will be - what will we DO and when will we do it? In its simplest form, these are commitments. And without them, we cannot blow away our customers. We cannot delight the people who depend on us.
Agile itself is a promise. A commitment to do better than we used to. To create safety for each other not by softening words, but by making it ok to fail so we can learn effectively together.
Without commitment, none of this will work.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
It's my experience that what you avoid - whether it's because it scares you, or you believe you're no good at it - will find you. Specifically, your inability to face and conquer your discomfort will continue to cause pain in your career, your happiness and your personal life.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
THE ONE FAILURE THAT KILLS ALL TEAM PROGRESS.....and how to solve it.
Perhaps the most important thing Scrum teaches us to do is make and keep small commitments with consistency.
On these points, I've spoken many times but I want to reveal that of all the human challenges I encounter in teams, it is this. Why can't people keep their word?
-This problem exists everywhere - within our projects and beyond
-Talk is cheap, and true action and fidelity to our commitments is rare
-We all do, but it is a failure of great proportion that place low value on our word
-Notice this week how many people have to be excused for missing a promise AFTER the deadline has passed. Notice how many people will even cancel or call in sick to avoid being accountable. Among the root causes are:
-Overpromising
-Depleted energy /poor time and energy management
-Lack of alignment between passion and work
-Poor communications and unclear expectations
-unaddressed blockers
-lack of urgency
-Overwhelm
In all of these cases, there are simple solutions. One is to ask for help, another is to continuously communicate movement toward a small goal. Proper sprint planning and standups should help, but a funny thing happens. People would rather be seen as late (and subsequently unreliable) than as needing help or renegotiating arrangements.
There is another way. Rally the team around their group and individual identity. What do you want to be known for? Ask people and they'll tell you - dependability, trustworthy, accountable. Hold them to this higher ideal, and the commitment to the smaller deadlines will follow.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
-Across the world, people are leaving - or thinking of leaving - their jobs and careers in stunning numbers.
-Is the solution in Agile?
-Perhaps because of the pandemic, people are waking up and lighting up to a different future.
-It may be the case that they're realizing that what they had been told was an unthinkable model of work is actually quite doable, with little or no downward impact on productivity.
-People have enjoyed less commute time, more family time, more choice in how and where they work.
-So how do we plug the drain?
-compensation is not the only consideration.
-flex hours and remote work play a heavy factor. People want to work where they want when they want. For too long, companies have rewarded butts-in-seats, long hours, and always-on engagement. Now that they're finding they have options, they want to tip the scale back in their favour; and once the veil has been lifted, it's hard to close it again
-Increasingly important is supporting side projects and future hustle - If pensions and benefits are slowly eroding over time, people want to feel like they have an option to design income streams and passion projects for the uncertain future.
How Can Agile Help?
-Whatever we do, we must invest but invest with intention. If we throw money, promotions, and flex time at a select few fence-jumpers, we have to be prepared to do so for all. And that investment cannot be blind - we have to be clear about what we expect it to DO.
-Ultimately, we want happier people. An engaged workforce simply delivers better results for the end customer.
-We cannot afford to wait months or years for a definitive response. we need to communicate early and start LISTENING to needs - and implementing experiments and proposals so we can stem the exit
-Leaders must admit that change is here, it is time for an adjustment and that people are your finest asset
-We cannot see this as a stop-gap measure. We must insist on cultural change, on sustaining environments for people that not only attract the best talent but create enviable cultures that place the wellness and happiness of people at least as high as that of the customer
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
One of the critical pieces of leadership is strength - strength of character, ideas
We're never taught how to be strong so strong has become a bad word, associated with bullies or pushinesss or anger or worse
Strength means the ability to manage and control the thoughts and emotions that launch in response to injurious words or actions. It means the ability to stay centred and unswayed. It means resolve and grit. it means internal certainty. No MBA and no certification will teach you that.
-Lash back when we feel offended, shame
-Criticize in order to feel big, strong
-Hate on the ideas of others - this one is huge in 2021
-Seek Attention and approval
-Apologize for who they are, bow to the crowd
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The secret to boundless energy and consistent forward momentum is to stay hungry every day. Keep reaching, stretching, learning, and acting as if you're starting from zero. Assume you know nothing, and nothing is guaranteed.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
When looking for the cause of delivery issues in teams, think of the three P's.
Permission
Perfection
Past
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Most teams are composed of people who have other day jobs. This will be particularly true of a product owner who has multiple priorities and projects, but increasingly true of all team members - they have multiple accountabilities across the organization.
So how do you work with a team like that? They may not be living agile values every day...they may be getting different versions of it...agile is something you have to live with as a way of BEING, but you can't BE it for 30 minutes a day and expect change down to the soul level.
Someone must stay vigilant. We must make daily promises and keep them. We must set weekly goals. we must show product, not talk about progress. We must keep focus and prioritize the high-value things.
That means you need to keep them on the fundamentals. You need to help them become successful. You must shine a light on right thinking and right action so that they can develop right habits until...you don't have to be so vigilant, and they can just BE agile.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
A dark stage, a single light, and a stool. The feel of a live room (that we all miss) is the perfect crucible for a contemplation that becomes a rallying cry. What if we feel called to do more, be more? Is it out duty to lean into the uncomfortable? What happens if we fail to oppose a prevailing force that we know is wrong?
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Too much of what we "know" about in the field of high performance comes from books, memes, or youtube videos. Inspiration is essential, so is knowledge, but it is how you ACT upon both of these that is a difference-maker.
Can you identify what courageous leaps you took today? What you were humble enough to learn? What you were disciplined enough to earn or get? If not, you are studying, NOT practicing. Rehearsal trumps learning any day.
I used to be like this. I used to memorize all of the sayings and wisdom only to have it inaccessible to me when I most needed it. The only way to get that is to pick an area so you can focus, decide on the outcomes you want, and learn to NOTICE when a new action is required from you in your daily life and work.
Only when I was able to make slow changes and gain success did I build the required memory and confidence to do it again and again...and THEN it becomes a way of life. A daily performance.
Jan 2021 Version
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Was someone unjust in their words? Or are you just bad with criticism?
Were you really just observing, or just scared to jump in?
Are you working on yourself, waiting for the right moment, or scared to leap?
Is something out of your league, or do you just tell yourself it is?
This is shadow work. What tapes have you been playing your whole life that keep you from getting to another level of skill? Rehearsal is not good enough - if you rehearse the wrong things, you will deliver a wrong performance.
You have to work on your shadow.
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Picture a smoky club. The spill of the stage light, hushed chatter, and the chiming of glasses and plates carrying good drinks and passable food punctuate the mood.
A well-worn house mic and PA are the vessel. This is a space to create and connect.
A true experiment in agile creativity. A completely fresh offering. Like a song with no melody. A verse with no meter.
An abundance of logic has gotten us only so far. Could this be different?
Join me in this very agile experiment. Unfiltered. Unedited. Raw, as it happens.
This week, I've been thinking about fences.
Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.
This is what most people mean when they put in air quotes "Agile".
A blessing and a curse, we use this to make our product more nimble and responsive, but in truth, we use it to excuse sloppy prioritization and execution when we allow new requirements to be suddenly added to the pile at any time.
This principle is important in fighting the tendency to oppose change because we are already committed to a course of action or architecture, or afraid to admit we did it wrong (in every area of the business).
Remember that the very processes inherent in scrum, kanban, lean, etc, are purpose build to eject what's not working, and reprioritize and rescope work based on the new reality on the ground. The perception that changing dates and scope is still a big no-no is what causes resistance here.
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
You cannot ascend if your beliefs, routines thoughts, experiences and emotions are limited to your present circumstances and reality. Think and feel bigger than your environment.
Artists see. So do innovators and problem solvers. Therefore agile itself is a form of artistry....
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
"Come With Me If You Want To Live" - The Terminator.
At any stage in a transformation or ramp-up, mayhem or uncertainty can undo some of your progress. The consequences of standing still aren't obvious to everyone - it just feels safer. You can almost feel the confusion and frustration of your team members or clients.
Sometimes you just have to extend your hand and say "come with me if you want to live".
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The pride that comes from creating more output = although not necessarily expending more effort - than anyone you know. This comes from working with clients who feel everything they do is a herculean lift, and the mindset shattering that occurs when you show them how easily you can produce 10x what they think is reasonable without blinking an eye.
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
Do we do this? No, we don't. It's one of the biggest problems with Agile.
-The key word here is actually 'priority'. When you watch teams at work, you see what their priorities are - metrics, safety, certainly, plan, budget, and speed
-"highest" priority means that you can, of course, commit time and energy to the other things, but they're not supposed to take as much time and energy as customer value
-Do we make things that customers want and will pay for versus things we have in inventory that we want to sell them?
-you can now replace the word 'software' with just about any other word - product, service, even process
-early also matters. too often, sprints are extended to 1-3 months, either explicitly or by 'bundling" things into quarterly releases
-continuous is also interesting - we have a lot to learn about 'one and done' software or product drops that easily could be expanded, enhanced or evolved into new products and new opportunities
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
I can change your culture in 5 minutes. It's commitment and consistency that take time. It's overcoming the disbelief and old attitudes.
The first thing we do wrong when trying to change culture is to plan it and approve it. Culture change requires, like good software, continuous delivery of new value. The most important thing to get right is inspiration. Next, the implementation has to be swift and small BUT it must be driven by passionate, focused individuals. It can't be left to those who are 50% convinced.
Small teams driving cultural change will be more comfortable with experimentation and failure. So if their work doesn't catch fire, they are undaunted. What matters is the effort of change. Not a specific output.
Spreading change is a difficult and uphill push. It is THE leading cause of agile failure. What is required here is internal certainty and consistency.
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
One way to begin to change the arc of your life as a leader is to ask "what is the boldest thing I can do today"?
Your day will present you with opportunities and choices. What you choose reflects your attitude toward comfort and risk. How do you force yourself to take the road less travelled; to do the thing that you most fear, to continuously live in the fear zone? By asking yourself this simple question first thing in the morning.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The most profitable and in-demand agile practitioner will be the one who can solve important, complex and valuable problems efficiently and confidently.
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The greatest, most revealing question isn't always "what do you need?". It's just as often, "what isnt working?".
Every pain reveals an opportunity. As agilists, we should be experts in resolving blockers. Finding and fixing pain points is what we do ....or do we?
To get good at fixing pain and struggle, identifying it is only the first step. We also have to make sure that we aggressively ask "what else might work"? Dogged persistence to be the best problem solvers and MVP'ers in the world looks like "I absolutely will not stop until I find a way to move forward and deliver value NOW. It cannot wait, it cannot be compromised".
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
I get asked "how can i get teams to turn their cameras on and get engaged?". Engagement is YOUR job. A great facilitator doesn't need cameras, visuals, or physical presence to make unforgettable impact. Even if there was an advantage to having cameras on, I want you to be the kind of leader and facilitator that can operate in any condition and still grab that audience. Great communications have never been about the how; they're about the 'why?'.
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Creativity requires freedom. The ability to desire and dream with impunity. That doesn't happen by accident. You have to enable and defend it.
Remove the cost of failureStand between your team (and their creativity) and danger (rejection, judgment)Once earned, make sure the brushstrokes are big and colourful, otherwise nothing changesGrowth and development is done in consistent single-digit developments. Innovation is often done in grand moments that emerge from the daily disciplinesDream big. You're going to fail anyway - why fail at something small?
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
To grow yourself AND your team, develop your patience and persistence.
Although the industry would like you to believe that great delivery and performance are days away, the really good stuff takes time.
In the beginning, we all have to find our feet. At the bottom of the hill, everything is a climb. If you can't push consistently upward, gravity will pull you right back down.
A new team might even resist the ascent; scurrying back to their cubicles so they can stay out of sight and privately fall back to the way we've always done things.
In the beginning, there is a lot of frustration and impatience when results don't come. Things won't seem to be working, and that will create a feeling of panic and a loss of safety. Despite the marketing materials, this doesn't feel better. This doesn't feel good. The tension, doubt, and dissent are palpable.
In the beginning, you will deliver less than you are capable of. You will question if you are worthy, you willl question if this is the right path for you. You will question if you are capable.
There are two things you need to do at the same time.
1. Be patient
2. Be persistent
Your character as a leader, and in fact as a human being are determined by how you handle confusion, disarray and failure to perform - not just in the beginning - but throughout your development and career.
PATIENCE:
-You need to watch teams go through the motions
-You need to let them fail. (Sometimes badly)
-You need to protect them from the cost of failure
-You need to resist shifting course too early and too often. Don't panic - be comfortable with uncomfortable
-You need to be able to get "out of your head" and see progress, however small.
PERSISTENCE:
-You can never take your foot off the gas
-You can never stop learning
-You can never turn your back on (give up on) yourself or your team
-You need to meet people where they're at and accept what is
-You need multiple ways to get the job done
-You need to see success as small but consistent effort over time, not a big bang result
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The biggest disruptor of productivity is distraction. No matter how small, distractions interrupt flow, engagement, and deep work. The biggest offender is usually electronics - smartphones, laptops, wearables - but really, its anywhere you choose to allow your focus to escape to.
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
We must be careful to ensure that we own our time.
We frequently complain that we are 'overloaded'
Overwhelm is not something that is done TO YOU. It is something that you accept; or even welcome.
The antidote is simple but hard:
Say no all day every dayLimit your participation in meetingsDelegate, automate, eliminate, integrateDon't seek perfection or any '100%' measure (always on time, workout 7 days a week, always available)Never book meetings with more than 8 people for more than 20 minutes - anything else excuses "laziness of thought and action" (using time because its there) and invites too many voices - as well as prioritizing consensus.Turn off all notifications that demand your response (messaging apps, emails, calls)
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Most of us (especially in the midst of global stay-at-home orders) experience our favourite brands digitally far more than we do physically. Great creative and experience design is fascinating; especially knowing it can make or break attraction and loyalty.
Adam Smith, of Tension (https://wearetension.com) is in the business of partnering with firms along the entire strategy-to-build cycle. His fractional service offering is a great study in democratizing high-end services for all. In this episode Adam shares his story of finding his way to passionate, fulfilling work, how agile and design are related, and why design partnerships are critical to building a brand.
You can reach Adam via email at adam@wearetension.com, and find his LinkedIn profile here.
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
If you're struggling to get exceptional traction or results with your clients...try this. Set the bar to "Overdeliver".
This means declaring an intention of delivering exceptional, unexpected value. It means asking for feedback against that intention. "How can I overdeliver with an exceptional (experience today, outcome this week, etc)?
And at every opportunity, ask..."did i/we overdeliver this week?" And if not ask why not.
Creating this exception and superior bar of service excellence, and insisting on being measured on it, forces you to work harder toward your goal because you know what people are watching you FOR. What they expect. And if you're afraid to set the expectation high...don't be. You're going to encounter failure anyway, so why not fail at something huge instead of something small?
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Some people want direction. But for those that don't, leading means helping them get where they want to go. That starts with great questions.
When you lead, you can't often push. You may know where you want to steer people, or you may want to leave that up to the individual or team. But part of coaching is bringing your expertise and certainty to the game...so how do you do that?
Questions help people uncover where they want to go. They can also help create rails - freedom with safety.
Examples of great questions:
-What do you want?-Why do you want that?-What else might get you there?-What are the beliefs you have about....(x)?-When I say....what does that make you think of?-When have you seen this work? Not work?-What's really happening?-What else do I need to know?-What's most important to you? Why?-How can we get more of what we want?-What do you need to make that happen?
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Seeking certainty costs you time and money. Think about how much.
This topic isn't new, but it is perhaps the most pervasive cause of failure and disappointment in teams of every kind.
It is also the toughest problem to crack.
Seeking certainty means placing a higher value on consensus or evidence BEFORE acting - building, releasing, etc.
No one is immune to this problem. It's everywhere
We seek to avoid mistakes or conflict, which is impossible.
The master skill here is the 'courage to deal with the fallout of wrong or unpopular decisions'
Without this courage, two things are taken away from you - speed to market, and the sheen and polish of a decisive leader
However, courage is hard to 'get'. Here are some things that might help give yourself (and others) more courage:
-Courage is a muscle. It doesn't grow without use and challenge. Crisis. Pain.
-Challenge yourself to lean into your fear zone every day by having difficult conversations and inspiring others to do the same
When influencing others to make the leap, it's helpful to:
-let them fail sometimes so they can experience the effects-offer to take care of the executive support problem if they feel like they won't have backing-create "what if there was no..." or "what if you had everything you needed..." scenarios-inventory their beliefs about going NOW-always ask what else might work, and 'why not?"
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
I was recently caught in an online conversation about how its inhumane to give teams stretch goals.We've been fooled into believing that this is how people are getting more and more stressedStretch goals do not mean longer hours or added performance pressure. It means getting people to find ways to get better. To produce more with less effort. To be more effective. To bring more passion to their work, to take new things and make them habitual so they can focus on the stuff that matters.Here's the deal. If you don't tear muscle, it doesn't grow. If you don't challenge the mind, it doesn't expand. If you don't push your limits, you never get to see what you're made of, and how far you can go.That distaste you feel for being pushed in not injustice, it is fear.So get out there and ask to be pushed. We already live soft, easy lives, stop asking for a pass on the hard challenges that define a life well lived.
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
If you want to work for "the best companies to work for" - make it yourself.
Great companies must model the ability to venture into the unknown and the uncommon in order to attain and sustain greatness.
It is possible whether the organization is large or small, but large organizations carry an additional challenge of overcoming negative will - the tendency to push back against progress to keep the organism safe and comfortable
You can still do it...but it requires much more effort and determinationIt requires the ability to fail publiclyIt requires a comfort level with constantly offending and upsetting peopleIt requires a rivalry with the status quoIt requires a trust relationship with the most senior leadership to shine a light on the cause - you must never fight this enemy in darkness
In a way, you have to enjoy the punches. You have to remember that the "obstacle is the way"This is the antithesis of the easy and light path. Agreeable, one of the crowd, the grey man. You fight so much that sometimes it feels odd to agree.
It is a conscious choice to believe what you believe - the belief system of (not just) a rebel, but a pioneer. To want the best for your client and teams.
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
We don't like to hear about it, but there's a certain kind of practitioner who is certain and confident in every situation. Either they know what to do, or they'll figure it out. They have no natural predators
Nobody likes to hear it, but there is such a thing as the person who doesn't need rules, instructions, or best practices. They don't need permission to do anything. They can't be bought or sold, or bullied.
They have made their peace with their place in the world, their bigness and smallness. They are prepared to be both right and wrong at once and have no preference for either. They understand their purpose, how to serve it, what matters and what doesn't. Because of this, they have a healthy relationship with fear. They take their energy from it, yet refuse to be limited by it.
And because of this, they have unique, unshakeable confidence and certainty.What they do is risky and sometimes dangerous - sometimes damaging, but much less so than the alternative - a life of compromise and bending to the will of others. To popular opinion, political correctness, the latest fashion or causes.
They have a presence, a strength, a charisma that is not the absence of weakness, humanity or authenticity...quite the opposite. They are a complete blend and balance of the range of human triumph and failure.
They speak directly but only when needed. They prefer acceptance to attachment.They are in complete control of their emotions
We don't want to hear about the badass, so we try to discredit their abilities - precisely for the reason why they are so effective - in any given moment, they don't have to try. But their talents are not innate - They simply fall back on the depth of their training, inner work, courage, and experience.
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Too many agilists seek out bank jobs and pretend they are going to innovate and advance the craft. When you go to banks, you ask questions like "what is the salary, comp, vacation: or "what do the opportunities for advancement look like:". The right question is "what can I innovate, build or change". That's how you blow the roof off
I say often - it's possible people won't get you, and that's ok. You really want to focus on the places and the people that do.How ever, no matter where you seek work, you have to take the focus off of YOUStop worrying about what you will GET, and instead focus on what you will build.When all you ask is about the benefits that will accrue to you - salary, benefits, perks, vacations, titles, opportunities - you appear self-interested, reward-based and rather insensitive to the needs of your prospective client or employerThis is the best time to look for FIT. The worst thing you can do is choose a job JUST because they're offering you one. It helps if you're excited about the thing you can build for them, and they're excited about the prospect of working with you.If you do this, even the most challenging, big-box agile jobs can be fun and offer plenty of challenge and self-development opportunity.
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
When you measure the wrong things, you get the wrong results. What you incentivize has deep impact on behaviour. Can you help your organization realize that shaving the bottom line can kill the top line?LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
There is a tragic story arc that is becoming more common with Agile teams - start big, get hammered, lose confidence, lower the bar. You can imagine why this would be a problem....
We start with grand ambition and vision, which is great.We move into planning and executionSomewhere along the way we lose the plotSometimes we just plain lose focus, we lose courage, we lose ambition, we lose gritShrinking from the big goal won't do you any goodIt's ok to underdeliver for the first bit. To go smaller as you find your feet, but NEVER give up on your potential to dream and do BIGStay inspired - motivate yourselves and your team to keep growing every day, every sprintDon't forget to reward failures - not just successes.
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
It's possible we all will have a lifelong relationship with your inner critic. It begins with acceptance that its there...something that guides your actions, and possibly limits your greatness. Oddly, it's supposed to be your friend, protecting you from harm, but it doesn't understand the modern context of danger and risk, so it often overshoots the mark.
Once you understand that it exists, you'll want to pay more attention to when it is working without your permission, or impeding your growth. This takes a little more practice...LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
LISTEN TO THE BADASS AGILE PODCAST ON SHUFFLE! - Get it here for iOS - https://getshuffle.app/
All agile failure is a failure of courage in action
we're reporting back that there is an increasing rate of failure in terms of transformation and investment.the problem is not your grasp of agile, nor your tools, nor your teamswe need to demonstrate courage in conversations, being direct, saying what's real, and what needs to be saidMake strong, bold and fast decisions frequentlySet bold ambitious targets regularlyGet comfortable with the stretchAsk hard questions. Look for feedback that could be unpleasant or unfavourable, no matter how much it scratches the ego
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Ultimately, if Agile doesn't make for happier customers, profits won't flow; and history shows that rapid and certain decline will follow as the industry looks for something new to solve the problem.
Does that mean Agile is flawed? Not at all...but it's up to us as practitioners to make sure that we're solving the problems that matter.JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BadassAgile
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
High Performing teams are not a secret, but we often fail to observe and apply the right principlesMaking people flow with productivity is easy to say, easy to teach, but hard to doWE fail to connect with the individual values; without this, team dynamics and agile processes won't helpChampionship teams have the right individuals with the right reasons, motivations, training and mindsetIn big-box agile, you get what you get, which can be the single most important blocker to high performanceWhen you connect with people's passions you can get them to push harder and stretch.This can seem taboo - but its only when we push people on things that they don't care about, that we stress and burn them out.When there's no payoff, there's no performancePerformance doesn't always mean more hours in a day. It's about the energy and passion you bring to your workAsk questions to help create connections with people and THEIR passions
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Books, social media, courses, video, blogs - there is so much content to help you grow, but how much of it is useful? When something becomes so widespread that it feels like everyone is talking about it, its time to walk away.
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Great leadership has no recipe no script no singular definition.
Leadership must be balanced - a dynamic position between two opposite poles that can only be perfected in the moment as its being experienced.No book, no video, and no meme can provide the experience that is required to find the proper balance and fit, and to absorb the wisdom required to advance your practice.This is true when balancing strength and yielding, confidence and vulnerability, certainty and uncertainty, risk and safety.All qualities that define the leader must be balanced in this wayEach team, each company, each situation and each leader is completely different.The correct application can only be learned through experiencing, failing, observing and reflecting
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Follow The LinkedIn Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/badass-agile
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Do more for your clients, teams and customers. We're used to thinking of incremental improvement as 1-2% improvement or delivery over time...but when it comes to innovation, you need to have ideas that are way bigger than that. Multiply your ambition.
Don't think 10% less waste reduction...think 80%5 New Products this year instead of 1Don't just fix a problem for your team, fix it for the whole firm. Fix the impossible - do things that have never been done before.Eliminate all meetingsDon't create processes to improve performance, create a whole performance cultureAbolish all reports. Show done work insteadIncrease new skill learning by 500%
AGILE MASTERY SERIES
Starting April 2021, you can be part of a weekly continuous learning tribe that goes way beyond traditional Agile/Scrum learning experiences. Get access to the competitive skills and the latest industry trends EVERY WEEK on Thursday at noon EST! Learning is crucial to your ability to lead and thrive - but you can't go it alone. You need a team.
Best part - you can subscribe monthly and have access to ALL of the previous session recordings for as long as you are a member.
Click here to browse the catalog and learn more!JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The next turn of business requires bold thinking and decisive action. How can you have strong ideas?
-Don't wait for perfect ideas
-Don't worry about having - or conform to - popular ideas
-Don't ask for permission for your ideas
-Don't hedge your ideas with the word 'maybe'
-Don't have expensive ideas - make 'em cheap and easy to break
-Don't lean on or imitate other people's ideas
AGILE MASTERY SERIES
Starting April 2021, you can be part of a weekly continuous learning tribe that goes way beyond traditional Agile/Scrum learning experiences. Get access to the competitive skills and the latest industry trends EVERY WEEK on Thursday at noon EST! Learning is crucial to your ability to lead and thrive - but you can't go it alone. You need a team.
Best part - you can subscribe monthly and have access to ALL of the previous session recordings for as long as you are a member.
Click here to browse the catalog and learn more!JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Employee Thinking - allowing others (or the firm and its rules) to limit how far you can expand, what you can achieve, who you can talk to, what you can say, how fast you move, and what you do. Permission-based thinking.
If you don't have autonomy - the freedom to make decisions related to your job, including growth and passion - you're not going to enjoy your job very muchYou can't let clients or employers version of reality permeate yoursHeroes - people who stretch beyond the usual, the expected - all bets about what you're "allowed to do or be" are offA badass leader does not let others define themThe belief that you have to walk the line or be fired is exactly that - a belief. You can choose it, or not.The only person interested in your expansion is YOUWhen you hear the word "can't" (above the age of 13 anyway) you need to run in the opposite directIf you allow others to control and direct you, you cannot fully lead teamsYour duty is to fulfil the promise of agility - to break through tradition and old ways of working, eliminate waste, enable peopleAs always, balance is key. Courage and sovereignty is tempered by humility and service
New Courses up for AprilSharpen your game with the Badass Agile crew. This month is about confidence, certainty, autonomy and asking for help.NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS so you never miss a seminar!https://bit.ly/3cuZYNv
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Make a choice to be Comfortable with the Uncomfortable
Fear impacts decisions, and decisions dictate resultsIts a huge mistake to avoid scary in order to feel safeNothing happens until you choose the uncomfortableSo ask tough questionsSay controversial thingsRepeat until comfortableThen...stretch into the uncomfortable againI know I'm speaking to certain people...the 1% who are ready to explore, to push, to challenge...that's exactly who you need to be to make impact
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The quality of your leadership, your ability to inspire others and your ability to make decisions is based entirely on what you let inside your head - your social circle, social media, the people you take counsel from, the books you read, your environment at work, at home and beyond.Read great books - not just those that agree with you, ,but also those that don't. Read beyond agile books - philosophy, fiction, business books. Use a book summarization service to save time and find things that speak to your interestsMare sure you're not watching limited thinking or 'echo chamber' ideas on social media - linkedin, instagram, youtube, etcRemember that what you see in the social space is middle-of-the-road 'agreeable agile'.Question everything.- make sure what you consume is not 'permission-based' or 'certainty-based' thinking, because it won't expand or amplify your careerThink more boldly - don't worry about people-pleasing or staying on the party lineWatch who surrounds you at work - very negative people who are not growing, sharing their art, and expanding current thinking - because they will limit your reach in order to make themselves feel safer.Be change. Don't be intimidated by change. Don't let people keep you from making better, more expansive choices. "You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with" - Jim RohnYou will eventually have to go in uncomfortable and opposing ?". "Are these behaviours likely to make change, and take me where I want to go?". "Are these people where I want to be?" Are they making change the way I want to make change?"
JOIN THE FORGENew cohort starts April 2021!! Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Follow on CLUBHOUSE:
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
JOIN THE FORGESTARTING APRIL 1 2021 - The next Cohort of the Forge begins! Sign up for an info session by clicking here:https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
GET US ON CLUBHOUSE!!https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Too often, we're looking for the easy answer; the quick fix.
There's no single thing you can do or say to make a team more successful. No two teams are alike. To build trust, energy, efficiency and flow, you're going to have to earn it the hard way - by doing, failing, learning and repeating. There's no single book you can read, podcast you can listen to or video you can watch to 'do it right'. You find the truth by doing.
JOIN THE FORGESTARTING APRIL 1 2021 - The next Cohort of the Forge begins! Sign up for an info session by clicking here:https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
GET US ON CLUBHOUSE!!https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Always a great conversation with Vasco Duarte! This time we discussed:-his new Scrum Master Summit - happening in may (don't miss it!!!) - www.scrummastersummit.org-why Scrum Masters feel 'ashamed' of the Scrum Master role-how Scrum Masters are essential in helping teams take ownership and delivering value-what interviewers/companies should look for in a potential Scrum Master-the most important skills a Scrum Master must develop in order to 'train up' for the CEO role-why learning Scrum is NOT the most important thing!You can check out Vasco at https://scrum-master-toolbox.org/
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
GET US ON CLUBHOUSE!!https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/badass-agile
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
My special guest this week is Johanna Rothman, renowned author, speaker and consultant. In this episode, we discuss her most recent release - "Modern Management Made Easy" includes three volumes - Practical Ways to Manage Yourself, Practical Ways to Lead and Serve Others, and Practical Ways to Lead an Innovative Organization. You can find Johanna online at https://www.jrothman.com/
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Join the Badass Agile Club on Clubhouse!!!
and
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
THE FORGE SPRING COHORT NOW OPENSign up for an upcoming info session about the Spring Cohort Starting April 1.
Click HERE For an upcoming info session or to sign up for The Forge today!
Follow me on Clubhouse - @fusechamber (or search "Badass Agile")
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
THE FORGE SPRING COHORT NOW OPENSign up for an upcoming info session about the Spring Cohort Starting April 1.
Click HERE For an upcoming info session or to sign up for The Forge today!
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
I love that people are reading - and this is a big plus of social media - its easy to share and get great recommendations. I believe we should do a little more and set aside time to study the best source of insight about ourselves - OURSELVES.JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Find me on Clubhouse every day for scheduled and impromptu sessions and lounges! Im @fusechamber, or just search for "Badass Agile".Monday 8AM EST - Agile Zen-doTuesday 3PM EST - THE BADASS AGILE FORGE Walk and TalkWednesday 8AM EST - Agile Zen-doThursday 3PM EST - THE BADASS AGILE FORGE - Iron Sharpens IronThursday 445PM EST - Badass Podcasting
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Reaching back to March of 2017, let's review some of the essential qualities of a badass leader; why they're important, and how to get them.A badass:
Has a Compelling Picture of The Future - know what they want. know what they stand for (AGILE)Doesn't care what others thinkDoesn’t care about positional authorityWon’t rest until they’re the best (AGILE)Is always In complete control of their states - emotional, physical, mental Everything they do and say oozes badass. And they don’t even have to try.Is Already good enough - never seeking approval of others, attention (AGILE)Is Unafraid to fail and be wrong, learn by experimentation, completely accountable for their mistakesAlways goes first (AGILE)Never QuitsValues their time as a precious commodity (AGILE)Doesn’t value certainty or safety, so they break rules repeatedly. They live and learn best at the edge of their fears. (AGILE)Maintains humour and levityNever Apologizes for Who they Are
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Could we be too smart for our own good? Learning should be a lifelong activity, but there are some problems that aren't helped by complexity...
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
What is it about talking to executives, senior leaders or others with a 'title' that makes us nervous? Let's unpack how to get your head right before any important conversation or encounter.
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Learn to write all over again? What's that got to do with leading through change? LIsten, try it out, and see....
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Agile is, in many ways about the work NOT done. That includes documentation that people are unlikely to read because it doesn't inform any particular job function, documenting features that never get shipped or used, and building too much documentation before starting to build and ship. Often we produce it simply because we believe we're supposed to.JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
I'm an advocate for new voices; unique voices. It's important to note that while standing still feels good - like we've finally made it, or figured out the big gnarly problem - it is exactly that moment of pause that begins the unravelling of our position at the white hot edge of change. Make yourself heard, and do it frequently. Speak even if you're not certain that people will listen or agree. It is the act of continuously observing, framing, collecting and publishing your take that will keep agile moving forward.JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.https://badassagile.com/the-forge/
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
This episode was inspired by a question from Richard in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook. How do you gain and sustain momentum with your teams at the start of a new year?
JOIN THE FORGESign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
When a team has found rhythm and flow, making new gains requires a hard look at where you're leaking effort and energy.
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up for more info about our online leadership immersion experience.
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Although this has been a year of great uncertainty and turmoil, there has also been massive opportunity to re-write the scripts we ride on. Take time to inventory your accomplishments for the year, and set your sights on the growth and opportunities ahead of us in 2021.
A sincere thank you for listening and supporting this show and everything we do. Happy New Year!
JOIN THE FORGE
Stay connected to our online leadership immersion experience - find out what we're up to and grab the latest learning and tips! Sign up for more info here:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
When our discussion of Agile is limited to software development, we tend to think of only the software development part as being even partly creative. But could creativity be a prerequisite to doing Agile well?
For the month of December, I'll be warming your home and mine by a crackling hot fire, talking about agility.
JOIN THE FORGE
Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort.
Sign up for more info here:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
For the holidays, three veteran podcasters came together to talk about the state of agile, and where to focus on the road ahead! Thanks to Ryan Ripley, host of "Agile For Humans" and co-author of "Fixing Your Scrum", Vasco Duarte of the Scrum Master Toolbox podcast and author of "No Estimates", and Laurens Bonnema for bringing us all together!
Ryan Ripley at Agile For Humans (www.agileforhumans.com):
Vasco Duarte at Scrum Master Toolbox - (https://scrum-master-toolbox.org):
My most sincere thanks to these gentlemen for bringing their world-famous insights to the Badass Agile podcast. Much thanks and respect for all you do.
JOIN THE FORGE
Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort.
Sign up for more info here:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Think about how we expect our teams to fail, observe, learn and improve, yet we fail to have the same patience (or to coach leaders, teams and customer organizations) to do the same....
JOIN THE FORGE
Sign up to learn more about our leadership immersion experience here:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
For the month of December, I'll be warming your home and mine by a crackling hot fire, talking about agility. This week, let's talk about the best part of Agile...the FREEDOM it gives you to turn on a time, to let your best ideas come to the fore, and to focus on the creative act of creating awesome stuff for awesome people,.
JOIN THE FORGE
Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort.
Sign up for more info here:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Humility is a big part of leadership and the Badass Agile way (get humble, get flexible). Particularly when you have accomplished something remarkable...the best thing you can do is keep it a little closer to your chest than normal....all of us have seen someone who blows their own trumpet a little too often...don't be that guy.
JOIN THE FORGE
Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort.
Sign up for more info here:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
For the month of December, I'll be warming your home and mine by a crackling hot fire, talking about agility. This week, let's talk about the supreme importance of clearly stating and living your values.
JOIN THE FORGE
Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort.
Sign up for more info here:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
There's a fine line between calibrating, baselining, or adjusting and letting yourself off the hook.
When you catch yourself giving yourself a pass, or permission to fall back into excuses, you have a opportunity to challenge your weak spots. Don't let yourself off the hook too easy...its usually the stuff we don't want to face that creates the greatest opportunity for improvement.
JOIN THE FORGE
Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort.
Sign up for more info here:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
For the month of December, I'll be warming your home and mine by a crackling hot fire, talking about agility. This week, I want to remind you that nobody 'owns' agile ideas...and its way more fun to figure out how to do it right all on your own.
JOIN THE FORGE
Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort.
Sign up for more info here:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
The point of being Agile is not being Agile. Don't forget your fundamentals - the simplest way to define great performance is to find a customer need and fill it. Figure out what they buy and why they buy it, and focus on delivering THAT better than anyone else in your space.
JOIN THE FORGE
Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort.
Sign up for more info here:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Don't fall victim to the classic causes of Agile failure by making the same mistakes so many organizations make. Be someone who gets it.
JOIN THE FORGE
Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort.
Sign up for more info here:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
JOIN THE FORGE
Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort.
Sign up for more info here:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
A common pitfall in trying to create results is pushing for too much progress and tangible result in a short time frame. Results come more consistently through the consistent application of small effort toward a goal - therefore, the easiest way to make work more predictable is not through extensive planning, study and modelling but through small, persistent gains.
JOIN THE FORGE
Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort.
Sign up for more info here:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
JOIN THE FORGE
Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort.
Sign up for more info here:
https://badassagile.com/the-forge/**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
JOIN THE FORGE
Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort.
Sign up for more info here:
https://mailchi.mp/badassagile/the-forge-dec2020-cohort**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
JOIN THE FORGE
Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort.
Sign up for more info here:
https://mailchi.mp/badassagile/the-forge-dec2020-cohort**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
JOIN THE FORGE
Our online leadership immersion experience is taking names for a December 2020 Cohort.
Sign up for more info here:
https://mailchi.mp/badassagile/the-forge-dec2020-cohort**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Check out Sue at:
Her Website - http://itsunderstood.com/Her book page - talktomebook.comOn LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/susanmariejohnstonOn Twitter - https://twitter.com/ItsUnderstood
THE FORGE 2021 Applications Are Now Open!
Reach out via contact@badassagile.com for more info, and stay tuned for more news!
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Let's break the myth that a coach is only a facilitator and enabler. In order to help people, a coach must also give counsel, advice, and instruction.**
THE FORGE 2021 Applications Are Now Open!
Reach out via contact@badassagile.com for more info, and stay tuned for more news!
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
More than ever, your attention is under attack. If you personally, or your team is struggling with distraction, it might be time to get serious about how culture and devices demand and divide your attention. You might not even know the extent of these forces and the waste that they cause.**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
It's becoming more important to think of Agile outside the IT realm. When every solution is assumed to be technology based, we limit the wealth of options available for solving business problems.**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Catarina Von Maydell has been studying and facilitating the human side of innovation, change and growth.Focusing not on the technical side, but the human and business side of agility, she's an explorer, experimenter, researcher, consultant, teacher and writer.
You can find her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/catarinavonmaydell/
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Everything we do is solutioning. But not every solution means software or IT. We have to get better at asking the focusing question - "what hurts?". Not just considering what could be better, but getting fired up about the things that make us mad; drive us nuts. When you have the answer to that question, you're on the verge of adding true value.
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
One of the best ways to decrease up-front planning without increasing risk is to 'prepare'. This is different than planning, as it doesn't try to forecast a specific sequence of outcomes, but rather to practice adapting to ANY outcome through repetition and rehearsal.**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
What is it about Done things that is such a challenge? Committing to a finished deliverable - even a small one - is difficult for all of us sometimes. Whether it's the hard work, the pressure, or the looming risk of failing and looking bad, the fight is real. Here are a few tips for changing the culture and permanently eliminating this persistent problem.
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
A compelling and experienced leader and speaker in our space, Gino talks with me for over 30 minutes on renaming Agile, framework dogmatism, and ongoing learning and education. I know you'll love listening in.
You can find Gino at:
https://xodiac.ca/
And on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginomarckx/
And you can find his Continuous Delivery Podcast on Apple, and others:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-continuous-delivery-podcast/id1499579910
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
It's time once again to chin-scratch a little and ask "What's Next For Agile"? As in 2019, agility needs to leave the team room and venture into the organization more uniformly. This is no longer a technology-only concern. However, one year later, we've learned a lot about what is essential - in terms of local versus remote working, and focusing on customer outcomes and experiences. Competition is no longer the primary driver - survival is. So it's time to learn how to boil down what we know about Agile delivery and make it more accessible, more quickly. If you're a practitioner, I highly recommend you practice these skills, because 2020 has produced an awfully big wave of newly certified professionals...and you're going to need to hone in on your distinction if you, too, wish to survive and compete.
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
There really is no perfect cadence - just one that's perfect for you, your team, your mission, your client. It's always a little different. True in general, but equally so for teams. You have to FIND the perfect flow.**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
A contemplation this week - abundance of thinking does not make us better agilists. Truth doesn't come from thought. Truth simply IS. And the only way to arrive at it is to experience it.**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
This week I talk with Daria Bagina, a Professional Scrum Trainer, Coach and a leader in our community. For me, the biggest takeaway was that "Change is hard. You can't do it all at once. We have to acknowledge where we are. And take little steps but never forget the vision of Scrum. Don't bend the rules to try to get there faster". Now that's something you can bring back to your practice.
You can find Daria on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariabagina/
on twitter - https://twitter.com/daria_bagina
and on her website - https://www.scrummastered.com/
check out her YouTube too - youtube.com/c/scrummastered
Thank you for a great chat Daria...!
Over the years, Agile has come to mean way more than a better way of delivering software. Agile thinking and doing has been responsible for every major accomplishment and improvement in my life; from this show to my overall career and passions inside and outside of technology. As we round the corner and reflect on what comes next for us as coaches and practitioners, I'd like to share how agility has allowed me to:1) Create drool-worthy products2) Go Faster, and3) Get Better
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
If you do Agile by the approved playbook...and everyone has the same playbook...can you still make your client/company competitive?
Creating procedures, policies and scripts that ensure that nobody can possibly misunderstand it is waste. Instead, leverage team as a force multiplier - there's redundancy in pairs, and individuals working in groups balance out each others' gaps. The secret to all of this, of course, is trust...
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
If you grew up without social media (or internet), it's always inspiring to realize that you can stand on a podium and reach anybody, anytime. But what's the point if we use that podium to amplify the same old messages? It's up to each of us to challenge what's accepted and give rise to something new.**
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Tonight I'm joined by my friend Wayne Hetherington. He's an Agile Coach who is deeply rooted in his practice AND his community. His open and positive mindset makes him relatable and insightful; I particularly appreciate his attitude toward change, the Agile Scene within and beyond Toronto, and making the most out of a global pandemic.
If you want to connect with Wayne, you can find him on LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/in/wayne-hetherington-774bb5b
**Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g**Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!
Complexity, and therefore simplicity, is a conscious choice. Aside from being unnecessarily fancy in your efforts, complexity often comes from a place of rule-setting (because you don't trust your teams to do the right thing, experiment forward, or generally not screw things up). You can build trust and demonstrate your team's ability to get results with less complexity by asking three important questions.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
It's great to get comfy with failure, but I wouldn't start there. Don't forget to always be stretching...trying to deliver something meaningful each day or week, but also trying to improve on that. You're always trying to beat your best time or improve your score somehow.
To not have consequences when we've missed the mark is great, but it doesn't feel quite as good as victory. Let's not let go of thatt.**Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g**Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Just because rules exist, doesn't mean they exist for good reason. Whether they exist for an abundance of caution, or because some people just like rules and control...the point of this show is to not be a follower. So guess what? You're gonna have to break some rules.
Are there consequences? Sometimes. Do they matter? Sometimes.
Are they payoffs? Often. Do rulebreakers matter more than the rules they break? Always.**Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g**Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Want to be an Agile Badass? Sometimes, you have to choose your targets carefully. You can fight the challenges of scale...OR...you can decide to make impact in places that are truly aligned and ready to innovate. Agile is not just a big-box IT shop concern anymore. It might be time to make a change and look beyond.**Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g**Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
David Dame is well known in our industry as an executive, change leader, and agile champion - AND for his wonderful TEDx talk on living with Cerebral Palsy. In our chat, we discuss leadership, inspiration, challenge and resilience - and Dads.
This was a great, candid discussion and I really enjoyed finally meeting David and spending a little time learning about his world.
Please check him out at www.davedame.com, and on twitter - @ddame**Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g**Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
A powerful Agile mindset is so much more that supporting continuous improvement, iterative delivery, and failing fast. The ultimate mindset requires us to abandon - to shatter - the beliefs, rules, habits and limitations that keep us operating within the status quo.**Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g**Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Your team is not your only tribe. Each of needs a few key people with whom we have an unbreakable bond; mutual trust and complete vulnerability. Who has your back? Who can you go to for help no matter what? And for whom do you do the same?
**Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives, livestreams and previews!https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g**Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
My guest this week is Diane Dale - an Agile Coach who has a lot of compelling ideas about team dynamics and performance. We talk about how her focus has changed over the past few years, and what racing teams have to do with Agile.
This was a great chat - I got a ton out of it, and you will too.**Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives and previews, including a Weekly Livestream every Monday at 7PM EST!https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g**Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
As you know, I bring on guests rarely and carefully. But when I KNOW someone will entertain, inform AND inspire you...its a no-brainer. There's a reason why David Rutherford is a highly sought-after speaker - he's an ex-Navy SEAL, author and speaker who delivers the goods for The Boston Red Sox, Oregon State Beavers, and a long list of leading brands in every imaginable category. It's not just his battlefield experiences that make him unique; it's his wit, humour and authenticity that you'll hear firsthand as he weaves in lessons learned from being a father, friend, and renaissance man. David gave us 70 minutes of create conversation and insight around fear, gratitude, the human condition, and team life.
Please follow David and support his work:
https://www.teamfroglogic.com
Podcast - https://teamfroglogic.com/frog-logic-podcast/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/teamfroglogic/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Teamfroglogic/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8hJTAIdgRl9pD7R8GT2VPw
You can find his book "Navy SEAL Self-Confidence" on the Store page of his website, or on Kindle, Audible or Amazon.**Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives and previews, including a Weekly Livestream every Monday at 7PM EST!https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g**Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Ever notice you always take the same path to work? Eat the same lunch at the same places at the same time? What about your mental and emotional routines? What do you automatically accept - or reject? And could these patterns be making you stuck?**Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives and previews, including a Weekly Livestream every Monday at 7PM EST!https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g**Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Often overlooked or justified 'out of the sprint', the demo is well-known for its singular ability to put product in customers' hands and gain crucial in-use insights...but there's another reason to do it. Listen to find out more!
**Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives and previews, including a Weekly Livestream every Monday at 7PM EST!https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g**Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
Join me this week with my good friend Oyinkan Sanni.
Oyinkan is an internal Agile Coach for a global professional services firm. In this conversation we explore adapting to COVID19 and Work From Home, beginning her career as a coach, and helping spread Agile to non-IT corners of the organization.**Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives and previews, including a Weekly Livestream every Monday at 7PM EST!https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g**Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, speaking engagements, team-level and executive mindset/agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
What does uncommon mean to you?
We need more uncommon leaders, but that means there's no script for you to follow; no program of study to catapult you to effectiveness. It requires Courage, Vulnerability, Commitment, Persistence and Resilience.
Sounds hard? It is. But if you feel the call to be part of a unique tribe of exceptional performers or leaders...you already know what you have to do.
Don't forget to join us in the Badass Agile Listener Lounge on Facebook for member exclusives and previews, including a Weekly Livestream every Monday at 7PM EST!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
We're also on YouTube! Follow the podcast, enjoy some panel/guest commentary, and get some quick tips and guidance from me:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6I_bii9oUSI8fkN1BOk6g
Our mission is to create an elite tribe of leaders who focus on who they need to become in order to lead and inspire, and to be the best agile podcast and resource for effective mindset and leadership game.
Contact us (contact@badassagile.com) for elite-level performance and agile coaching, team-level and executive mindset and agile training, and licensing options for modern, high-impact, bite-sized learning and educational content.
This week, I sat down with Shahin Sheidaei, owner of Elevate Change and founder of the Lean Agile Network. We spoke about shifting to online, the Toronto community, and getting feedback...and much more.
Elevate Change: www.elevatechange.coPersonal blog: blog.sheidaei.comEmail: shahin@sheidaei.com
Shahin's communities:
Lean Agile Network: http://www.leanagile.network
Virtual Agile Community: www.VirtualAgileCommunity.com
Social:http://linkedin.com/in/sheidaeiandhttp://twitter.com/sheidaei
In this episode, we explore the wisdom that benefits all learners (and really, aren't we all learners, all of the time?). As you grow - remain humble. Remain as a beginner, remain open to new and changing thought. Even though this episode sat on a shelf for 4 or 5 weeks before going to production, perhaps the concept is even more relevant now...avoid the trap of thinking you know it all. Approach each day as a beginner. That doesn't mean 'forget what you've learned'. It means 'resist the temptation to be certain that you know at all (or know IT all).
Come find your tribe on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Coming up with a 'code' is easy. Getting the team to stick by it - to integrate it - can be far more challenging. Check out this episode to learn about the simple commitments and discipline necessary to get your team modelling their self-proclaimed ideals.
Don't forget to join the Badass Listener Lounge on Facebook where we discuss the latest episodes and do other cool stuff.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
I had a great whiskey-fuelled conversation with Trish Lynch, an Agile Coach who is also co-organizer of AgileTO. (I said co-founder in the episode....I stand corrected). For those of you not in the know, TO was the short form for Toronto, Ontario. That was later renamed T-dot (although its not really shortened...its longer to type and has the same number of syllables) before Drake rebranded it to 'The Six'. Which also requires explanation....that's short for '416' which is our area code, unless you count 647 and all the other new ones.
Anyway....Trish is an ORGANIZER. She makes community happen in this town and that's what I appreciate most about her. On June 13, 2020, she's hosting her very first Open Space. Details on how to reach her are below.
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/trishly/
AgileTO Meetup - https://www.meetup.com/AgileTO/
June Agile Open Space - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/agile-open-space-2020-tickets-104808334550
For the past three years, Badass Agile has been creating unique content, going against traffic and challenging convention. It has become obvious and urgent to me to take the concepts of agility and break free of the conventions and established rules. To teach everybody everywhere not how to 'be agile', but how to explore their own limitlessness, to be part of something special...and generally how to crush life.
As the world is changing today in watershed moments rather than gradual shifts; so must we change, and advance something new. I'm not sure what it is yet, but I hope you stay with me as I respond and adapt.
Join the facebook group - the Badass Agile Listener Lounge - for member exclusives, previews and livestreams!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Know what you can do with all this spare time? Put the good stuff in your leadership fuel tank....check in on your vision. Everyday. Connect with it deeply, and let it inspire you to do more, do next.
Those who stay in tune with their purpose will have an easier time adapting in chaos and leading from 'where they are'.
There's something about a badass - an authentic leader - that exudes certainty and natural presence.
If your conversations are littered with scripts that you learn in a course or read in a book, eventually everyone starts using the same ones. Your conversations sound rehearsed and inauthentic. "Holding space" and "honouring your journey" become overused and deteriorate your credibility.
So don't buy into scripts. Focus on being in real conversations with real people consistently (not just when things blow up), and the right thing to say becomes automatic.
So you're a certified so-and-so...don't let an industry or a job description define you. Be distinct. Start building your hero genetics. We're overstocked on sameness and average. Ditch the script from the mothership and do something uncommon. I have three suggestions for you this week. They might just speak to you. Try 'em out. This could be your edge.
Stay badass, my people.
Welcome to my new segment, "Agile In Toronto At Night"!
This is all about meeting with the great minds and personalities on the Toronto Scene. Who better to share my first round with than The Legend - Jason Little. If you haven't checked out his work - please do. He's THE name in Agile Change Management. By the time this airs you will have missed the start of his current class, but check out his upcoming schedule.
PS - the Greek place was Penelope on King. The Mexican place remains a mystery. Like The Legend Himself. Alright I'll stop now.
Find Jason here:
https://leanchange.org
https://cleverweapon.com
Twitter - @jasonlittle
At a time of so much increased noise and anxiety, its time that we once again return to fundamentals as we help teams become more agile. So what could you reduce this week - in terms of frameworks, rules, and complexity?
Blockers that come up repeatedly are a symptom...even the most complex issue can be worked around or decomposed.somehow. The problem occurs when nothing moves; creating delays and other diseases.
The right question is not "How can I be more confident, more leader-like, more influential...?", but rather, "what beliefs and stories am I hanging on to that I should let go of?"
Can you let go of the need to perfect, to be right, to be accepted and wanted? Can you let go of the need for certainty or an easy life? What about your fears?
What about your need for approval?
If you're trying to influence people and make change - you need to make sure your game is tight first.
What do I need to journal for? What does this have to do with agility?
One of the big byproducts of Agile thinking and doing is innovation - that requires massive creativity. It requires sharp thinking on demand.
Leadership, likewise requires deep reflection, and attention to daily lessons learned.
The qualities that we admire most in great thinkers and leaders is the ease with which they seem to have access to the best ideas and wisdom. A journal makes that possible.
Let's revisit this topic - one that so many of you have identified as among your favourite - and incorporate a journalling practice today.
So often, we look to gain influence over other people, or outside forces. We believe that studying and practicing certain scripts or techniques will create better results. Yet, how often do we look inward? The truth is, YOU are the only thing you can truly control or influence. To spend time trying to control that which you cannot control is to experience great anxiety and frustration. The outside world simply won't bend to your will….or does it? If you focus on how you show up, how you react to events, how you serve, and more importantly…what you let go of and strip away, only then can things actually change.
Time to move on from this "Agile is a super-secret funky method for developers" thing we do. At this point, the fundamentals of Agility belong everywhere work happens. In every department, at every level…whether you're dealing in products, projects or not.
As you know by know, I love old-school wisdom. "Practice what you preach" being a great example. If you expect your teams to behave with awareness, self-control, accountability, and growth mindsets, then you should start with you. How do you react to challenges, feedback, change, or new ideas? How you react is the most impactful teacher; providing a living example of how a leader should be.
I like universal, timeless wisdom. One of the things I've come to learn is that often, we must be the opposite of what we want in order to get it. So in order to make Agile bigger and better, we must focus on keeping it simpler.
Being a hero doesn't mean going crazy with tools and processes - sometimes less is more.
As a learning living leader, one of the first things that you need to sort out is how to be quiet and listen.
How to offer yourself as a broker of solutions, not as a dictator, or an originator of solutions.
As a leader, you are there to help people find their own best. If they need support in difficult and anxious times, you are there. If they need help, resources - and they have the courage to ask for them - your job is to answer the call.
If they're banging their heads against the wall, over the same problem over and over, your job is to knock down the walls and find ways to help them break through.
A cross-functional teem doesn't require that everyone has technical skill. Simply being available to help is the only required trait - but it also requires that people know how to ask for help.
Learn more about how in this episode.
Do you want the challenge? When things get tough…do you rise to the occasion, or do you ask to make things easier?
Scrum teaches us that we have options in changing conditions - to ask for help, to change the scope or modify MVP. When you think about it, that's another way of saying that we never, ever make excuses or fail the mission.
Looking for a formula to be successful with Agile?
Start with intention. Define the problem. - What does success look like? What experiment might work and what are the three things we can do today to move us closer to success? execute, take action, fail. Repeat.
That's your formula.
With the toll, risk, and sacrifice of a global health crisis, we’re learning new things every day. Wouldn’t it be a shame if we did what we’ve always done - and forgotten them as soon as this is over? What’s the right way to handle our lessons learned?
Lessons have to be studied - properly documented, visited often, and put into practice - until you can truly say 'you've got this'. We frequently hear that those "who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it". Let's remember in the days of COVID-19 that we are constantly learning about ourselves, each other, and the world around us. Let us not forgot those lessons by committing to learning from them. Likewise, in Scrum, we can't just collect feedback and surveys, we owe it to our teams and clients to observe, document, and communicate the education we have earned through adversity.
This is our time.
Do you feel the call to lead?
We want to create an uncommon tribe that not only adapts and assists, but leads the way. Let us not be at the mercy of the changing times, but architects in our emergence from them. Our community needs to know the way. Our clients need to know the way.
When times are uncertain, be certainty.
Stay tuned to this podcast, along with my twitter (@badass_agile) and instagram (@badassagile) for your invitation to be part of something special.
The kind of certainty people really want can't be had with more process, more documentation, more planning.
It comes from a leader who is in control of their actions. Who impacts the world, rather than letting it move them.
It should come from you.
If you have teams under your care, and you are looking to improve so you can show up for THEM...here are the areas you should integrate into your daily practice and improvement.
-Acting With Intention
-Awareness and Attention
-Selflessness and Service
-Outcome Independence (Freedom from Attachments)
-Committed Practice and Patience
We all used to want to 'be the boss'...king of the hill. But leadership has changed radically. It requires something completely different - in fact, it would seem to be a complete contradiction that 'the boss' doesn't actually get to boss anyone around. A leader must lead without imposing their will instead.
Leaders are traditionally considered to be the ones who set and enforce rules, or 'standards'.
Yet, if we are being asked to innovate, and to fail forward fast, are rules the right construct to motivate and guide collective action to a common goal?
It could be argued that rules themselves create fertile ground for agile resistance. Find out more in this episode!
What are your wasteful things? Remember that productivity is not about jamming more stuff into a limited time window, but rather stripping away the things that distract you and muddy your attention and focus.
This week, commit to examining your work. Monitor how you spend your time. You might be surprised how much you can reclaim for higher-value things.
What is negativity doing to your team room, and your leadership? Time for a spot check....are you making this problem better, or worse? Do you engage in the negative talk, both in your mind, and in the public domain? Do you spread complaining and excuse making to others? If so, try redirecting your thoughts to solutions. Learn more in this week's episode!
Sometimes, its good to step away. We tend to forget that other people are dying to lead too. The silence, or deference of others may be due to you...taking up too much leader space. Rotating chairs are all well and good, but its actually more fun to just not show up once in a while, with no warning, as it forces others to step-up with no prep-up. It's exactly the kind of challenge that people are looking for.
Nothing invokes the image of a badass like a special operator. In 2014, this guest changed the course of my life, and set me on a path that sparked my career and personal trajectory, which included launching this show in 2017.
Mark Divine is a retired US Navy SEAL and owner of SEALFIT. He is the author of several bestselling books, including "Unbeatable Mind", "Way of The SEAL", and on March 2, 2020, will release his latest title, "Staring Down the Wolf: 7 Leadership Commitments That Forge Elite Teams". In this week's episode, you'll hear Mark and I talk about:
how leaders forge and refine themselves through self-masteryhow self-awareness, courage and failure interactwhy its so important to maximize the lessons gleaned from failure (and why playing it 'safe' won't lead to growth)
I really enjoyed this book, and I know you'll love getting a glimpse into how truly high-performing organizations build elite teams. Pre-order the book here:
https://staringdownthewolf.com/pre-order-2
You can also check out Mark's work at:https://www.unbeatablemind.comhttps://www.sealfit.com
Hope you get tons of value out of it!
As always, start with the willing. Find people who already have an interest in agility, in change. Help people who already 'get it' to make tiny increments of change. Build your own dream team by adding value around the organization wherever you can - a minimally invasive, grassroots campaign. Go do some agile 'stuff' wherever you stand; bottom up. Create an inspirational culture - and be vigilant about keeping negativity out.
As I've launched the new Badass Agile leadership learning experience, I had something I wanted to ramble about the partisan politics and binary thinking around modern education and certification.
Be cautious of absolutes. There is value in all education (if not necessarily certification), but there is a limit to how much you should attend, read, or memorize about any field of endeavour before we get out there and witness. Live through some real challenges, develop and test your hypotheses.
To overwhelm yourself with knowledge is to cloud and confuse the mind with too many competing products and their promises; shouting at you from every side. Knowledge must be a stripping away of uncertainty and ignorance, not a warehousing of 'how-to's; and 'just by this'.
This year, let's keep it simple. As frameworks and tools pile up, it's helpful to return once again to fundamentals. To clear the space, to question our established rules, and look for our own sources of waste. Let's take some simple practices from the fundamental badass agile way and make sure we are applying them to our individual and team practice.
A lot of people talk about improving, but very few people are willing to do the work it takes to actually improve.
No matter how much they may say they want change, when faced with actual change....some people just aren't ready.
Change is hard. Even a small commitment is better than waiting until you're 100% ready...but until your reason is strong enough, you won't be ready to take the plunge. And that's ok. Focus on those who are ready NOW.
If you are struggling to do anything consistently, you could be biting off too much. The secret is to create ANY consistent habit, and then increase the scope and ambition once it's habitualized.
What happens if you summon all of your courage and creativity to put something new, authentic and valuable into the world....and nobody comes?
Better to wait for those who are naturally magnetized to your voice than it is to change your offering to suit a wider public.
Creativity is fundamental to agility. Problem solving blockers, interpersonal conflict, adapting and scaling agile, and general innovation demand that we tap into our deepest well of creativity.
But how can you tap into this underused and unfairly labelled 'artsy' skill? Three things will help.
1. Be aware. Find a way to pay attention, focus, notice. Be in silence and lock out distractions so you can hear what your creative brain is saying.
2. Surround yourself with inspiration. It's great to borrow passion AND ideas from others. Adding your own unique splash to it is still a form of creativity.
3. Win. Victory creates the confidence, freedom, and positivity that is fertile ground for creative thought. Find something you are good at and you find fulfilling and do it as often as you can.
Don't forget - creativity is lost if you don't record it so set up your life to easily capture it when it happens...and don't forget to groom your catalog every once in a while!
If the sole motivation is efficiency, and the means create unhappy people or lower quality...it still won't be faster, even if it's faster.
You'll lose people, you'll lose fans, you'll lose time - fixing broken product and broken teams.
You've been doing daily lessons learned or silver linings in your journal, right?
If you have, I'll show you the next step in the brainstorming process - a periodic grooming of you best ideas for personal and team improvement. I'll go through a small sample of notes from my journal that, without a grooming/mining habit, I probably would have completely forgotten about.
It's a new year...but don't make resolutions. When was the last time that worked anyway?
Instead, use the occasion to reflect on your existing vision and service statements (you DO have one of those, right?) and tweak it to reflect your path for the upcoming year. Don't expect massive change, but rather, an update to keep you pointed in directions that build on the previous year's successes, and move you toward the things that you are passionate about and can demonstrative unmatched value in.
If you want to stay accountable, share your updated vision at contact@badassagile.com...or post it in our new Facebook group!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/badasslistenerlounge/
Happy New Year!
Commitments with a resounding and well-communicated 'why' have the best chance of getting done well. That 'why' should not be limited to the '...so I can' element of a story headline. A business value statement allows you to more clearly articulate why the business should invest in this story, feature or outcome NEXT. It also allows various stakeholders (business and technical) to describe rationale for prioritizing this item that may not be obvious to the product owner - technical dependencies, regulatory or compliance demands, etc.
At the core of Scrum is the assumption that teams need lightweight mechanisms to assist people in sizing, making, tracking and keeping commitments. From the user story, which communicates why we're building something, story splitting and short delivery cycles to keep promises small and victories visible; to the sprint plan, which details who will do what and when, through the daily standup, whose structure provides a safe means to communicate wins and challenges - all are designed to simplify and habitualize what humans in small teams seem to struggle with most....accountability.
in this episode, we'll discuss how right-sizing commitments based on the team's current level of excellence, along with accountability partnerships, can help make these practices even better.
What it means when you get too many rapid-fire questions when training a new team - especially if those questions appear to question Agile or seem unduly negative or fearful.
If you lead agile teams, your attitudes and beliefs about work, delivery and teams matter. In this episode, we talk about 4 such mindsets:
Opposition is GoodYou Can’t Control ChaosThe Sooner You React The BetterI want the challenge!
The key to becoming more effective is to put these into practice. Challenge yourself to reflect on and then live at least one of these values this week. As they become habitual, take on more!
I'd also like to announce that I'm looking to expand Badass Agile with more chapters in 2020. If you think you might be interested in joining or leading a chapter in the following markets:
-New York NY
-Boston, MA
-Washington DC
-San Francisco CA
-Dallas/Fort Worth TX
Please reach out to me at contact@badassagile.com and I'll send you more information.
Self-limiting beliefs, or 'the stories you tell yourself' can derail your progress and effectiveness as a teacher, coach and influencer.
The trick is...they're hard to recognize and repair. They have a tendency to play in the background. Spawned from early or subconscious roots, they live in our blind spots where we can't see them easily.
In this episode I discuss why they matter, and how to locate them, bring them to the fore, and begin to dismantle them - which frees you to manifest your vision and outcomes.
This week, I answer an email from a reader who is launching his second career, hoping to break into the world of Agile, Scrum, and training.
In the answer, I discuss the things you can do to stand out from the crowd when you have little or no experience or training/certification to help support your suitability for a job or opportunity.
Remember, you can reach out at contact@badassagile.com if you have any questions about career path, coaching, or general agile and leadership practice.
Team is everything. It doesn't matter how much technique you've got, its all about the way people come together, stretch, reach, dream, and do the impossible.
If you're not part of a high-performing team, you've got to SEE it before you can understand it and repeat it. Reach out to contact@badassagile.com if you want to learn more.
Is it better to be knowledgeable, or effective? As recent trends point to a decrease in elite-level post-graduate enrollment; its worth asking if all of this schooling is creating value in such a volatile and fluid business landscape.
In this episode, I discuss a few tips that will help you improve the 'intangibles' - the non-technical, non-academic qualities that make for great inspiration and great leadership. Among these - be confident, become a storyteller, and be willing to experiment.
A late night reflection on standing out from the crowd by increasing authenticity and originality...to distinguish oneself from the sameness that permeates our culture so we can serve our agile teams, clients and community and advance the craft.
What’s the one thing you need to get good at in order to stand out above competition? You need to MOVE…and, you might want to think about getting a swim buddy.
Moving means you need to act. Consistently and courageously.While this sounds intuitive, the most common issue I encounter with teams is a hesitation to move in an uncertain direction. This is not a team problem, a corporate problem or an agile problem….this is pervasive across our culture. If you want different results, you have to act.One of the best ways to ratchet up your ability to act is to recruit a swim buddy - someone who not only keeps you accountable, but won’t let you failIt is also a force multiplier to learn how to be an accountability partner to others - see what you learn by allowing others to put their success in your hands
We often describe Delivery as a non-event in the ideal; why not agility itself?
Must it really be such a huge enterprise undertaking - especially as we hope to infuse agility into our everyday work and culture?
What would happen if we simply moved into our first experiment as the best way of conquering the unknown?
I don’t do a lot of interview shows. When I do, I want to bring on my friends - People I know personally who are making a real difference.
Mike Caron is a fellow Unbeatable Mind student and member, and owner of Get Burly, a US-based team experience company that is about so much more than physical toughness. He really gets agility; embracing failure and team life.... and he’s making it happen with America’s youth in a very real way. I love when he talks about being “impeccable with your word”. Potent stuff. Don’t miss this one!!
Should we hand out trophies to everyone...even when we lose? Or are we better to signal the loss and focus on the learning opportunity? Who do we really help or hurt by calling a loss a victory?
This week, we give pause to think about all of the complexity in the agile space; the overload of books, articles, opinions, and techniques, and how a return to simple fundamentals allows you to see your way clearly in any scenario…without having to fumble through your toolkit or recall rehearsed routines.
Be courageous this week. Ask for the opportunity. Speak your truth. Do the unexpected, the new, the unusual. When you do, you define your own reality. You create your own luck.
Ramping up a new team is a difficult time. Confused and afraid, the early days and weeks are full of hesitation, anxiety, and expectations. In this state teams can’t perform. Let’s see how a team naturally evolves when you’re starting from zero.
Do you want your resume to stand out from the stack? Don't worry so much about how 'little' experience you have. It's not about the number of years.
Document every experiment that you run, along with the outcome. Shine a light on the ones that worked well - those that created a positive result, and added value; but don't be afraid to mention the failures too. What you want to demonstrate is that you are constantly leading from where you stand; taking action, rather than staying mired in analysis, and endeavoring rather than accepting the status quo.
If you've been a follower for any length of time, you know how much importance I put on being visionary and understanding your purpose. I believe it is at the heart of great leadership - excellent leaders do this well; struggling leaders don't seem to get the hang of it.
But listener James asks "how do you go about finding it"?
The answer itself is in the badass way - get focused, get gritty, get humble...and don't forget to inspect and adapt relentlessly.
Listen in to find out more.
Start with the approach that you co-create agility WITH your teams. Its not something you force or install. Be the living example of embracing and chasing failure as the best way to improve. Always treat adoption and ’shifting’ as a never-ending journey….but your coaching engagement itself must have an expiry date so you can focus on creating learners and leaders from within. Help people get closer to what THEY want before asking them to hit homeruns for the team or the organization. Maintain a positive mental attitude - especially in the worst of times - because your presence is always contagious.
How Do You Set the Bar High in the culture of hugs and trophies for everyone?
Start With YourselfCreate Team CreedsFocus on setting progressive and selective goals that move the dial ever forward
The main problem with "Better, Faster, Cheaper" is that everyone can sense 'cheap'. When you're trying to cut corners, you aren't fooling anyone. That includes your people, projects and products.
Please join me in welcoming the first official Badass Agile Chapter!
Marianne and Laurens from the Netherlands will lead this community - stay tuned for details. If you're in the Netherlands, you'll want to stay connected for events, discussions, and resources!
A sincere thanks to you guys for helping grow the community, the philosophy, and the practice! I'm so honoured to be working with you!
It’s easy to act with integrity when your environment doesn’t challenge your standards. But how do you teach others to act with integrity when it matters?
You must lead by example, and simply show integrity first. Act like an owner, be transparent, ask for help, communicate, lean into the hard challenges, and be most accountable when the failure is most costlyCreate low stakes for others to replicate you behaviour - at least at first - this means lowering the cost of genuine, honest mistakes.Remember, it all begins with vision, Know who you are and how you serve; and the hills you would die on….your standards.
Its all too common to have 'agile' teams that work on 5 or more projects at the same time. In theory, more is better; but spread too thin, a team loses immersion, continuity, and momentum. Know the upsides and downsides so that, if you can't convince leadership to create committed, co-located teams, you can communicate the tradeoffs, and set expectations accordingly.
Why Is ‘Make Work Visible’ one of the three Scrum artifacts? Why does it matter and how can you apply it to non-technical and non-scrum initiatives?
Making Work Visible doesn’t seem like an artifact, but in fact is a way of thinking about delivery and status that eliminates the overhead of collecting and producing status reportsThe easiest way to make work visible is to publish done things, but there are many other practices that make true ’status’ more available and transparentThese techniques also apply to non-technical product
“Looking on the bright side” may seem like an empty practice - putting a cheap paint job on a crappy situation - but actually, learning to see the wisdom and opportunity in challenges is a very powerful way to get unstuck when things are sticky. In this episode, we’ll uncover a simple set of statements that can help you put the right spin on current events to make a very real difference in your performance. And…this is a great one to teach your teams!
Projects and teams can involve frequent and sometimes painful change. How does a leader lead through change by example?
Make sure you have been listening to my episodes on fundamentals and the ‘Badass Way’. Learn the basics of Agile Leadership and practice, practice, practice.When dealing with change, especially traumatic change, you’re going to need to lean on lessons learned in studying the Badass Way:Remember your ‘why’ - vision and service will free you from outcome dependence (a particular role, job, project or result)Remember to embrace failure and find gratitude in things that don’t go the way you expectedUse the retrospective to document what, specifically, you learned from the experience
This week, we explore two very different questions submitted from two different listeners: how do you measure and describe ‘capacity’ when you have teams working on non-technical (or just ‘other’) issues, and….who wrote your theme song, and where can I download it?
One common question I get is how to become more influential. If you want your massage to have impact - to resonate and to stick - just follow the example of those who have gone successfully before you.
Impactful people and messages anchor their messages to existing powerful emotional or cultural touchpoint, repeat and spread the message, and then amplify the resulting waves.
There are two sorts of people you meet in the halls of a large enterprise; those who want to learn specific job skills so they can meet their targets, impress their bosses and get a particular job done.
And then there are those who want to learn the skills of change and influence. Or those who simply want to be a part of something much bigger.
On the one hand, it's easy to believe that there can't be leaders without followers. That some people are destined to accept the leadership of others, and help achieve somebody else's vision.But I believe that eventually, all people, or at least most of them, become visionary… Especially when they come face-to-face with their own limitlessness.
Everyone loves retrospectives. This is where we get to improve. Everyone loves demos… Because this is where we get to show off our finished work to the customer in waiting.
But nobody ever mentions backlog grooming as their favourite scrum ceremony. But I think it should be.
Often done poorly, grooming is the refining work that allows a backlog to remain current, relevant…and agile
Proper grooming can eliminate waste by keeping low priority items low
Proper grooming allows us to maximize the time for development, testing and other meaningful work - rather than asking for clarifications mid-sprint, or building the wrong thing
Most important, a good backlog grooming habit frees the team and PO to brainstorm and get the kitchen sink out there…knowing that the good ideas will stick and recur, and the bad ones will eventually fall off
There's been a change in how people organize in enterprise. But with flat hierarchies, and self-organizing teams, has the concept of leader or even team captains become obsolete and forbidden?
You know what we should teach more of? How to respond to mayhem - rapidly changing expectations in unstable conditions.
What I’ve found - and what’s helpful to communicate to clients - is that the first 3 sprints (literally, the first 6-8 weeks) are mayhem. On a new scrum team, or in new business/technical landscapes, there will always be challenges with insufficient information, assumptions, inadequate tools, unclear expectations, unfamiliar teammates and accountabilities….with firm deliverable dates. Overwhelm is inevitable, and therefore wholly expected.
There's been a change in how people organize in enterprise. But with flat hierarchies, and self-organizing teams, has the concept of leader or even team captains become obsolete and forbidden?Here are just 4 reasons why, despite the levelling of roles within teams, we still have - and need - captains and leaders…at least at times.
Sometimes, people just need a little pushSomeone needs to hold themselves accountable to grow the teamA leader first and foremost sets an example for others to followPeople who are comfortable sharing wisdom must do so…for the benefit of the others in the team who are uncertain or inexperienced
Seeking perfection is a major source of wasted effort; particularly if you are seeking it BEFORE taking action.
There’s no such thins as perfect output, only perfect effort.
Perfection is sought literately over time. Modern business requires that we move ideas from vision to backlog to executed Iteration One quickly. In almost all cases, perfection is neither required nor desired out of the gate. Holding back or being unwilling to try for fear of making mistakes is the only kind of true failure. Remember this - there IS such a thing as starting a race so late that it is practically impossible to win.
Forget Sprints and Standups - Business agility is about travelling light so you can go faster. One important way to do that is by taking small, frequent experimental risks, also known as placing small bets.
Test with small investments - Rent or borrow equipment,Copy other success stories and replicate them in unrelated domainsGet volunteers or part-timers to help. Use gigstersLearning and research - Get aggregators or summariesStart with small commitments and experiments - lunch and learns versus coffeesSlice your scopeWork backwards from high-value outcomes
Do you take an existing team and ‘make’ them agile? Or do you build teams of agile people - people who have, or are likely to have, the right mindsets and openness to new practices?
Here is where the rubber hits the road when it comes to executive support; do we do the easiest, most convenient thing, and expect them to squeeze the square peg of legacy mindsets, rigid thinking, and antiquated practice, and jam it into the round hole of agile beliefs and actions, or do we take the hit and scramble a team of cross-functional, experimental minds?
Hey friends, time for a bit of a wake up, a bit of inspiration, a bit of a refresh. It's time to reclaim the Badass.
Get clear on your vision. If you haven’t created one for yourself, the time is now. If you have, time to revisit it….does it need updates?Remember that service is a key component of a compelling visionA distinguishing quality of a leader is the courage to stick to your vision….no matter what opposition or resistance you may encounterGo execute. Be focused, single-minded and relentless in the pursuit of your vision
Your unique value in this world is the unedited, uncensored, unfiltered you. Be exactly who you are, and don’t let anyone tell you it’s wrong, or not good enough.
The thing that makes you unique is also what allows you to connect, resonate and influence others. Do whatever, and be whomever, you truly want. Being authentic is true freedom.
A career as a Scrum Master or Agile coach can be very rewarding, and an incredible opportunity... But many who are new to the field have difficulty getting experience when the job description requires….experience. What are some things you can do to help ensure your successful job interview?
Know your whyKnow your superpowerMap your value to theirsDo the research - company and interviewerThink and act like someone who has an abundance of opportunitiesMentally rehearse
Most people follow the herd, we are told what to buy, how to act, how to speak, how to think, and what to believe. But either you belong to the herd, or you behave in like a hero. Let me explain the difference.
People who follow the herd derive their value from staying safe and certain. It’s difficult to add massive value, to bring your One Thing or to bring radical action to your life and business when you only stand for safety in numbersHeroes live according to their vision and service, take full accountability, honour their unique voice, invite failure and adversity, and take risks accordingly
One of the main causes of Agile failure is an organizations refusal to get behind (ie, to ‘value’) Agile values.
When there is no living instance of these concepts in the organizations, they don’t get modelled, and subsequently don’t spread. You also need to actively promote and reward right behaviours based on those values.
Interactions with other people can be complex and challenging because people do things differently. Here's a tool to add to your toolbox… When you want to simplify communications, create rails.
Rails are all about providing lightweight structure - just enough to promote right action and effective communication
Scrum is full of examples of simple rails - story formats (“as a _ I want to _ so I can _”), and stand-up 3-question protocol, for example
The secret to good rails is that they do not inhibit free discussion, are minimally invasive, and lead people to providing the right information or taking right action in the shortest time possible
They should also be simple, easy to remember and use
Most important, you can’t have rails on everything. Experiment with creating and tweaking your own to suit your team and situation.
There are two things you always need to be doing consistently - getting coaching, and coaching others to make them better. It starts with surrounding yourself with people better than you.
The people you spend the most time with have a profound impact on your life and success
Minimize the time you spend around people who complain, blame, and quit
Seek out mentors - you can look within the agile community for writers and other leaders you admire. If you don’t know any, create some community action in your nearest metro or town and find people whose experience you could learn from
Don’t forget…you yourself will become a mentor as well. Plan to coach other coaches and practitioners as you grow and gain experience.
In this episode, I’ll ask you how you stretch….how do you get out of your comfort zone and do things that make you bigger and better? Look for your weaknesses and uncomfortable moments, because the opportunity to grow and become more live within them. Public speaking, networking, journalling, working out….what do you struggle with? Don’t neglect the signs and signals in the form of little failures and peeves–they are gifts….if you choose to give them your focus. Try it today–this could be an important lesson for your teammates and colleagues that you as a coach can keep in your toolkit.
100 Episodes in, I thought it was a good time to stop and express my gratitude and to reflect on what we’ve accomplished so far….and what I’ve learned..
Our growth and reach after 2 years has been truly staggering. THANK YOU ALL!!!
I’m still very attached to my original vision of creating 1) A resource for fellow agilists and leaders on how to become more agile, not necessarily on how to do scrum and 2) Creating an elite tribe of leaders who understand how to be successful in the board room and in the team room and beyond.
The #1 thing I learned….JUST GO. Consistency matters more than anything else in life. This applies not only to your agile practice, but to every area of endeavour.
Consistency means showing up ever day, but also IMPROVING every day.
Simplicity matters. To add massive value, you have to constantly improve and automate your processes.
Here are some other things I learned about kicking ass in general:
Never ever ask for permission. Be who you are. Your unique voice is your value
Figure out your distinction - what do you do better than anyone else in the world. Your true fans will find you.
You have to have the courage to be unswayed by someone else’s opinion.
Your real currency in the agile world is not your ability to do ’the practices’ to perfection, but rather the unique values and voice you bring to the party.
Never prioritize knowledge or perfection, and never hoard knowledge. Give your best stuff away for free.
What creates true believers is the emotional connection you make with your tribe.
Focus on the one thing you can do today that gets you closer to your achieving your goals and dreams. Keep it small, but do it every day.
Don’t forget–stay humble!
In the second part of my interview with Artida Karaj, we get specific about the How of frameworkless transformation. She drops a ton of cool wisdom in this part, including:
Start with leaders. Without C-Level buy-in, its just talk.
Co-create goals - internal team members and leadership
Create the environment for innovation by creating an outcome culture - the solution matters less than the results. Allow collaboration, decision making, trying and learning, people growth
Allow that this will take time - years, not weeks or months - to mature and expand fully
Create enablers - people who can spread the word
Enforce ‘customer seat at the table’ - the customer is not a LOS, it is the actual customer.
Technology is not a cost centre, it is a partner
This week, I meet with coach, colleague, and friend Ardita Karaj to discuss her take on large enterprise transformation.
Ardita is very well known in the international Agile community. I've had the pleasure of working with her in the past and I admire her enthusiasm, intelligence and empathetic approach to Agile.
She also has a no-nonsense approach to and instinct for business. My favourite quote from the day is "It used to be 'the big eats the small'. Now, 'the fast eats the slow'.
This is a two-part interview; in the first part, we discuss Ardita's background, letting teams and individuals have the freedom to choose their own approach and tools, and the foundations of frameworkless transformation.
Enjoy, and stay tuned for Part II later this week!
When you’re slumping, your normal routines and methods don’t work (hence the slump). Try this the next time you’re struggling to get your energy, enthusiasm or creativity going:
Surround yourself with inspiration
Break your routine to get some flow going - knock something off your list, even if you break the rule of ‘highest value targets first'
Lean on your network - talk to people who inspire and support you, and let them know you’re slumping
"How can a financial institution bring regulators along the Agile journey, to help them realize that Agile actually reduces risk?" - Julio Sanchez
Tough one. No quick fix. Finserv doesn’t like to shake up longstanding regulations and traditions. It’s a highly regulated industry.
The problem is that you have no levers to influence regulators. They don’t have to change, at least not just because you want them to
Influence will happen slowly and over time, but a lot of people read that to give themselves permission not to try. You have to make moves now or you will be behind the curve when it's really important to make change. Here’s what you can do:
Build relationships - create meetup groups, create conversations, add people to LinkedIn
Making things - successes, innovations, high-performing teams, products, competitive differentiations - that draw attention to your cause. Nothing attracts attention like success. As you evolve, your success will demand changes to regulation, and that success is a form of leverage
Note that your successes and the increased visibility that comes with it will showcase the change that needs to happen, especially if you had to work around legislation and bend rules to get there.
"What's the best way to transition into Scrum Master with a new CSM?" - Jon Wiggins
This is one of the things coaches are for
Let them do the job based on what they’ve learned
Get them to use Agile principles to self-inspect and adapt, to create and groom backlogs of improvements and to execute on experiments
Your job should be to teach them how to apply Scrum - which is never boilerplate - it is adaptive, and to show them those things that they cannot see (external feedback)
Hopefully the certification has given them training wheels and knowledge to apply. There are a great many things they can’t learn in those two days, and if they don’t already have them, you have to help them get them - like interpersonal skills, influence, grit, problem solving, logic, etc.
An easy way to accelerate learning and development - not to mention your effectiveness as a leader - is to do more scary things.
If you don’t flex the muscle of acting the face of fear, you’ll never get better at being courageous, and you’ll never be able to lead others - especially if you’re asking others to take risks and let go of certainty and safety.
Choose something you fear this week and take deliberate action!
What helps Agile scale and spread even more than practice excellence? How you evangelize.
It’s not enough to to be Agile amid your teams - a transformation demands ongoing and deepening conversation at every level, in every area.
Have your elevator speed ready, and start meeting people
Create situations that increase contact with the people in every corner of the org - lunch and learns, events, Q/A, attendance at town halls and other corporate events, and through digital means
Question 1 - When coaching teams when should you have one on ones with the individuals and when could having one on ones impact self organizing teams and creating silos?
Team coaching is about coaching performance in the room: How they interact, operate, flow. Can you make that flow more efficient?
Individual coaching - Should always do it for executives and individual agile leaders because:
Some conversations might need to be private
Great coaching sometimes brushes up against the root of interpersonal or performance issues, fears, etc
Coaching sessions should be brief and based on individual coaching plans or outcomes. Coaching everyone all at once will disable that.
Whether you do individual coaching for team members is up to you. I stick to business and agile leaders (anyone who can help an individual initiative or Agile spread in general) and to anyone else who requests it. Some individuals just don’t want coaching and some won’t do the homework necessary to benefit from the recommendations and improve
Question 2 - Why can't I use a Gantt chart to track the many dependencies in hardware design, prototype development?
You can do whatever you want
Gantt charts are great for plotting sequences and dependent chains
You DON’T want to use a Gantt chart to plot things that change very frequently because it is nearly impossible to plan chaos and its a lot of work to replan it when it changes
the argument then is whether or not the things you’re describing are chaotic. The rule is if you have a mostly dependable, repeatable process, informed by years of refinement and experience, you have a mature process and it can be mapped out easily
There’s a reason why Gantt’s are so popular - for the early stages of industry, especially manufacturing, repeatable processes needed to be documented well so they could be trained and repeated (the earliest form of automation)
However, now, where creativity and autonomy are part of the process, things become unpredictable, for which Gantt charges are not as effective
This week, let’s remember one of our most important fundamentals….the ability to leap.
It’s a skill we don’t teach in school - to be ready when you’re not ready, to forget all of your doubts and fears and just GO.
It’s a habit, in the sense that the more we do it, the easier it becomes, so what can you do to leap this week? What have you been avoiding?
Collecting our lessons learned and sharing them with others is a tribal behaviour that predates formal education. Let’s talk about how to apply this in our team practices
In experimental cultures, you are always accumulating learning. Long before the internet and even formal education, we had a tradition of sharing that wisdom among the tribe - at work, we have largely lost that tradition
Learning eventually leads to wisdom; knowledge that guides action
We should always collect, refine, and share our learning
Document your learning often - you can do this in Retrospectives or Reflections
Store, categorize and groom it often
Shared documentation system
Use tags or other metadata
Make it searchable and easy to access
Review it, memorize the stories around it, and share it often
Notice, Do Differently, ReflectDrown the Fear and Reduce the FearReducing means rehearsing, exposing, inoculatingPart of exposing and rehearsing is about skill buildingYou must also rehearse the skill of being courageous - knowing when you have to leap and LEAPING.
People love to complain and blame.Learn to see from the other's perspective.We are all doing the best we can.Leaders do not gossip.Realize that as a leader others follow your example, so it is important for you to go first. Be the exemplar of refusing to gossip, to hate, to blame. Be elegant and powerful.
So what did we learn from the practical yet unofficial use of Agile at the small business level?
To disrupt like a startup, you have to act like one. Focus on value, plan and invest lean for effective, rapid cycles
The minute you execute you should be adjusting
Make commitments and investments (including decisions) at the last possible moment
You literally have to break the cycle of traditional planning and analysis
You can now bring these techniques to different parts of a large scale business, but only if they’re willing to act like a startup in order to get the benefits
By the way, if you have non-business friends who are yearning to start a business, teach them agile fundamentals - so much wisdom is locked up in the simple concepts that can help them place small bets, get started with almost nothing, and evolve as they grow. This could prevent an otherwise brilliant idea from being snuffed out at the idea phase by new entrepreneurs who are too overwhelmed to execute.
The cinematic antihero is in possession of mythical, almost unattainable qualities that make them larger than life. But…if you look more closely, there are a few lessons to be learned from our big-screen idols - what to believe, how to carry yourself, and how to act in the face of opposition.
There’s such a thing as too much. At this point, there’s only so much discussing and explaining around Agility that i can handle, after which point, I’m kind of over it. Now, I feel the need to take the conversation someplace else. But where?• Like Driving a car, i don’t need to focus on fine motor skills anymore. It’s time to use my skill to go new places• The space is crowded with too much education• Being nice is nice, but its time to zoom in on how elite teams behave
This is a long one, so make sure you're on Wifi!
Had a great time at Agile and Beyond this year, and as I was chilling with the speakers Thursday afternoon, we decided to record some cool conversations and thoughts from my colleagues. A real privilege to get some rapid insights from this crew.
Here Are the Interview Notes in order of appearance:
Nayan Hajratwala, Agile And Beyond Co-organizer and Speaker Coordinatorhttp://www.agileandbeyond.com/2019/
Holly Bielawa - How To Hire An Agile CoachTwitter @agilegrowthLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollybielawa/
Philippa Bagley - Project Management For CreativesLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippa-hbs/Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/Philippa.HBS/
Michael Nir - Persuading the Bear: Learn how to Build Engaged Communities through Horizontal InfluencingWebsite - http://michaelnir.com/Twitter - @michaelnirhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelnir/
Daniel Davis - Code is Easy. Humans are hard, Your Tech Career Is Wacked & Why That's OKemail - Dan@elev8.servicesTwitter - @daniel_davisLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davisdaniel/
Colleen Esposito - Does Agile change your process - or your perspective? - Beyond Prioritization: How to Make an Impact for your CustomersTwitter - @TheColleenELInkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleen-esposito-5a06252/
Shahin Sheidaei, Eglys Vera - The Golden Hammer of Transformation: Culture!ShahinBlog - http://blog.sheidaei.com/Twitter - @sheidaeiLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheidaei/
EglysLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eglys-vera-a6988b/
David Harris - Extreme Programming Practices at ScaleGitHub - https://github.com/thedavidharrisLInkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidharris16/
Mark Shead - Go With The Flow - An exercise in optimizing the delivery of value, Shifting Left With Extreme Programming - Developing Quality EarlyYoutube - www.youtube.com/marksheadLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/markshead/
Arati Joshi - Introvert's journey to AgilityTwitter - @aratisterLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/arati-joshi-12382618/
George Dinwiddie - Advanced BDD for the Whole Team -- Distillation of Essential ExamplesOut Beyond Estimates and No EstimatesTwitter - @gdinwiddieWebsite - www.idiacomputing.comBlog - http://blog.gdinwiddie.com/
Matt Heusser - Lean Coffeewebsite - www.xndev.comBooks on Leanpub - https://leanpub.com/u/mheusserTwitter - @mheusser
Justin Beall - Closing the Remote Engineer GapTwitter - @dev3l_
Tom Bellinson - What is a Blameless Culture and Why Would I Want One: A Case Study
You bring too many people to low value meetingsYou don’t push decisions and accountability down, so ‘decision makers’ are in high demand and block teams - they can’t get where they need to be fast enough to enable a willing group, if there is such a thingYou don’t celebrate, reward and otherwise encourage willing peopleAs a result, things sit around, largely undone, with really great intentions and a satisfying status of ‘working on it'
If you expect Agile, and your message, to spread, you need to be very good at setting targets and crushing them.You can’t do that using traditional big-business time management. You’ll need to:- Decline meetings or limit them to 30 minutes OR LESS unless its team time - group work, facilitation- Block time IN YOUR CALENDAR to do your most important work - uninterrupted. No exceptions- Get Good at Saying NO
Recently, I sat down with Carl Oxham, Tax Partner with PwC Canada about the topic he is most passionate about - emotional intelligence and it’s growing importance in leadership.
In this discussion, we get specific about why EI is becoming a hotter topic, how to get good at it, and why it matters for Agile.
Carl is an engaging, knowledgeable and gifted speaker - this was a fun conversation for me, and I hope you enjoy it!
“What else might work?” is to customer delight what “Yes, and…” is to improv. Great solutions are the result of breaking rules; forays into unknown, even forbidden territory. This flies in the face of compliance with established conventions and designs. Finding or making new ways is neither cost nor risk-free, but if you want the payoffs of Agile thinking and doing, you must accept these commitments.
In this conversation, Matt Comand of Consistent Elite Performance joins me in my home studio to talk about something that they don’t teach you in scrum master school….how to build elite, high, performing teams. Matt is a performance coach in the sports and business domain, as well as a post-secondary instructor, and brings incredible insight and skill into building trust, training versus planning, and the mental aspects of team performance.
In much the same way that technical evolution makes old tools and techniques unnecessary and extinct, it is time for us as leaders to shift fire away from the mechanics of agility to the logistics of applying and spreading agile properly - not just in the IT realm, but to all of business, work and life. Agile is no longer new and fresh; it is a tool in the toolbox, and everyone should know and understand the basic ideas and practices; freeing us up to advance the craft and apply it to new and exciting problems.
A journalling practice is a great way to delve into increased discipline, structure, and self-examination. Your daily practice should include:- Planning Your Day- Stating your gratitude (3 things that you feel deep gratitude for)Re-stating your visionin the morning, and:- Noting your wins - what went well?- Stating your lessons learned, based on your reflections on the day and how it went- Stating your gratitude again (once more, based on your reflections on the day)
Words have impact. Some say ‘words are things’. If you want to innovate, you have to choose your words carefully. Why?• The words you choose have an impact on your internal state; which alters your beliefs, and affects your ability to act with courage and certainty• The words you choose also impact the state of those around you; and likewise their determination and certainty to act in alignment with the teams values and goals.
The only way to make sales is to have lots of prospects.The only way to find a partner is to meet a lot of people and have a lot of conversations.The only way to get that book written is to have a lot of ideas you can play with.The only way to find a solution is to have lots of experiments that you're willing to try.It's all a numbers game. You have to have lots of lines in the water in order to catch the fish.
What does it really mean to delight your customer? Are we doing this just because we're doing Agile? And if not, why not?• Focusing on delighting the customer is the edge - that most businesses miss• You can minimize the bottom line all you want, but isn’t it easier to maximize the top line? In fact, what good are efficient processes and policies if you have no revenue because you have no customers?• What is the cost of replacing or retaining a customer? Is focusing on the bottom line still cheaper?• An Agile practitioner must support Customer Delight by not only creating shared values and advertising them at the sprint, daily, and momentary level, but also by trusting the teams….not only setting targets for how we live our values, but letting them actually go out and do the footwork of delivering it.
You won’t want to hear this, but as I stated in a previous episode on “Building A Shark Tank”, having an extra few seconds to orient and observe BEFORE responding to a physical or mental event gives you the edge over most other leaders. The common name for the practice that develops this edge is mindfulness, or meditation. It’s not only trendy, it’s table stakes, at this point, to be able to control your emotions and to telegraph self-mastery to those you lead and work with.
I like to think that what I’m teaching is not oriented at learning Agile, but honing survival skill. Adapting - being nimble for our customers - is no longer an ‘ought to’; its a ‘got to’. While it is wrong to (and customers often perceive our efforts as attempts to) ‘convert’ or switch an organization from 100% traditional to 100% Agile, survival is about finding and outfitting the areas of greatest impact.
Reasons - I’ve discussed how purpose informs vision, service, discipline and overall effectiveness. But likewise, reasons can slow you down. If you’re not conscious of the reasons why you do the things you do, not only can you not access higher levels of achievement, you may also be self-sabotaging your progress.
Right reasons are necessary to access 10-20x performance levels. The life you aspire to takes way more work and capacity than when you’re at now
When fear shows up as a failure to commit fully to Agile, we experience one of the most common behaviours associated with Agile failure - failure to commit.
Fear of Change, Fear of Failure, and Fear of Loss of Significance all roll together to create a failure to commitVery Slow Agile Adoption - Planning to Plan"Backsliding Into Waterfall"Insisting on specific processes or artefacts - BRD’s, Charters and Business Cases, Dashboards and Reports“The Only Way Is the Old Way"Summary Bullets
I read this quote somewhere.
Too often, now, we seek to avoid challenge. We look for ‘low hanging fruit’ ‘low-risk, high-reward’ opportunities.
There’s only one problem with that…..we don’t learn anything. This is my big issue with certainty and safety.
By continuously doing what we know will work, what we believe to be safe and certain, the way we’ve always done things, we don’t ever have to shift.
We have learned the mechanisms, the steps , and the routines, that get you to the finish line.
In this episode, I think out loud about why getting leverage is an Agile leader superpower. Getting Leverage refers to your ability to tap into another person’s intrinsic motivation to act and to change. Without leverage, you will often get stuck trying to ‘force’ people to change mindset or behaviour by calling in another leader, or building a logical/rational case for change…sometimes forcing a ‘bakeoff’ between two approaches or solutions.
What’s the common interpretation of business agility, and is it the best interpretation?- Business Agility is too often understood to mean Agile Software Development in support of business initiatives- Business Agility should mean the use of Agile mindsets, habits and patterns in the execution of daily business- It also has to reflect the adaptable nature of Agile - we should apply it where it fits, bend it where it makes sense, and leave it alone when it doesn’t.
Strategically, Agile is not something you can politely decline. Agility is not something you MUST convert all operations too, but rather a tool in the toolkit that should be applied when the conditions support it. However, if you don’t embrace it, you will eventually lose your ability to compete.
The Agile leader will not be bounded by traditional definitions of leadership - they need to have a very different persona than the groomed, well-suited leader that we've come to idolize and generalize. What makes a great, effective, modern Agile Leader?Vision and PassionGuide your own destiny, and let your teams guide yoursObsessive Customer FocusMaverickDevelop OthersLove The Resistance
Scheduling meetings over lunch is getting more and more common. But just because something happens often, doesn’t make it right. There are times in life when the seemingly innocent occasional request goes unchecked and becomes disrespectful or even abusive. Could this be one of those times?
I never used to be good at listening. My mind runs at a hundred miles per hour. So I used to find listening to be a fidgety, painful experience, that wasn't focused on me... so I kind of hated it.But as I grow and develop, I realize more and more how important it is to simply be a great listener. That's this week on the Badass Agile Podcast.
Question from Enzo in Texas:
"How do you adapt faster with a new team, in a company very different from any previous companies you've worked with? What advice would you give in regards to what should be top priority when trying to merge into an entirely new team?”
Companies may be different, but people are exactly the same. It’s useful to understand the culture for the sake of context or perspective, but the muscle you need to flex is connecting with individuals.You have to make the time to connect: understand and empathize. You can do this over beer, or an initial round of 1-1 coaching, but never do it in public - people need a safe place to discuss.
As I was looking at yet another sales deck for which I was asked to comment on an Agile approach, I’m overwhelmed that even a meagre attempt to stick to the 7x7 rule of PowerPoint presentations is hopeless. Each slide reads like a high-school essay in 7-point Arial.
What would happen if we trained our people to connect at a lower level - to focus on the actual human needs we are satisfying when we offer our product? Specs and logic often only confirm what we deeply know - we buy things to feel good or to avoid feeling bad.
Now that we’ve learned some things about fear, what are some practical ways to work around it?
You don’t have to make change all at onceRemember, you have to deliver things that THEY (team, client, customer) value. Do that in small, low risk, low-impact ways, and they’ll ask you to do moreAlways start with willing minds and projects that fit.
Today, we’ve got two killer listener questions, one to do with procrastination in agile team members, and the other on the difference between Being and Doing Agile. What I love most about these questions is that they go to the heart of our philosophy. That’s this week….
Both of these questions go to the heart of the Badass Agile Philosophy
Agile, Scrum and Kanban, etc are all about minimum rails. Enough process to fix most of your common problems and enough flexibility and simplicity to shape them to fit the uncommon problems
To cure a procrastinator, you might need carrots and sticks to get them in the room initially, but if you focus your daily stand-ups on making and keeping promises to each other, you’re golden. Most people value loyalty or fear losing face in front of others. Also, use the idea of MVP in everything you do. If people are procrastinating to the point where work is not getting started until the 11th hour, break big things into small things and re-focus on an MVP if scope continues to slip. In retrospective, you can commit to improvements. This way, nobody loses face.
Doing Agile is all about the techniques, which are easy enough to learn, but also present two major risks - by focusing on individual techniques, we forget to focus on the bigger picture and underlying principles that help us when situations are less than ordinary, AND we create unnecessary complexity under the assumption that more information is better, when really we ought to be integrating information into a cohesive whole that drives our leadership. Being Agile means applying agile principles to your leadership game - continually inspecting and adapting YOURSELF, applying value-based prioritization and iterative planning, execution and measurement to your leadership game…this not only teaches you how to be a better agilest, but a better leader as well.
What’s the one thing you’ve always been good at?
Knowing your ‘one thing’ allows you to link your passion to your profession, even if they seem completed unrelated
Having that passion allows you to anchor all of your communications in areas where you feel confident and enthusiastic, which reflects in how you show up for your teams.
This is what creates your unique value - your teaching and leading style
Fear of failure surfaces at every level of your organizationIn individuals, teams, units, leadershipIt is a perfectly natural human instinct. People don’t want to lose face, lose trust, or lose security in the form of their jobs, prospects, opportunity for growth, and payHowever, fear of failure creates several forms of waste and loss: Hesitation (doubt, uncertainty, procrastination)Resistance to changeStonewalling - resistance to teamOvercompensating with process to gain certainty and safety (planning, consensus building, failsafes, estimationAll of these result in very poor performanceThe antidote is in the the culture you build Hesitation - train people (through Agile Games, for example) the value of quick decisioning, and give them safety nets when their rapid experiments failPull change, don’t push itConnect more authentically with people’s sense of purpose, values, and needs.Again, start with willing minds and projects that fit - lower risk, less need for documentation - and pull people to you with the resultsDemonstrate, visibly, the results of thinking and acting in this way, and find people who will reward it (hint, you don’t need execs to approve incentives)
How do you handle date and deadline pressures in Agile Environments?
A listener sends us his question on what to do if you are pressured in the early days of a project to commit to specific deliverables on certain dates
Remember that some projects reasonably require delivery commitments - especially those with regulatory, audit, or compliance expectations. These may not make great first experiments in Agility, because Agile requires flexible scope in order to work well with the philosophy
It is also perfectly normal for a business to want to make promises to its customers (and therefore demand them from its delivery teams)
Agile provides a better model that allows for continuous scope negotiation. This requires trust between product owner and team
Attitudes and beliefs, or ‘frames’ have to change in order for the ‘when by’ culture to change
Sooner or later…I have to tackle estimation. As the debate rages on (estimates versus no estimates), the fact remains that while customers need to know how much of an investment they’re in for, and what they will be getting for their money, we also need to admit that unless you’re repeating some variation of something you’ve already done before, it is very difficult to predict the future when so many variables can intersect to influence the outcome.
In order to spread and scale Agile practices, we need to raise up a tribe of elite, influential leaders. Those who know how to inspire the courage to change in others.
If you are coaching - whether team members, Agile leaders or executives, it is important to balance their Agile/Scrum education with leader fundamentals. The first of these is the ability to articulate your vision. Helping others find theirs is a rewarding and eye-opening experience (for both the coach and the coaches).
A large corporate culture can get to the point where there are so many thoughtless demands on our time that we are forced to ’shut off’ our tools and dim our availability - either to hide from people asking us to do even more work, or just to find 10 minutes of respite to catch up or take a mental break. This can’t be good - have we missed the point?
This week, I interview Scott McCarthy of Moving Forward Leadership. Scott is a leader in the Canadian Armed Forces, and also runs his own leadership consultancy and podcast. In this conversation, we discuss why it's so critical to trust your teams, planning for your own exit, teaching leadership from Day 1, and how to survive and thrive in the face of fear and failure. It was a great conversation that brought a very different leadership perspective into our world and Agile values!
Check Scott out at www.movingforwardleadership.com, subscribe to his excellent podcast today, and stay tuned to the end because Scott has a very special free offer for you that I encourage every listener to take advantage of!
This week, we take a listener question from a new Scrum Master who struggles with public speaking.
Ultimately, public speaking is something that has a good deal of fear associated with it, and the usual suggestions for dealing with it have something to do with imagining the fear isn’t there, or overcoming it through exposure.
But there’s something more.
Time to fall back to the Badass Agile Principles - Get Visionary, Get Focused, Get Humble and Flexible, and Get Gritty.
Most important is the first one - if your reason for doing something is strong enough, and centred in your vision and purpose, you will have a much easier time managing and wrestling the fear.
Check it out in this week’s episode!