Agile For Agilsts – The Agile For Agilists Podcast
Agile For Agilists
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Just two agilists having great conversations about agile with other great agilists.
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Oct 25, 2023
Are Agile Coaches Really Coaches? Examining the “Coach” Suffix with Holly Acre
In this episode of the "Agile for Agilists Podcast," hosts Drew Podwal and Brad Nelson sit down with special guest Holly Acre, a public school teacher turned Sales Enablement Coach with a unique twist — she applies Agile principles to her coaching practice. The conversation takes a deep dive into the intriguing intersection of Agile methodologies and professional coaching, shedding light on a common challenge within the Agile community — Agile Coaches often haven't been trained to coach.
With her extensive background in coaching and teaching, Holly offers a fresh perspective on the subject and shares her valuable insights that any professional coach, agile or otherwise, can learn from. She reveals how she applies agile principles in her work with sales teams, helping them navigate the complex business world of individual development, sales, and customer relationships.
Throughout the episode, Drew and Brad are genuinely fascinated by Holly's experiences and how her coaching skills have benefited the sales teams she works with. They discuss the challenges and successes she has encountered, drawing parallels to their experiences as Agile Coaches in the Agile industry. Holly's expertise in motivation, goal setting, conflict resolution, and feedback becomes a treasure trove of inspiration for Agile coaches looking to upskill their coaching game.
Tune in to this insightful episode to discover:
— How Agile principles can be adapted to various professional contexts.
— The importance of formal coaching training for Agile coaches.
— Real-world examples of coaching practices benefiting sales teams.
— Strategies for fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Whether you're an Agile coach seeking to enhance your coaching skills or simply interested in the dynamics of coaching in sales and Agile, this episode promises valuable takeaways and engaging insights. Join Drew, Brad, and Holly for a conversation that bridges the worlds of sales and Agile, highlighting how agile coaches can use the agile mindset to successfully coach agile.
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Oct 16, 2023
Are You Overlooking Agile’s Best Kept Secret? Unleash the Power of Learning on the Fly with Jon Fazzaro
Listen in as we navigate through a range of insightful topics in this dynamic conversation with Agile coach, John Fazzaro. We tackle the crucial idea of not knowing the value of our work until it's complete and in use, stressing the need to place faith in "why" our work is valuable rather than faith that if our work was given to us that it must be valuable. Agile practices are discussed in detail, underscoring the necessity for stakeholder feedback to understand what truly brings value.
Embrace a shift in perspective as we debunk the outdated idea of learning being limited to childhood. We discuss the fallacies this mentality can lead to in software development, the value of continuous learning, and the significance of adapting agile mantras such as 'stop trying to get it right the first time'. Our host Drew, even shares his personal journey to becoming a tattoo "artist", correlating the importance of fast cycles of failure as an opportunity to learn.
Our conversation takes an interesting turn as we challenge traditional hierarchical organizational structures, drawing parallels with the concept of helicopter parenting. We look at how test-driven development and software architecture influence Agile methodologies, exploring topics like the scientific method, Kent Beck's Test and Commit or Revert, and the complexities of code. We wrap up by discussing how organizational structures can hamper Agile collaboration and the necessity for a framework that supports scaling. You won't want to miss this informative and engaging conversation, so tune in!
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Oct 16, 2023
From Vision to Victory: Defining Success in a Changing Landscape with Dom Michalec
Welcome to a fresh season of The Agile For Agilists Podcast! We're thrilled to have Dom Michalec back as our guest, bringing his wealth of knowledge in behavior design and product management. In this episode, we dive deep into a fundamental but often underestimated aspect of any endeavor – defining success. Dom guides us through essential topics like coaching agreements, securing buy-in, and boosting attendance at your sprint reviews. Plus, we explore the art of crafting compelling product visions. Tune in for invaluable insights and actionable strategies to elevate your projects and transformations. Don't miss this enlightening conversation!
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Aug 16, 2023
Daniel Vacanti Breaks the Kanban Code: The Underrated Impact of Flow Metrics
In this eye-opening episode, we are joined by Daniel Vacanti, a co-founder of ProKanban and Actionable Agile, to discuss the merits of Agile, Kanban, and Lean principles. Vacanti takes a fresh look at these methodologies, challenging our understanding and revealing some lesser-known aspects. We explore the concept of timeboxing in Agile and discuss whether it adds value or merely complexity. Vacanti shares his expertise on optimizing flow and value in Kanban, debunking common myths and emphasizing the importance of creating a shared language within a team. He makes a compelling case for why Kanban can be a more advantageous starting point than Scrum, explaining the underestimated impact of flow metrics. The conversation also touches on understanding 'value', the necessity of customer feedback, and the crucial role of risk management in investment decisions. Listen in as we delve deep into the world of Agile, Kanban, and Lean, breaking down the Kanban code and reshaping your understanding of these popular principles.
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Jul 16, 2023
Revolutionizing Change: Breaking the Mold with Lean Change, featuring Author Jason Little and Trainer/Coach Ken Rickard
In this exciting episode of The Agile For Agilists Podcast, hosts Drew and Brad are joined by two esteemed guests, author Jason Little and trainer/coach Ken Rickard, to explore the fascinating world of lean change and enterprise coaching. Together, they delve into the principles and practices of lean change management and its potential to revolutionize organizational transformation.
Jason Little, renowned author of "Lean Change Management," brings his deep insights into leveraging lean and agile approaches to drive meaningful change in complex environments. Ken Rickard, a seasoned trainer and coach, offers practical guidance on enterprise coaching and how lean change has helped him to apply an agile approach to agile adoption.
Throughout the episode, our guests provide valuable perspectives, share real-life examples, and offer actionable tips for enterprise coaches and change agents seeking to enhance their change management capabilities. Whether you're a seasoned practitioner or embarking on your change management journey, this episode is a treasure trove of insights and practical wisdom that will inspire and empower you to lead successful transformations within your organization.
Tune in to this episode to expand your knowledge and discover new possibilities for driving effective change in today's dynamic business landscape with this captivating conversation with Jason Little and Ken Rickard.
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Jun 22, 2023
An Epic Adventure of Agile Transformation: Discover the Path to Agility with Agile Velocity coach, Andy Cleff
In this enlightening episode of "The Agile For Agilists Podcast," our esteemed guest, Andy Cleff, an agile transformation coach at Agile Velocity and co-founder/host of the "Agile Uprising Podcast," leads Brad and Drew on an eye-opening journey down the Path to Agility.
The Path to Agility, a methodology developed by Agile Velocity, transcends frameworks and emphasizes achieving tangible business outcomes. Andy provides a condensed overview of this approach, including its companion tool, Navigator. Furthermore, he delves into the depths of agile transformations and the criticality of embracing business agility.
Our discussion zooms in on the pivotal role of funding models in supporting agile transformations. We shed light on the limitations of conventional funding approaches such as Capex, Opex, profit centers, and cost centers, which often impede organizations from fully embracing business agility. These rigid models, burdened with excessive overhead, pose significant obstacles to swift responses to market changes and user feedback.
Moreover, we explore the intriguing intersection of change management and agile transformations. Traditional change management methodologies, while valuable in their time and specific contexts, often rely on a plan-driven approach that contradicts the iterative and adaptive nature of the agile movement. Andy reveals that the renowned Kotter 8 Step Change Model, developed by Dr. John Kotter, has recently evolved to accommodate this crucial need.
Throughout the episode, Andy Cleff generously shares his wealth of real-world experience and practical insights on successfully achieving business outcomes through impactful change and agile practices across all organizational levels.
Don't miss out on this illuminating episode of "The Agile For Agilists Podcast" as we embark together on the transformative Path to Agility.
#AgilePodcast #BusinessAgility #ChangeManagement #AgileTransformation
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Jun 5, 2023
How Ford Credit is Investing in ProdOps to Build a Strategic Advantage with Kevin McClure
Ever wondered how creativity and collaboration can ignite your professional journey? We had a blast chatting with our longtime friend, Kevin McClure, Senior Manager in the Digital Experience team at Ford Motor Credit. He revealed the fascinating story of how he transitioned from a finance degree and sales career to a product manager, rekindling his creative spark along the way.
In this riveting conversation, we delved into the importance of visualization skills and empathizing with customers for successful product development. Kevin shared his experiences with powerful tools for mapping out his mind and illustrating the flow of value in a way that is tangible and easily presentable to stakeholders. We also discussed the exciting journey from BA to Scrum Master, the evolution of our partnership, and how treating product development like a business can lead to impactful results.
This episode is jam-packed with valuable insights, from UX maturity to the entrepreneurial spirit and metrics-driven decision-making. Don't miss out on learning from Kevin's experiences and discovering ways to channel your creativity into success. And hey, if you love the episode, post a repost with the hashtag #AgileSticks and tag us for a chance to win a free Agile for Agilist sticker pack! Let's keep the creativity flowing!
Join hosts Drew and Brad on an exciting episode of The Agile for Agilists Podcast, as they welcome special guest Kevin McClure, a Senior Manager at Ford Credit with a wealth of experience as a Product Manager for multiple Fortune 500 companies. In this captivating conversation, Brad and Kevin reflect on their experiences at Meijer and explore the fascinating journey that led Kevin to excel in the field of product management. Gain valuable insights into the power of visualizing work and effectively presenting those visualizations, while also discovering Ford Credit's innovative strategies for deepening their understanding of customers. Tune in to this episode to gain useful perspectives on agile practices, effective product management techniques, and the pivotal role of customer-centric approaches.
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May 16, 2023
Breaking Agile Boundaries: Behavior Design Unleashed for Agile Transformations with Dom Michalec
Welcome to another exciting episode of "The Agile For Agilists Podcast" hosted by Brad Nelson and Drew Podwal. In this episode, we have the pleasure of welcoming our special guest, behavioral design and product coach, Dom Michalec. Join us as we explore the elements of behavioral design and how this method can unlock the potential within your teams and revolutionize the way agile coaches approach facilitating transformation journeys.
During this insightful conversation, Dom shares his wealth of experience in creating user-centric and behavior-driven design solutions in contrast to facilitating organizational change by combining the principles of human behavior and agile methodologies. As an avid student of Dr. BJ Fogg and Tiny Habits Certified Coach, Dom highlights how the Fogg Behavior Model enables coaches to identify and align motivations, abilities, and prompts within individuals, fostering a fertile ground for agile adoption.
Dom shares how this approach can be used both for good and evil, as well as how to apply it in your own life to finally build the habits you have been struggling with for years. While this method is definitely a life hack, Dom assures us that it is not the Jedi Mind Trick. It can be just as powerful though in the right hands!
Throughout the episode, Brad, Drew, and Dom engage in a dynamic conversation that delves into the practical applications of behavioral design principles and how they can be seamlessly integrated into both product design and the agile transformation process. Listeners will gain a high-level understanding of what Behavior Design is, along with actionable tips for integrating these strategies into agile events, such as sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives, to optimize collaboration, enhance productivity, and foster a continuous improvement mindset.
Join us on "The Agile For Agilists Podcast" as we uncover the immense potential of leveraging behavioral design strategies in driving an enterprise's agile transformation. Get ready to transform your organization into an agile powerhouse that thrives on human-centric principles!
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May 3, 2023
Story Points vs. No Estimates: A Battle of Agile Philosophies – With Amanda Rae Arseneau
The long-awaited Agile showdown is finally here, Story Points vs No Estimates! Amanda Rae Arseneau is back to team up with co-host Brad Nelson to go head-to-head with Drew Podwal, in a debate that you won’t want to miss!
The discussion gets heated as Drew argues in favor of story points, emphasizing the benefits of having a shared language enabling alignment between technical and non-technical members of the team. Meanwhile, Brad and Amanda staunchly defend the no estimates approach, emphasizing an approach that has a lower cognitive load and promotes flow.
It’s a duel to the finish with no one holding back as they challenge each other's arguments and offer real-world examples and case studies to support their positions. They tackle tough questions such as: Is the need for metrics holding teams back from true agility? Are story points just a way to appease management, or do they provide real value to teams? Is a no-estimates approach realistic in a business environment that demands predictability?
Join us for a thrilling and provocative episode of The Agile for Agilist Podcast’s long-awaited follow-up. Will Drew be swept away by the flow metrics or stand victorious as the only one tracking points?
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Apr 18, 2023
The Startup Secret Sauce: How Enterprise Companies Can Benefit from the Startup Mentality with Elizabeth O’Neill
Are you tired of office politics and personality clashes standing in the way of your team's or organization's growth of Agile capabilities? In this episode we discuss how to navigate workplace friction reveal how examining startup culture can provide valuable insights for accelerating the delivery of value in larger organizations.
Brad Nelson and Drew Podwal sit down with Organizational Fixer, Entrepreneur Coach, and Culture Consultant Elizabeth O'Neill to unpack the secrets of startup agility, innovation, and behavioral strategies that enable such rapid delivery of value to its customers. We highlight the practices and modalities that enterprise companies can adopt from startups in order to support a more engaged, empowered and customer focused workforce. (Spoiler we talk about culture!)
We wrap up our discussion by examining how self-awareness and active listening help agile coaches manage biases, build trust, and tailor their approach to individual clients. Elizabeth provides insight that allows coaches to connect to their clients and leadership on a deeper level, and identify underlying issues that may be impeding progress.
So, if you're ready to bring some startup culture to your enterprise organization, then you're in the right spot because it's time to think like a startup and take your enterprise to the next level!
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