Becoming A True Agile Leader(tm)

Welcome guest host Jeff Davis! On this podcast Jeff interview's Brian Rabon, founder of the Center For Agile Leadership and owner of SoWal CrossFit. Learn how Brian has employed the values and principles of Agile with his coaching staff. Brian's focus has been on creating a self-organizing and self-managing team who is capable of running the gym without his physical presence 6 months out of the year.

On this podcast we explore the “Leader User Guide” – a brilliant document that allows new team members to view a snapshot of how best to work with their leaders (communication preferences, triggers, idiosyncrasies, etc.).  Our esteemed guests today are Lindsey Gray (Regional Director of The Council of State Governments Southern Office and the Southern Legislative Conference) and Michael Bell (co-founder of The Modern Brand Co., a boutique brand consultancy firm in Birmingham, AL).

On this podcast we explore how leaders can foster an environment of “psychological safety” (AKA one that rewards vulnerability). Our esteemed guest is Timothy Clark: Founder/CEO of LeaderFactor in SLC; Global authority in the fields of Snr exec dev., strategy acceleration, and org change; and author of 150 articles (on leadership, change, strategy, culture, and empl engagement) as well as 5 books, including The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety: Defining the path to inclusion and innovation.

On today's podcast, we're going to explore building mental, emotional and social resilience at work with physician, educator and leader Parneet Pal (MBBS, MS), Chief Science Officer at Wisdom Labs (wisdomlabs.com), Dr. Pal focuses on solving stress, burnout and loneliness in the workplace at Fortune 500 companies and conferences around the world.

Leaders, are you taking care of yourself?  Is it a priority?  COVID has stolen our joy, our time and our security; it’s time to get those back!!   Today’s expert on mastering self-care is Deborah Crowe, a business and leadership coach, keynote speaker, podcast host, and educator, with over 30 years of global experience offering online courses and working with top Fortune 500 companies in Canada, the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Today we’re going to talk about understanding “Energy Leadership” as it relates to communication and mastering buy-in.  Today’s return guest, Greg Ballard, is a Certified Professional Coach, an expert in Patrick Lencioni’s Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, an authorized Partner for Everything DiSC, and a Master Practitioner in “Energy Leadership”…which is designed to help clients discover their “filters” and how those filters influence their results and achievements.

Today we’re going to talk about Aligning Your Teams with Your Organization’s Mission and Ability to Grow.  Our guest is Greg Ballard, Certified Professional Coach and expert in Patrick Lencioni’s Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, an authorized Partner for Everything DiSC, and a PXT Select and Energy Leadership Master Practitioner. Listen while Greg dives deep into the purpose and intent of your organization’s mission, and how that feeds into growing your teams

Today we’re examining the Cynefin Framework, used to aid leaders in decision-making. Cynefin (ki-NEV-in) helps leaders to perceive the situations they’re in, and decide what leadership style is appropriate. Our guest today is esteemed colleague/friend Kate Megaw, President/Co-Founder of CFAL’s sister company (Braintrust Consulting Group), CST, PMP, Agile Coach, and Agile Leadership trainer. Many listeners know first-hand Kate’s excellence and popularity as an Agile trainer and Cynefin expert.

Today, we’re looking at the Saboteur Assessment. This free Personal Assessment Tool was created by Stanford/Yale faculty member & prior Chairman of the CTI, Shirzad Chamine; it reveals how our brains work against us. Here to walk us through it is Anu Smalley, Pres/Founder of the Capala Consulting Grp, where she specializes in Exec coaching/Agile Transformations. Anu is also an Enterprise Agile Coach & Certified Scrum Trainer(r)-providing ed, coaching & consulting svcs to clients across the US.

Today we welcome back Jeff Nischwitz from our December 15, 2020 Podcast (Ep. #39), where we continue our conversation about vulnerable leadership. Jeff is an international leadership, team engagement and culture speaker, and the author of four books.  Today we revisited the topics of vulnerability vs. authenticity, emotional intelligence vs. emotional awareness, and the link between being vulnerable and being fully present.  In addition we did a deep dive into triggers and blind spots.

To piggy-back onto our Episode #40 interview with Jeff Davis (which beautifully describes the differences between “coaching” and “managing”, we spend this episode with Bill Schaller (recently retired from being an international Agile Trainer, Coach and Facilitator), who shares the inside scoop on what it takes to be a good Agile coach, how Agile coaching has evolved over the years, and what the future of Agile coaching looks like.

Today’s podcast explores the difference between “Managing” and “Coaching” (with a sprinkle of “Mentoring” thrown in).  Today’s guest is Jeff Davis, Talent Development Manager/Agile Coach at eviCore Healthcare in Franklin TN.  Prior to that, he was a Senior Scrum Master at the HealthTrust Purchasing Group in Nashville, and before that he served for 19 years as the DevOps Advocate, Agile Enabler, Iteration Manager and Certified ScrumMaster at IBM.

Today we explore what it means to be a vulnerable leader, and why it is so essential. Today’s guest is Jeff Nischwitz, an international leadership, team engagement and culture speaker, known for challenging traditional thinking, and for delivering tools for leaders to grow people, build businesses and enhance relationships. Jeff is the author of four books and works with a range of organizations to grow their leaders, build engaged and empowered teams, and enhance personal accountability.

Today we examine The Process Communication Model (PCM), a tool that helps leaders to understand/embrace 6 personality types and how they predictably drive behavior/communication. Discussed is how PCM improves leaders, how to work within your personality and why personality diversity is NOT an obstacle. Guest is Nate Regier, Ph.D., expert in emotional IQ, interpersonal communication and leadership, former psychologist, 3x author, and CEO/Founder of global leadership firm “Next Element Consulting”.

Today’s guest is Celine Williams, founder of reVisionary where she serves as an executive coach, culture strategist and modern leadership development expert. Today we talked about failure: loving it, discussing it, and changing our mindsets about it. If you’re a True Agile Leader, and/or COVID has left you feeling less-than, listen in to the podcast that Feedspot.com just ranked #1 of the “Top 30 Agile Leadership Podcasts to Follow in 2020” https://blog.feedspot.com/agile_leadership_podcasts.

Today’s guest was J.J. Caffey, MBA graduate of The Wharton School, and founder/CEO of “Order In” -- a digital platform for the leaders of remote work.  JJ focuses on using community, connectedness and efficiency to revolutionize the leadership of virtual employees.  In this podcast, we address 1) the long-term consequences of disconnectedness and isolation due to working from home, and 2) where leaders often go wrong when it comes to Performance evaluations of remote team-members.

Fresh on the heels of our wildly popular Podcast Episode #30 (an open forum titled “Why aren’t there more women in leadership, and what can we do about it?”), we assembled a smaller group of women to spend an hour each week (for 4 weeks) discussing the leadership challenges they have experienced or witnessed. This week (#4 of 4), we discussed a variety of topics, including Emotional Intelligence, wardrobe and lots of other juicy observations and suggestions.

Fresh on the heels of our wildly popular Podcast Episode #30 (an open forum titled “Why aren’t there more women in leadership, and what can we do about it?”), we assembled a smaller group of women to spend an hour each week (for 4 weeks) discussing the leadership challenges they have experienced or witnessed.  This week (#3 of 4), we discussed a variety of topics, including Emotional Intelligence, wardrobe and lots of other juicy observations and suggestions.

Fresh on the heels of our wildly popular Podcast Episode #30 (an open forum titled “Why aren’t there more women in leadership, and what can we do about it?”), we assembled a smaller group of women to spend an hour each week (for 4 weeks) discussing the leadership challenges they have experienced or witnessed.  This week (#2 of 4), we discussed a variety of topics, including Emotional Intelligence, wardrobe and lots of other juicy observations and suggestions.

Fresh on the heels of our wildly popular Podcast Episode #30 (an open forum titled “Why aren’t there more women in leadership, and what can we do about it?”), we assembled a smaller group of women to spend an hour each week (for 4 weeks) discussing the leadership challenges they have experienced or witnessed.  This week (#1 of 4), we discussed Emotional Intelligence and its impact on women leader’s authenticity and transparency, in addition to lots of other juicy observations and suggestions.

What is “compassionate leadership”?  We posed that question to Dan Egan, world-renowned extreme skier, film producer, television personality, journalist, author, and marketing consultant.  Listen in while he gives some amazing insights into what compassionate leadership looks like…and why it’s so important… especially now!

Question: Why Aren’t There More Women in Leadership Positions & What Can We Do About it?  We invited 5 female panelists to an open forum discussion. Listen while dozens of brilliant women ask/answer key questions related to this topic.   Panelists are: Ursula Adam (Chief Of Staff, Ford IT Trans Office), Pamela Good (Pres and Exec Direc, Beyond Basics), Carole Leigh Hutton (VP Bus Dev, Inforum), Kate Megaw (Pres, Braintrust Consulting Grp), and Windy Nicholson (VP Planning & Execution, Equifax).

In this episode, Rikki Schwartz, President, Center for Agile Leadership, interviews Dr. David Bishop, CEO and Founder of Agile Worx, LLC, a firm that provides program/project management training, and consulting services. David is also the author of several books, including  Metagility: Managing Agile Development for Competitive Advantage.  Listen in while David discusses how to overcome organizational resistance to Agile.

We are witnessing one of the greatest leadership challenges of our lifetimes so far; there is a tremendous about of fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Agile Leadership In A Time Of Crisis is designed to help leaders re-gain some control and support their teams through this troubling time. Get your copy for only $19.99 at store.centerforagileleadership.com. Become a better Agile Leader for cost of a couple lunches.

We often think about our health in terms of symptoms. And that’s commonly what clinical Drs. do as well; they treat our illnesses/symptoms one at a time, and only once they become acute.  But what if Drs. partnered with us to REGULARLY and PROACTIVELY monitor our total wellness (fitness, stress, sleep, nutrition, sleep)? Listen while Brian Rabon interviews Rick Henriksen, physician and founder of Kestrel (a “membership medical practice” based in Salt Lake), regarding his approach to managing wellness.

In this episode, Brian Rabon, Founder of the Center for Agile Leadership, interviews David Todaro, Founder and CEO of Ascendle, (a Boston-based firm specializing in custom cloud and mobile development for clients who need faster software innovation) and author of the new book The Epic Guide to Agile: More Business Value on a Predictable Schedule with Scrum.  Listen in while Brian and David discuss how leaders can leverage Agile principles to get comfortable with incremental project planning and funding.

In this episode, President of the Center For Agile Leadership(r) Rikki Schwartz interviews Agile Leadership movement founder Brian Rabon. Brian shares the origins of the Agile Leadership movement and what it means to be an True Agile Leader(TM). 

In this episode, President of the Center For Agile Leadership(r) Rikki Schwartz interviews Agile Leadership movement founder Brian Rabon. Brian shares the origins of the Agile Leadership movement and what it means to be an True Agile Leader(tm). 

What does “self-care”  really mean, and why is it so important…especially for leaders?  Listen to this brilliantly insightful interview with Kathryn Nicolai, renowned podcaster (with 14 million downloads of her podcast “Nothing Much Happens–Bedtime Stories for Grownups”), author, yoga teacher/studio owner.   Even if you THINK you know everything there is to know about yoga, meditation and sleep…take some time for yourself to listen to Kathryn explain the importance of taking time for yourself!

True Agile Leaders(tm) know that Agile does not work in a vacuum; that success depends on assimilating the tenets of Agile into our organizations’ value systems.  In this 10-part series, Rikki Schwartz interviews 14 Agile experts (from 10 different industries) about their strategies for merging Agile into the knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors of their organizations. Today’s interview is with Matt Dukes and Daryl Grantham at Energy Solutions (large processors of low level radioactive waste).

True Agile Leaders(tm) know that Agile does not work in a vacuum; that success depends on assimilating the tenets of Agile into our organizations’ value systems. In this 10-part series, Rikki Schwartz interviews 14 Agile experts (from 10 different industries) about their strategies for merging Agile into the knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors of their organizations. Today’s interview is with Jamey Kennedy, Strategic Planning Advisor at Oak Ridge Associated Universities.

True Agile Leaders(tm) know that Agile does not work in a vacuum; that success depends on assimilating the tenets of Agile into our organizations’ value systems.  In this 10-part series, Rikki Schwartz interviews 14 Agile experts (from 10 different industries) about their strategies for merging Agile into the knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors of their organizations. Today’s interview is with Earnest May, at Atlanta Housing Authority. Listen to his organization’s remarkable transformation from skeptical TEAM to re-energized FAMILY - thanks to Earnest’s Agile leadership.

True Agile Leaders(tm) know that Agile does not work in a vacuum; that success depends on assimilating the tenets of Agile into our organizations’ value systems. In this 10-part series, Rikki Schwartz interviews 14 Agile experts (from 10 different industries) about their strategies for merging Agile into the knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors of their organizations. Today’s interview is with Tricia Kitchens, Director of Technology Solutions at the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury.

True Agile Leaders(tm) know that Agile does not work in a vacuum; that success depends on assimilating the tenets of Agile into our organizations’ value systems. In this 10-part series, Rikki Schwartz interviews 14 Agile experts (from 10 different industries) about their strategies for merging Agile into the knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors of their organizations. Today’s interview is with Tami Volkert and Emily Nichols at Grow Financial Federal Credit Union.

True Agile Leaders(tm) know that Agile does not work in a vacuum; that success depends on assimilating the tenets of Agile into our organizations’ value systems.  In this 10-part series, Rikki Schwartz interviews 14 Agile experts (from 10 different industries) about their strategies for merging Agile into the knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors of their organizations. Today’s interview is with Katherine Maxwell, Director of National Field Operations Quality and Risk Management at Nielsen.

True Agile Leaders (tm) know that Agile does not work in a vacuum; that success depends on assimilating the tenets of Agile into our organizations’ value systems.  In this 10-part series, Rikki Schwartz interviews 14 Agile experts (from 10 different industries) about their strategies for merging Agile into the knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors of their organizations. Today’s interview is with Joe Kirk, Chief Information Officer at the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).

True Agile Leaders(tm) know that Agile does not work in a vacuum; that success depends on assimilating the tenets of Agile into our organizations’ value systems. In this 10-part series, Rikki Schwartz interviews 14 Agile experts (from 10 different industries) about their strategies for merging Agile into the knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors of their organizations. Today’s interview is with Ann Gleave, Product Owner and Business Process Analyst in the defense industry.

True Agile Leaders(tm) know that Agile does not work in a vacuum; that success depends on assimilating the tenets of Agile into our organizations’ value systems.  In this 10-part series, Rikki Schwartz interviews 14 Agile experts (from 10 different industries) about their strategies for merging Agile into the knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors of their organizations. Today’s interview is with Isaac Greenlee, IT Director of Application Delivery at Nelnet Financial Services.

True Agile Leaders(tm) know that Agile does not work in a vacuum; that success depends on assimilating the tenets of Agile into our organizations’ value systems.  In this 10-part series, Rikki Schwartz interviews 14 Agile experts (from 10 different industries) about their strategies for merging Agile into the knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors of their organizations. Today’s interview is with Michael Bell, Founder of the brand consulting firm “The Modern Brand”, located in Birmingham, AL.

Traditional leaders often write very specific job descriptions, as part of the hiring process.  This podcast examines how and why True Agile Leaders may want to focus instead on the PURPOSE of each position, and leave the job descriptions much more open.

Traditional leaders build standard organizational charts, with customer service and field representatives near the bottom, and executives at the top.  This podcast examines why True Agile LeadersTM believe in flipping that organizational chart upside down.

Traditional leaders often hold annual performance reviews.  This podcast examines the worthless nature of this approach as it applies to growing team members, and optimizing customer service.

Traditional leaders often spend a great deal of time considering, preparing and closely tracking “Performance Improvement Plans” for their lowest performing employees.  This podcast examines how and why True Agile Leaders choose instead to shift their focus/attention to their high performers.

Traditional leaders often dismiss job candidates based on what is MISSING on their resumes. This podcast examines the importance of focusing first and foremost on SYNERGIES between candidates and open positions, regardless of experiential gaps.

Traditional leaders often hold their employees hostage by focusing on their hours instead of their results. This podcast examines how and why True Agile Leaders choose to shift their focus from clocks to consequences.

Let’s face it - most “traditional” Vision Statements are worthless.  This Podcast examines how so many companies’ vision statements fall painfully short of providing the inspiration and guidance that a truly Agile Vision Statement delivers.

Traditional managers are married to their processes. True Agile leaders INSPECT AND ADAPT all processes, always. This Podcast examines what it looks like when front-line employees are forced to torture their customers with outdated and/or over-burdensome processes that do not serve the customer, the employees or the organization as a whole.

True Agile leaders are transparent with their emotions.  This Podcast examines what NOT doing so looks like, why having a high emotional IQ does not mean “hiding” ones emotions, and the downside of expressing inauthentic responses to those we lead.

True Agile leaders are transparent about the health of their organizations with those they lead.  This Podcast examines whether the benefits of doing so outweigh the risks, and in particular takes a close look how a more Agile approach could have changed the outcome of the most recent GM Plant closings for the 14,000 blind-sided employees.

In this episode, President of the Center For Agile Leadership(r) Rikki Schwartz interviews Agile Leadership movement founder Brian Rabon. Brian shares the origins of the Agile Leadership movement and what it means to be an True Agile Leader(TM). 

In this episode, President of the Center For Agile Leadership(r) Rikki Schwartz interviews Agile Leadership movement founder Brian Rabon. Brian shares the origins of the Agile Leadership movement and what it means to be an True Agile Leader(tm).