Podcasts about agile teams

Viktor Glinka: When Internal and External Team Members Have Divergent Goals — The Silent Killer of Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "The root causes for destructive team patterns often lie outside the team itself." - Viktor Glinka   Viktor shares a story from a manufacturing organization where one team stood out — and not in a good way. The team was composed of both internal and external members, and what no one saw coming was that their implicit goals were fundamentally divergent: the external members were focused on maximizing revenue for their own company, while the internal members cared deeply about product quality. The signs were visible to anyone who approached them — they barely talked to each other and preferred to work individually. When Viktor tried to raise the topic of cooperation and trust, he was met with awkward silence. One team member finally told him: "I don't want the team to blow up. In my previous experience, I raised this topic and that was the end of the team." Fear kept the truth underground. Viktor brought his observations to the manager, who acknowledged the lack of a shared goal as the root cause — but couldn't fix it because he wasn't authorized to manage the external people. The takeaway was clear: three key success factors for any team are the right team composition with people who want to work together, a shared goal that unites diverse perspectives, and clear expectations set by their manager.   In this segment, we talk about LeSS self-designing team workshops and the importance of team composition in scaled setups.   Self-reflection Question: Does your team have a shared goal that everyone — including external members and contractors — genuinely understands and cares about? When was the last time you checked? Featured Book of the Week: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland Viktor recommends The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland as the book that sparked his passion for Scrum. As he puts it: "I know the title is very controversial and often criticized, but I could deeply relate to the stories inside the book. They sparked a passion that is still with me." Viktor also recommends a bonus book: Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux, which showed him the real power of self-organization and validated what he had already started experimenting with in his project management career. It pushed him to explore holacracy, sociocracy, intent-based leadership, and coaching.   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Scrum ist in vielen Unternehmen angekommen – als Standard, als Versprechen, als Hoffnungsträger. Und trotzdem erleben viele von Ihnen eine irritierende Diskrepanz: Die Rituale laufen, die Rollen sind benannt, die Termine stehen. Aber Wirkung entsteht zu selten. Statt schneller Lernschleifen gibt es Meeting-Routine. Statt echten Produktfortschritt gibt es Aktivität. Und statt Klarheit entsteht häufig das Gefühl: „Wir machen Scrum – aber es fühlt sich nicht lebendig an.“ Genau dafür gibt es ein drastisches, aber hilfreiches Bild: Zombie Scrum. Scrum sieht von außen intakt aus – aber das, was es eigentlich leisten soll, bleibt aus. Heute geht es darum, woran Sie Zombie Scrum erkennen, warum es so hartnäckig entsteht – und wie Sie darüber sprechen können, ohne in Schuldzuweisungen oder Methodenstreit zu geraten. Dazu spreche ich heute mit Johannes Schartau. Johannes hat vor einigen Jahren den Zombie Scrum Survival Guide auf Englisch mitveröffentlicht – und wir haben damals schon einmal über Zombie Scrum gesprochen. Jetzt ist das Buch auf Deutsch erschienen, inklusive zusätzlicher Experimente in der deutschen Ausgabe. Das ist ein guter Anlass, neu draufzuschauen: Was hat sich in Organisationen verändert – und welche Muster sind erstaunlich stabil geblieben? Jetzt Reinhören!

Nate Amidon: The Hidden Cost of Distributed Agile Teams — When Time Zones and Misaligned Incentives Silently Kill Value Delivery Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "User stories are getting done, velocity is fine, people are fairly predictable — but features, epics, and value isn't getting delivered." - Nate Amidon   Since the COVID shift to remote work, Nate has been seeing the same challenge across multiple clients: organizations spinning up engineering teams in opposite time zones, shrinking the overlap window from eight hours to barely one or two. But the time zone gap is only the surface problem. The real issue runs deeper — misaligned incentives between internal teams focused on value delivery and third-party vendors measured on output metrics like story completion counts. On the surface, everything looks fine: stories get done, velocity is stable, predictability is there. But zoom out and you see that features, epics, and actual customer value aren't being delivered. Nate shares a striking example: offshore QA testers incentivized by the number of bugs they found were creating Russian-doll ticket structures — bugs within bugs within bugs — flooding the system with noise while adding no value. His approach starts with making everyone feel like they're on one team — cameras on, real conversations about who people are, what they like, where they live. Then he works to expose the constraint: how is each group actually measured and incentivized? You can't always change the enterprise contract, but you can mitigate. In the QA case, he got leadership to communicate directly with the vendor that the new, leaner process wouldn't penalize their people.   Self-reflection Question: Do you know how every member of your team — including vendors and contractors — is measured and incentivized, and have you checked whether those incentives are aligned with the value your team is trying to deliver?   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

AI isn't just speeding up coding. It's starting to change how teams work, what they build, and even who needs to be involved. In this episode, Brian and Hunter separate real impact from hype and explore what's already shifting inside teams.   Overview AI tools are improving fast, but what does that actually mean for teams doing the work? In this episode, Brian Milner sits down with Hunter Hillegas, CTO of Mountain Goat Software, to explore how AI is being used today inside real software teams. They dig into where these tools are genuinely accelerating work, from coding agents and automated testing to analyzing large data sets and reducing friction in everyday tasks. They also unpack the growing shift from writing code to reviewing it, and what that means for developers and team dynamics. At the same time, they address the gap between hype and reality. Where does AI perform well, and where does it still fall short? What happens when adoption is pushed top-down without clarity? And how might AI start to reshape roles, collaboration, and expectations across a team? This is a practical, honest look at what's changing right now, where to start if you're new to these tools, and how to think about AI as part of your team without losing sight of how real teams actually work.   References and resources mentioned in the show:   Hunter Hillegas Mountaingoat Software's AI Toolkit #82: The Intersection of AI and Agile with Emilia Breton #169: Building Practical AI for Agile Teams with Hunter Hillegas #175: When AI Makes Agile Teams Worse with Hunter Hillegas AI Doesn't Eliminate Agile Teams — It Increases the Need for Great Ones by Mike Cohn How to Use AI for Product Discovery and Writing Better User Stories by Mike Cohn Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast    Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we'd love your input.   Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.   Got an Agile subject you'd like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode's presenters are: Brian Milner is a Certified Scrum Trainer®, Certified Scrum Professional®, Certified ScrumMaster®, and Certified Scrum Product Owner®, and host of the Agile Mentors Podcast training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work.  Hunter Hillegas is the Chief Technology Officer at Mountain Goat Software. With over 20 years of experience in software development, product ownership, and team leadership, he leads the creation of tools like the AI Toolkit and Team Home to support effective, engaging learning experiences. Hunter lives in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife and their dog Enzo.

In this episode of the Scrum.org Community Podcast, Dave West sits down with Tomasz Maj, Head of Product Ops at Odevo, to explore how a rapidly growing property management giant is navigating the AI revolution. Odevo faces a unique challenge: managing a massive, diverse portfolio across the northern hemisphere while balancing centralized scale with local autonomy.Tomasz pulls back the curtain on "vibe coding"—the democratization of development that allows non-technical staff to build functional tools—and how Odevo balances this "wild west" of innovation with rigorous security and GitHub-backed governance.Key topics include:The Operating Model of Diversity: Why Odevo chooses not to have a single "master platform" and how that fuels speed.Vibe Coding in the Wild: How accountants and maintenance teams are using AI to solve their own data problems.The 5-Step AI Engineer: Inside Odevo's comprehensive training program, from prompting to agentic development.Governance vs. Innovation: How to implement "Module Zero" (legal, GDPR, and security) without killing the creative spirit.

AI can make teams faster. But it can also quietly make them worse. In this episode, Brian Milner and Hunter Hillegas dig into the risks no one wants to talk about—from eroding developer judgment to weakening team communication—and what healthy teams should do about it.   Overview AI tools are powerful. They can generate code, draft tests, and accelerate delivery in ways that felt impossible just a few years ago. But speed is not the same as effectiveness. In this episode, Brian sits down with Mountain Goat Software CTO Hunter Hillegas to explore where AI may actually be hurting Agile teams. They discuss the risk of losing junior developer growth paths, the illusion of productivity through inflated metrics, the danger of outsourcing judgment, and how AI can quietly create communication silos inside Scrum teams. This is not an anti-AI conversation. It is a practical one. You will hear what guardrails healthy teams should consider, why accountability still belongs to humans, and how to use AI as a tool without letting it reshape your culture in ways you did not intend. If your team is leaning into AI, this episode will help you do it with your eyes open.   References and resources mentioned in the show: Hunter Hillegas Blog: AI Doesn't Eliminate Agile Teams — It Increases the Need for Great Ones by Mike Cohn #169: Building Practical AI for Agile Teams with Hunter Hillegas #82: The Intersection of AI and Agile with Emilia Breton #151: What AI Is Really Delivering (and What It's Not) with Evan Leybourn & Christopher Morales Mountain Goat Software Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast    Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we'd love your input.   Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.   Got an Agile subject you'd like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode's presenters are: Brian Milner is a Certified Scrum Trainer®, Certified Scrum Professional®, Certified ScrumMaster®, and Certified Scrum Product Owner®, and host of the Agile Mentors Podcast training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work.  Hunter Hillegas is the Chief Technology Officer at Mountain Goat Software. With over 20 years of experience in software development, product ownership, and team leadership, he leads the creation of tools like the AI Toolkit and Team Home to support effective, engaging learning experiences. Hunter lives in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife and their dog Enzo.

BONUS: From Combat Pilot to Scrum Master - How Military Leadership Transforms Agile Teams In this bonus episode, we explore a fascinating career transition with Nate Amidon, a former Air Force combat pilot who now helps software teams embed military-grade leadership principles into their Agile practices. Nate shares how the high-stakes discipline of aviation translates directly into building high-performing development teams, and why veterans make exceptional Scrum Masters. The Brief-Execute-Debrief Cycle: Aviation Meets Agile "We would mission brief in the morning and make sure everyone was on the same page. Then we problem-solved our way through the day, debriefed after, and did it again. When I learned about what Agile was, I realized it's the exact same thing."   Nate's transition from flying C-17 cargo planes to working with Agile teams wasn't as jarring as you might expect. Flying missions that lasted 2-3 weeks with a crew of 5-7 people taught him the fundamentals of iterative work: daily alignment, continuous problem-solving, and regular reflection. The brief-execute-debrief cycle that every military pilot learns mirrors the sprint cadence that Agile teams follow. Time-boxing wasn't new to him either—when you're flying, you only have so much fuel, so deadlines aren't arbitrary constraints but physical realities that demand disciplined execution. In this episode with Christian Boucousis, we also discuss the brief-execute-debrief cycle in detail.  In this segment, we also refer to Cynefin, and the classification of complexity.  Alignment: The Real Purpose Behind Ceremonies "It's really important to make sure everyone understands why you're doing what you're doing. We don't brief, execute, debrief just because—we do it because we know that getting everybody on the same page is really important."   One of the most valuable insights Nate brings to his work with software teams is the understanding that Agile ceremonies aren't bureaucratic checkboxes—they're alignment mechanisms. The purpose of sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives is to ensure everyone knows the mission and can adapt when circumstances change. Interestingly, Nate notes that as teams become more high-performing, briefings get shorter and more succinct. The discipline remains, but the overhead decreases as shared context grows. The Art of Knowing When to Interrupt "There are times when you absolutely should not interrupt an engineer. Every shoulder tap is a 15-minute reset for them to get back into the game. But there are also times when you absolutely should shoulder tap them."   High-performing teams understand the delicate balance between deep work and necessary communication. Nate shares an aviation analogy: when loadmasters are loading complex cargo like tanks and helicopters, interrupting them with irrelevant updates would be counterproductive. But if you discover that cargo shouldn't be on the plane, that's absolutely worth the interruption. This judgment—knowing what matters enough to break flow—is something veterans develop through high-stakes experience. Building this awareness across a software team requires:   Understanding what everyone is working on Knowing the bigger picture of the mission Creating psychological safety so people feel comfortable speaking up Developing shared context through daily stand-ups and retrospectives Why Veterans Make Exceptional Scrum Masters "I don't understand why every junior officer getting out of the military doesn't just get automatically hired as a Scrum Master. If you were to say what we want a Scrum Master to do, and what a junior military officer does—it's line for line."   Nate's company, Form100 Consulting, specifically hires former military officers and senior NCOs for Agile roles, often bringing them on without tech experience. The results consistently exceed expectations because veterans bring foundational leadership skills that are difficult to develop elsewhere: showing up on time, doing what you say you'll do, taking care of team members, seeing the forest through the trees. These intangible qualities—combined with the ability to stay calm, listen actively, and maintain integrity under pressure—make for exceptional servant leaders in the software development space. The Onboarding Framework for Veterans "When somebody joins, we have assigned everybody a wingman—a dedicated person that they check in with regularly to bounce ideas off, to ask questions."   Form100's approach to transitioning veterans into tech demonstrates the same principles they advocate for Agile teams. They screen carefully for the right personality fit, provide dedicated internal training on Agile methodologies and program management, and pair every new hire with a wingman. This military unit culture helps bridge the gap between active duty service and the private sector, addressing one of the biggest challenges: the expectation gap around leadership standards that exists between military and civilian organizations. Extreme Ownership: Beyond Process Management "To be a good Scrum Master, you have to take ownership of the team's execution. If the product requirements aren't good, it's a Scrum Master's job to help. If QA is the problem, take ownership. You should be the vessel and ownership of the entire process of value delivery."   One of Nate's core philosophies comes from Jocko Willink's Extreme Ownership. Too many Scrum Masters limit themselves to being "process people" who set meetings and run ceremonies. True servant leadership means owning everything that affects the team's ability to deliver value—even things technically outside your job description. When retrospectives devolve into listing external factors beyond the team's control, the extreme ownership mindset reframes the conversation: "Did we give the stakeholder the right information? Did they make a great decision based on bad information we provided?" This shift from blame to ownership drives genuine continuous improvement. Building Feedback Loops in Complex Environments "In the military, we talk about the OODA loop. Everything gets tighter, we get better—that's why we do the debrief."   Understanding whether you're operating in a complicated or complex domain (referencing the Cynefin framework) determines how tight your feedback loops need to be. In complex environments—where most software development lives—feedback loops aren't just for reacting to what happened; they're for probing and understanding what's changing. Sprint goals become essential because without knowing where you're headed, you can't detect when circumstances have shifted. The product owner role becomes critical as the voice connecting business priorities to team execution, ensuring the mission stays current even when priorities change mid-sprint. Recommended Resources Nate recommends the following books:  Team of Teams by General McChrystal Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink   About Nate Amidon   Nate is a former Air Force combat pilot and founder of Form100 Consulting. He helps software teams embed leadership at the ground level, translating military principles into Agile practices. With a focus on alignment, accountability, and execution, Nate empowers organizations to lead from within and deliver real results in a dynamic tech landscape.   You can link with Nate Amidon on LinkedIn and learn more at Form100 Consulting.

Prabhleen Kaur: How AI Is Changing the Way Agile Teams Deliver Value Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "AI's output is not the final output—it's always the two eyes we have that will get us the best results." - Prabhleen Kaur   Prabhleen brings a timely challenge to the coaching conversation: the impact of AI on teams and how Scrum Masters should navigate this transformation. She frames it as both a challenge and an opportunity—teams are now capable of delivering faster than consumers can absorb, fundamentally changing expectations and dynamics.  Prabhleen has observed her teams evolve from uncertainty about AI to confidently leveraging it for practical benefits. Developers use AI for writing and understanding code, particularly helpful for onboarding new team members who need to comprehend existing codebases quickly. QA professionals find AI invaluable for generating test cases based on story and epic context already captured in JIRA.  The next frontier? Agentic AI, where AI systems communicate with each other to produce better outputs. But Prabhleen offers an important caution: AI is learning from many conversations, not all of which are reliable. The human element—critical thinking and verification—remains essential.  For Scrum Masters, this means facilitating conversations about how teams want to experiment with AI, exploring edge cases in testing that AI can help identify, and helping teams navigate the evolving landscape of possibilities while maintaining quality and judgment.   Self-reflection Question: How are you helping your team explore AI as a tool for improvement while ensuring they maintain critical thinking about the outputs AI produces?   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

AI agents failed spectacularly at teamwork, performing ~50% worse than one solo agent!This week, we're discussing Stanford's CooperBench study (a benchmark, testing whether AI agents can collaborate on real coding tasks across Python, TypeScript, Go, and Rust) and why AI-developer coordination collapses, even with a constant chat.Listen or watch as Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Consultant Om Patel dig into the methods and findings of Stanford's 2026 CooperBench experiment and learn about the three capability gaps that caused these failures: • Expectation Failures (42%): Agents ignored shared plans or misunderstood scope• Commitment Failures (32%): Promised work was never completed• Communication Failures (26%): Silence, spam, or hallucinationsThe experiment's findings seem to confirm human-refined agile practices. The episode ends with a concrete call to action: stop treating AI as teammates. Use them as solo contributors. And if you must coordinate? Build working agreements, not handoffs.This episode is for anyone navigating the AI hype cycle and wondering if swarms of agents are going to coordinate everyone out of a job!#Agile #AI #ProductManagementSOURCECooperBench: Benchmarking AI Agents' Cooperation (Stanford University & SAP Labs US)https://cooperbench.com/https://cooperbench.com/static/pdfs/main.pdfLINKSYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagileSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596INTRO MUSICToronto Is My BeatBy Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Why Most Agile Teams Build Features Instead of Value and How To Flip the ScriptFor a long time, I believed that the number of features we shipped was a sign of a healthy product team. New capabilities meant progress. More releases meant momentum. A packed roadmap meant ambition. And during sprint reviews, when we showcased everything we had delivered, I felt proud as if quantity itself was proof of impact.But something always nagged me. After each launch, I would look at the data or talk to users and feel this uncomfortable tension between what we had built and what had actually changed. The features were there, polished, documented, deployed but the world around them stayed strangely still. The metric didn't move. The user behavior didn't shift. We were launching features into the void, and the void was yawning back.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Legacy systems work. So why do companies waste millions rewriting them? In this episode of Arguing Agile, Product Manager Nisha Patel joins Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Consultant Om Patel for a debate on the dangerous obsession with rewriting legacy systems — from COBOL to green screens — that still power ATMs, government systems, and Fortune 500 billing engines. Watch or listen as we discuss the myth that "modern" equals "better" and reveal how most rewrites fail because they ignore customer value, edge cases, and real ROI as well as other topics, such as:How Chesterton's Fence applies to code (Brian still doesn't know)How Developers kill software with Resume-Driven Development (RDD)How Finance kills software with spreadsheet-driven development (SDD)Why chasing "parity" kills innovationRisk Mitigation, or, framing technical debt in business termsIf you've ever worked on or tried to replace legacy systems, this episode will either give you nightmares, or help how you approach legacy systems while helping you also stop burning budget on vanity projects.#LegacyCode #ProductManagement #AgileCoachingREFERENCESAA148 - An Introduction to Software Development FinancesLINKSYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagileSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596INTRO MUSICToronto Is My BeatBy Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

This is a follow up to episode 354 of The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast, which I published during the World Series in October 2025. The title of that episode was Moneyball for Pharmacists: Winning with Agile Teams, Not Bigger Budgets. In that episode, I said I'd like to follow up with 10 pharmacists for about 5 minutes each to ask what they consider a base hit in the pharmacy profession.    Well…I was close! Today, you'll hear from 8 pharmacists and one non-pharmacist. The line-up is below. THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this episode! I asked all the participants the same question: "We all know that the base hits of yesteryear were: selling prescriptions and front end merchandise, giving flu shots, doing MTM, etc. From your point of view, what's a base hit for the pharmacy profession in 2026?"    Dr. Cory Jenks https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-jenks-3ba17314/  Dr. Blair Thielemier https://www.linkedin.com/in/btpharmacyconsulting/  RDML Dr. Pam Schweitzer https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-schweitzer-50638b16/  Greg McKettrick, RPh https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-mckettrick-a21404163/  Jim Danahy https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimdanahy/  Dr. Kimber Boothe https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberboothe/  Dr. Lisa Faast https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-lisa-faast-pharmd-the-pharmacy-badass-b03a60318/  Dr. Erin Albert https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinalbert/  And Dr. Zain Syed https://www.linkedin.com/in/zainmsyed/    Other links from this episode 2026 Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company - Team Cuban Card & Cost Plus Drugs Affiliate Pharmacy Network - Request for More Information Form https://forms.gle/zXCDp1Zd9xq5war39  Cost Plus Drugs Marketplace: https://business.costplusdrugs.com/ Practical Guide to Peptides for Pharmacists by Dr. Lisa Faast, PharmD  Equip Dashboard: https://www.pharmacyquality.com    If you know someone who would like this episode please share it with them. Subscribe for all future episodes. This podcast is on all major podcast players and YouTube. Popular links are below. ⬇️   Apple Podcasts   https://apple.co/42yqXOG  Spotify  https://spoti.fi/3qAk3uY  Amazon/Audible  https://adbl.co/43tM45P YouTube https://bit.ly/43Rnrjt   Kim's websites and social media links: ✅ Guest Application Form (The Pharmacist's Voice Podcast) https://bit.ly/41iGogX ✅ Monthly email newsletter sign-up link https://bit.ly/3AHJIaF  ✅ LinkedIn Newsletter link https://bit.ly/40VmV5B ✅ Business website https://www.thepharmacistsvoice.com ✅ Get my FREE eBook and audiobook about podcasting ✅ The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast https://www.thepharmacistsvoice.com/podcast ✅ Drug pronunciation course https://www.kimnewlove.com  ✅ Podcasting course https://www.kimnewlove.com/podcasting  ✅ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimnewlove ✅ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kim.newlove.96 ✅ Twitter https://twitter.com/KimNewloveVO ✅ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kimnewlovevo/ ✅ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA3UyhNBi9CCqIMP8t1wRZQ ✅ ACX (Audiobook Narrator Profile) https://www.acx.com/narrator?p=A10FSORRTANJ4Z ✅ Start a podcast with my coach, Dave Jackson from The School of Podcasting! *New 12-4-25* Click my affiliate link: https://community.schoolofpodcasting.com/invitation?code=G43D3G    Thank you for listening to episode 365 of The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast.  If you know someone who would like this episode, please share it with them!

AI Doesn't Eliminate Agile Teams — It Increases the Need for Great Ones - Mike CohnEveryone today seems eager to talk about how AI is accelerating software development. Teams are shipping faster. Individuals are more productive. Entire backlogs can be written in minutes. Estimates are a click away. Code that once took days now materializes in minutes. With all this newfound speed, it's understandable that teams and leaders start asking whether they still need the same kinds of collaboration—or even the same kinds of teams.Yet hidden underneath all that enthusiasm is a risk that hasn't received enough attention. In fact, I would argue it is the risk that agile leaders should be paying the closest attention to.https://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/blog/ai-doesnt-eliminate-agile-teams-it-increases-the-need-for-great-onesHow to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Mohini Kissoon: How to Break the Cycle of Dominant Personalities in Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "I confused silence with agreement. My silence as a facilitator had been giving the wrong impression to the team: that this kind of dynamic is acceptable." - Mohini Kissoon   In her first year as a Scrum Master, Mohini was full of energy and deeply committed to doing Scrum by the book. She had just earned her certification and joined a mid-sized product team where a senior developer—let's call him Tom—was brilliant but quite dominant. In every session, Tom would speak first, speak longest, and often override the ideas of junior developers. Mohini noticed this pattern but didn't intervene, assuming that Tom's experience and the others' silence meant agreement. Over several sprints, stand-ups became reporting sessions to Tom rather than collaborative planning. Junior developers gradually stopped offering ideas in fear of being shut down. When Mohini finally reached out to the team members individually, one of them was even considering leaving the organization—they felt like "just a cog in the machine." This was the wake-up call Mohini needed. She realized she had been focusing intensely on the mechanics while missing the human dynamics entirely. The solution came through coaching Tom on active listening and introducing facilitation techniques like silent brainstorming and round-robin sharing, giving everyone the opportunity to contribute without being influenced.   Self-reflection Question: When you observe dominant voices silencing others on your team, do you intervene immediately, or do you wait to see if the situation resolves itself—and what does that choice cost your team?   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Outcome Mapping for Agile Teams: A Simple Way to Connect Stories to ValueWhat is Outcome Mapping? Find out today... How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Carmela Then: From Requirements Chaos to Story Mapping Success—How Planning Transforms Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "We can't continue to do this. Something has to change." - Carmela Then   Carmela shares a story of organizational chaos that will resonate with many Agile practitioners. She joined a company where teams would jump straight into writing requirements without pausing to understand what they were trying to achieve. Vendor deliverables were thrown "over the fence" to internal technology teams with the assumption that everyone would magically know what to do. For almost a year, this pattern continued: teams writing stories on the fly while building, creating massive rework, confusion, and burnout.  The Product Owner faced constant stakeholder disappointment, having to explain what wasn't delivered and why. Then came the breakthrough moment—the PO reached out and said, "We can't continue to do this." Carmela introduced a structured approach: workshops that brought business stakeholders and subject matter experts together to walk through end-to-end business processes. She implemented story mapping—visualizing the journey from beginning to end, with each major step broken into smaller, actionable stories.  Critically, she built in feedback loops: playback sessions where the team validated their understanding with stakeholders before committing to development. The result? Teams could now distinguish between well-understood work they could start immediately and the "hairy" items that needed more investigation. The Product Owner could make informed prioritization decisions, and the entire team gained visibility into the bigger picture.   Self-reflection Question: How often does your team pause to map the full end-to-end journey before diving into requirements, and what might you be missing by skipping this step?   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Most teams aren’t broken because of individual incompetence. They’re struggling because the group itself isn’t set up to thrive. In this episode, author and researcher Colin Fisher joins Brian to reframe how we think about team performance, conflict, and psychological safety through the lens of real science, real practice, and a little jazz.

It’s not just about cool tools. Hunter Hillegas (CTO at Mountain Goat Software) joins Brian to unpack what it’s really like to build with AI—from hallucinations and context management to dev workflows, testing strategies, and where the humans still matter most.

In honor of the World Series this week, this episode compares the business of pharmacy to the baseball-themed book and movie Moneyball. The full title of the book is Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis. The story is about how the Oakland A's baseball team used data and statistics to build a winning team — even on a tight budget. The FULL show notes are on thepharmacistsvoice.com. In this episode, I invite you (my audience) to be part of this conversation. I'm looking for 10 pharmacists (techs, owners, professors, or students) to record up to five minutes of input about how any pharmacy setting can thrive by leveraging pharmacist skills, serving changing patient needs, and optimizing limited resources. If you'd like to be part of my second episode about Moneyball for Pharmacists (I'll call it Moneyball for Pharmacists 2.0), use the contact form on my website to schedule your five-minute interview. My website is www.thepharmacistsvoice.com. Once I have 10 responses, I'll publish Moneyball for Pharmacists 2.0. It will be before my show format changes to monthly in January 2026. This episode covers several parallels between Moneyball and pharmacy. Competing with limited resources The data The players The strategy The Moneyball mindset My call to action Links from this episode Moneyball (book on amazon.com) https://amzn.to/4qTcqdV Moneyball (Blu-ray DVD on amazon.com) https://amzn.to/47wXp8n Kim's websites and social media links: ✅ Monthly email newsletter sign-up link https://bit.ly/3AHJIaF ✅ LinkedIn Newsletter link https://bit.ly/40VmV5B ✅ Audiobook Narration Services https://www.kimnewlove.com/narration ✅ Business website https://www.thepharmacistsvoice.com ✅ Buy my book on amazon.com https://amzn.to/4iAKNBs ✅ The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast https://www.thepharmacistsvoice.com/podcast ✅ Drug pronunciation course https://www.kimnewlove.com ✅ Podcasting Course https://www.kimnewlove.com/podcasting ✅ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimnewlove ✅ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kim.newlove.96 ✅ Twitter https://twitter.com/KimNewloveVO ✅ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kimnewlovevo/ ✅ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA3UyhNBi9CCqIMP8t1wRZQ ✅ ACX (Audiobook Narrator Profile) https://www.acx.com/narrator?p=A10FSORRTANJ4Z ✅ Start a podcast with the same coach who helped me get started (Dave Jackson from The School of Podcasting)! **Affiliate Link - NEW 9-8-23** If you know someone who would like this episode, please share it with them. Subscribe for all future episodes. This podcast is on all major podcast players and YouTube. Popular links are below. ⬇️ Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/42yqXOG Spotify https://spoti.fi/3qAk3uY Amazon/Audible https://adbl.co/43tM45P YouTube https://bit.ly/43Rnrjt ⭐️ Sign up for The Pharmacist's Voice ® monthly email newsletter! https://bit.ly/3AHJIaF Host Background: Kim Newlove has been an Ohio pharmacist since 2001 (BS Pharm, Chem Minor). Her experience includes hospital, retail, compounding, and behavioral health. She is also an author, voice actor (medical narrator and audiobook narrator), podcast host, and consultant (audio production and podcasting). Thank you for listening to episode 354 of The Pharmacist's Voice ® Podcast. If you know someone who would like this episode, please share it with them!

Tom Molenaar: When To Stop Helping Agile Teams To Change—A Real Life Story Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "Instead of slowing down and meeting the team in their resistance, I started to try and drag them because I saw the vision of the possible improvement, but they did not see it." Tom shares a powerful failure story about a team that didn't feel the urgency to improve their way of working. Despite management wanting the team to become more effective, Tom found himself pushing improvements that the team actively resisted. Instead of slowing down to understand their resistance, he tried to drag them forward, leading to exhaustion and ultimately his decision to leave the assignment. This episode explores the critical lesson that it's not our job to save teams that don't want to be saved, and the importance of recognizing when to step back. Self-reflection Question: When you encounter team resistance to change, how do you distinguish between healthy skepticism that needs addressing and fundamental unwillingness to improve? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Shawn Dsouza: The Marathon Mindset—Building Agile Teams That Last Beyond Sprint Deadlines Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Shawn defines himself as a "people-first Scrum Master" who measures success not through metrics but through daily interactions and team growth. He contrasts two teams: one that hit deadlines but lacked collaboration (unsustainable success) versus another that struggled with deadlines but excelled in conversations and continuous improvement (sustainable growth). For Shawn, protecting deep work and fostering genuine team collaboration indicates true success. He emphasizes that product development is a marathon, not a sprint, and warns that lack of meaningful conversations will inevitably lead to team problems. In this segment, we refer to the book Clean Language by Sullivan and Rees.  Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Sprint Awards Shawn champions the Sprint Awards retrospective format, moving beyond viewing retrospectives as just another Scrum event to recognizing them as critical team development opportunities. In this format, team members give awards to colleagues for various contributions during the sprint, with each award recipient explaining why they were chosen. Shawn prefers face-to-face, offline retrospectives and always starts with ice breakers to gauge how the team feels—whether they feel heard and connected. He believes in experimenting with different retrospective formats since no single approach works for every situation. Self-reflection Question: How do you balance achieving deliverable outcomes with building sustainable team relationships and collaboration patterns? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Bernie Maloney: The Power of Psychological Safety in Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Bernie shares a powerful story about learning what psychological safety truly means through both success and failure. Working in a high-pressure division with tight timelines and margins, Bernie discovered the transformative power of the mantra "always make a new mistake." When he made a significant error and was met with understanding rather than punishment, he experienced firsthand how psychological safety enables teams to thrive.  Later, facing a different challenge where mistrust existed between management and teams, Bernie had to navigate the delicate balance of maintaining psychological safety while addressing management's desire for transparency. His solution was innovative: conduct retrospectives with the team first, then invite managers in at the end with anonymized contributions. Bernie's approach of framing changes as experiments helped people embrace newness, knowing it would be time-bound and reversible. In this episode we refer to Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP).  Self-reflection Question: How might your current approach to mistakes and experimentation be either fostering or undermining psychological safety within your team? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Mariano Gontchar: Breaking Down The Clan Mentality In Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Mariano encountered a competent team that was sabotaging itself through internal divisions and lack of trust. The team had formed clans that didn't trust each other, creating blind spots even during retrospectives. Rather than simply telling the team what was wrong, Mariano created an anonymous fear-based retrospective that revealed the root cause: a Product Owner who behaved like a boss and evaluated team members, creating a culture of fear. His approach demonstrates the power of empowering teams to discover and solve their own problems rather than imposing solutions from above. Self-reflection Question: What fears might be hiding beneath the surface of your team's dynamics, and how could you create a safe space for them to emerge? Featured Book of the Week: Turn the Ship Around! by David Marquet Mariano recommends "Turn the Ship Around!" by David Marquet (we have an episode with David Marquet talking about this book, check it here). Mariano highlights the fascinating story and introduction to the leader-leader model, which differs significantly from the traditional leader-follower approach. This book resonates with Mariano's journey from directive leadership to facilitative leadership, showing how empowering others rather than commanding them creates more effective and engaged teams. [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Estimating design work in hours sets teams up to fail. But story points help designers earn trust, align with product managers, and keep creative space intact. This week, we unpack how adopting story points can shift the way your team plans and communicates.What if the secret to better collaboration wasn't a new tool or process, but a number?For years, UX teams have struggled with estimation. Say something will take ten hours, and suddenly you're locked into a number that doesn't account for iteration, alignment, or even creativity. The result? Broken trust and unrealistic expectations.This week, I chat with Naresh Shan, a design leader who's built global UX teams and proven that story points, not hours, are the secret to bridging the gap between design, engineering, and product management. By shifting estimation from time to effort, Naresh shows how design teams can protect creativity while building credibility with stakeholders.We explore what story points are, what it looks like when designers adopt them, why this shared language breaks down silos, and how it transforms team dynamics.If you've ever felt sidelined in sprint planning or struggled to explain your workload, this episode will give you practical ways to earn trust and plan smarter.Topics:• 03:02 Understanding Story Points in Agile Teams• 03:33 Interview with Nhan: The Power of Story Points• 08:24 The Fibonacci Sequence and Story Points• 13:20 Challenges and Solutions in Estimating Design Work• 22:24 Decentralized vs. Centralized Teams• 32:04 Maintaining Momentum and Team Cohesion• 35:27 Building Team Unity Through Gratitude• 35:58 Embracing Change and Leadership• 36:36 Benefits of Story Points in Design• 41:22 Implementing Story Points: A Practical Guide• 46:32 Balancing Design and Management RolesHelpful Links:• Connect with Naresh on LinkedIn• Value UX Conference• Aligned Podcast• Aligned Consulting—Thanks for listening! We hope you dug today's episode. If you liked what you heard, be sure to like and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts! And if you really enjoyed today's episode, why don't you leave a five-star review? Or tell some friends! It will help us out a ton.If you haven't already, sign up for our email list. We won't spam you. Pinky swear.• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a FREE audiobook AND support the show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out show transcripts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out our website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on Stitcher⁠

Irene Castagnotto: Timing Is Everything - Learning When Agile Teams Are Ready for Change Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Irene shares a powerful story about discovering team dependencies and proposing solutions that management initially rejected. When her team identified that Epics weren't organized to avoid dependencies between teams, they proposed using a single unified backlog to manage these challenges. Despite the logical solution, management wasn't ready to accept it. A month later, the same management team returned with the identical proposal. This experience taught Irene that timing is crucial in change management—you don't decide when the right time is; the people involved determine their own readiness. She emphasizes the importance of socializing changes early and often, collecting feedback before proposing major transformations, especially when those changes affect management structures. Self-reflection Question: How do you balance persistence with patience when you know a change is needed but the organization isn't ready to embrace it? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

How do you scale an agile team without sacrificing collaboration, flow, or developer experience? In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we're joined by Brice Ruth—engineering leader at Flexion and ensemble programming advocate—for a deep dive into what it takes to build high-functioning, adaptable software teams through a concept he calls “mob meiosis.” We explore Brice's journey from solo coding to full-time mob programming, and how his experience in the industry and in government contracts shaped his philosophy on team dynamics, learning cultures, and system design. If you're looking for actionable insights into building fast feedback loops, enhancing developer onboarding, or evolving your mob into multiple autonomous mobs, this is the episode you don't want to miss.

What happens when your lead engineer leaves and takes the product knowledge with them? In this episode, Ashok Sivanand tackles some of the most pressing product and engineering questions straight from the community—including how to prevent panic-inducing knowledge loss, when founders should or shouldn't vibe code, and how to choose between building full-service or self-serve platforms. Ashok is joined by producer Doug Branson for a first-ever audience Q&A format that covers real problems from real teams. From unit test-driven documentation to AI-assisted code exploration, this episode gives both quick fixes and long-term strategies for building resilient teams. Plus, learn the Lexus vs Scion framework that product leaders are using to determine their go-to-market path when serving both advanced and beginner users. Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Inside the episode... How to prevent engineering burnout and knowledge bottlenecks The pros and cons of vibe coding for technical founders Using AI tools like Copilot to debug and document Choosing between full-service vs self-serve platform tools Aligning product strategy with internal team maturity Mentioned in this episode GitHub Copilot Cursor Reddit Product Management Community Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.   Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence

Bernard Agrest: Creating Conditions for Healthy Conflict and Continuous Improvement in Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Bernard believes successful Scrum Masters focus on creating conditions where tension and healthy conflict can emerge naturally, rather than maintaining artificial harmony. Too many organizations remain stuck in fear-based cultures where people avoid raising important issues. For Bernard, success means ensuring people regularly surface problems and engage meaningfully with each other—it's not enough to simply monitor green dashboards. He emphasizes that real leadership involves focusing on creating conditions for teams to discuss what truly matters, moving beyond surface-level metrics to foster genuine dialogue and continuous improvement. Self-reflection Question: Are the people on your teams regularly raising issues, or are you relying too heavily on dashboard metrics to gauge team health? Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: 4L's The 4L's retrospective format is simple yet powerful, examining what the team Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed for. Bernard particularly values the "Longed for" category because it asks people to connect the dots between how they felt and how they performed. In one memorable session, using 4L's helped his team understand what they were missing in their regular sync work, leading them to change how they conducted meetings to better support upcoming deliveries. This retrospective format had long-term organizational impact, helping teams realize gaps in their collaborative processes and make meaningful improvements to their working relationships. [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Bernard Agrest: Avoiding Hard Conversations—When High-Performing Agile Teams Self-Destruct Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Bernard describes how a high-performing, fun-loving team began to unravel when a new member joined who wasn't delivering on their commitments. Instead of addressing the performance issue directly, team members started picking up the slack, avoiding the difficult conversation that needed to happen. As morale dropped and people checked out, Bernard realized the team was paralyzed by fear of confrontation and assumptions that raising the issue would be ignored. This experience taught him that individual performance problems quickly become whole-team problems when left unaddressed, and that strong relationships require the courage to have honest, supportive conversations. Self-reflection Question: What difficult conversation are you avoiding on your team, and what assumptions might be preventing you from addressing it? Featured Book of the Week: The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni Bernard recommends The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni because it helps leaders understand that everyone has specific "genius" areas in different phases of work. When people work outside their natural genius zones, they feel unfulfilled and frustrated. This framework has been invaluable for Bernard in understanding team dynamics—why some teams click naturally while others struggle. By recognizing each person's working genius, leaders can better position team members for success and create more effective, satisfied teams. [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Lilia Pulova: When Architects Push Solutions—Learning to Disagree but Commit in Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Lilia shares a challenging situation where an architect pushed a complex solution that she felt might be too difficult for her less-experienced team. Despite having two alternative solutions that better suited the team's capabilities, she chose to let go of her concerns and try the architect's approach. This decision required significant adaptation and ongoing conversations with her frustrated team members. By informing her manager about the team's frustration level and working closely with the team to adapt the solution to their context, Lilia demonstrates the valuable principle of "disagree but commit" - sometimes you need to let go of your preferred approach and learn from trying something different. Self-reflection Question: When have you had to set aside your preferred solution to support a team decision, and what did you learn from that experience? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Most PMs still think velocity = impact. They're wrong. If no one on your team owns adoption, retention, or revenue—then growth isn't anyone's job. Jayson Robinson joins Convergence.fm to unpack why most product teams are built to ship—but not to grow. From leading growth at Toptal and BairesDev to advising SaaS companies and launching enterprise products at M&S, Jayson has seen where traditional product orgs fall apart—and what high-agency PMs actually do differently. We cover how to spot deadweight roles, when founders need to let go, and what happens when you hire people who are better at agile ceremonies than business outcomes. Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Inside the episode... Why velocity without measurable outcomes is a red flag The critical differences between growth PMs and generalist PMs What high-agency PMs do that process-driven PMs can't replicate How to interview for ownership, not just experience The real reason “translator” PMs are getting phased out What happened when HP focused on output over market alignment How Duolingo's growth org became its engine of compounding retention Why founders who don't let go end up being the ceiling Lessons from Netflix, Shopify, and Linear on org design that scales   Mentioned in this episode The HP Way by David Packard — Buy the book Duolingo's Growth Strategy — Lenny Rachitsky breakdown Shopify Product Leadership — First Round article Linear's Product Development Approach — Read on Linear's blog High Agency Hiring — Michael Dearing on First Round Jayson's blog post on the future of PM roles: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jaysonkrobinson_the-product-manager-role-is-speciating-activity-7315760215277121536-1LcF?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAGxt90BvpkwcznT5WbhfSl0aK9PPNhWLy4 Mind the product talk by ElevenLabs and build measure learn cycle  Jason's Linkedin profile  Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.   Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence

Henrik Kniberg shares insights from his recent video and book 'Generative AI in a Nutshell,' which went viral. The discussion explores how AI can reduce the need for large teams, allowing for more efficient, smaller teams. Henrik explains his current project on building an AI agent platform and its implications for the future of work. We also delve into the evolving role of product discovery and how AI is transforming traditional agile practices. The conversation wraps up with thoughts on how to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving tech landscape and what elements of traditional work practices, like time sheets, might be rendered obsolete by new AI capabilities.00:00 Introduction 01:20 Guest Introduction: Henrik Kniberg02:46 Henrik's Current Projects and AI Insights03:57 The Evolution of Agile Teams05:57 Impact of AI on Work and Society07:21 Writing and Promoting the Book11:16 Future of Work with AI23:01 Designing for AI Stakeholders26:35 Building and Managing AI Agents27:40 Real-World Applications of AI Agents31:58 The Future of Product Development33:50 Effective Product Discovery38:28 Integrating AI in Product Development40:20 Learning and Staying Ahead in AI43:54 The Importance of Eliminating Time Sheets46:45 Conclusion and Final Thoughts⚡️ In each episode, Paddy Dhanda deep dives into a new human Superpower to help you thrive in the age of AI.Host: Paddy DhandaPaddy works at the largest Tech training organisation in the UK and is passionate about helping tech professionals build human skills to thrive in the age of AI.Contact Paddy: paddy@superpowers.schoolSubscribe to my newsletter:

BONUS: Solution-Focused Coaching: The Game-Changing Method Every Scrum Master Needs With Ralph Miarka and Veronika Jugwirth In this BONUS episode, we dive deep into solution-focused coaching with Ralph and Veronika, co-authors of "Solution Focused Coaching For Agile Teams." This conversation explores how to shift from problem-solving to solution-building, helping Agile teams thrive through a forward-looking approach that empowers teams to find their own path to success. Understanding Solution-Focused Coaching "Solution focus, focuses on the goal itself. We are not talking about 'how', but first start with 'what we want to achieve'." Solution-focused coaching represents a fundamental shift from traditional problem-solving approaches. Rather than diving into root cause analysis and retrospectives focused on what went wrong, this methodology centers on the future and desired outcomes. It operates as a communication system that recognizes the complexity of modern work environments where simple cause-effect relationships don't always apply. In engineering, root causes make sense when dealing with predictable systems, but in complex organizational dynamics, solution-focused coaching acknowledges that we often can't identify clear root causes and instead focuses on creating a "preferred future." In this segment we refer to Solution-focused brief therapy and the Cynefin model.  The Power of Not-Knowing "Instead of suggesting solutions, we should start by asking questions. The “Not-knowing position” is about accepting this." The "not-knowing position" challenges coaches and leaders to resist the urge to immediately diagnose problems and offer solutions. When someone shares their story, they're not sharing the version we think we know. This approach transforms coaching conversations by starting with questions like "What difference would it make for you to solve this problem?" This shift toward asking questions about a positive future can even help identify advocates among those who initially resist change, creating unexpected allies in transformation efforts. Everyone as an Expert "When we help teams change by themselves, they change much faster." The principle that "everyone is an expert in their situation" fundamentally changes how coaches approach team dynamics, especially during periods of pressure or conflict. Instead of imposing external solutions, this approach involves asking teams what they already like about their current practices. For example, when observing daily standups with their natural diversity of approaches, focusing on what teams appreciate about their existing practices creates a foundation for sustainable change. Teams that discover their own path to improvement implement changes more rapidly and with greater commitment than those following prescribed solutions. The Miracle Question Technique "What would be a very small first sign that tells you that there was a small miracle during the night?" The Miracle Question emerges from real coaching conversations where clients express that "only a miracle can help." Rather than dismissing this statement, solution-focused coaches embrace the client's language to create powerful exploration opportunities. The technique involves asking teams to imagine their situation after a small miracle has occurred overnight, then identifying the first small signs they would notice. This approach helps teams explore possibilities and envision concrete steps toward their preferred future, making abstract goals tangible and achievable. Unlearning the Fix-It Mentality "Don't work by yourself in the problems of others, let them work." For Agile practitioners trained to identify and fix problems, solution-focused coaching requires a significant mindset shift. Instead of jumping into problem-solving mode, coaches must learn to hold space for solutions to emerge naturally from the team. This involves trusting that team members are experts in their own situations and developing strong questioning skills. Coaches and Scrum Masters need to clarify their own goals and resist the urge to solve problems for others, instead creating conditions where teams can work through challenges themselves. Practical Questions for Immediate Implementation "What do we want to achieve? What is our goal, and why?" Teams can immediately begin incorporating solution-focused approaches by bringing specific questions into their regular ceremonies. Key questions include exploring what the team wants to achieve and understanding the underlying purpose behind their goals. Additionally, asking "What works already?" helps teams build on existing strengths rather than focusing solely on problems. Confidence-building questions like "How confident are we?" and "What would make you more confident?" create opportunities for teams to identify specific actions that would increase their likelihood of success. About Ralph and Veronika Ralph Miarka is an Agile coach, trainer, and co-author of the book that is our topic for today's episode: Solution Focused Coaching For Agile Teams. Ralph helps teams thrive through solution-focused coaching. With a background in engineering and leadership, he bridges structure and empathy to spark real change. You can link with Ralph Miarka on LinkedIn. Veronika Jungwrith is a coach, consultant, and facilitator, Veronika blends solution-focused coaching with leadership development. Her work empowers individuals and teams to navigate complexity with clarity, meaning, and lasting impact. You can link with Veronika Jungwrith on LinkedIn.

Agilität in Deutschland? Klingt erstmal gut.Fühlt sich aber oft an wie: „Neues Korsett – alte Probleme.“In dieser Folge spreche ich mit Dr. Stephanie Puckett, Organisationspsychologin und Autorin von gleich mehreren Büchern zur agilen Transformation. Gemeinsam sezieren wir, warum viele Unternehmen auf Agilität setzen – und trotzdem keine PS auf die Straße bringen.Du erfährst:✅ Warum psychologische Sicherheit wichtiger ist als das perfekte Framework✅ Weshalb Agilität kein Prozess-, sondern ein Transparenzproblem ist✅ Wie Du die echten Kosten von Transformation erkennst – monetär UND mental✅ Und warum viele „agile Change-Prozesse“ eher Dressur als Empowerment sindReal Talk. Ohne Buzzword-Gelaber. Ohne Dogma.Dafür mit Klartext, Haltung – und einer klaren Vision:Was Agilität in Deutschland WIRKLICH braucht.

How do you move from dabbling with AI and vibe coding to building real, production-grade software with it? In this episode, Austin Vance, CEO of Focused returns and we transition the conversation from building AI-enabled applications to fostering AI-native engineering teams. Austin shares how generative AI isn't just a shortcut—it's reshaping how we architect, code, and lead. We also get to hear Austin's thoughts on the leaked ‘AI Mandate' memo from Shopify's CEO, Tobi Lutke.  We cover what Austin refers to as ‘AI-driven development', how to win over the skeptics on your teams, and why traditional patterns of software engineering might not be the best fit for LLM-driven workflows.  Whether you're an engineer,product leader, or startup founder, this episode will give you a practical lens on what AI-native software development actually requires—and how to foster adoption on your teams quickly and safely to get the benefits of using AI in product delivery. Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Inside the episode... Why Shopify's leaked AI memo was a "permission slip" for your own team The three personas in AI adoption: advocates, skeptics, and holdouts How AI-driven development (AIDD) differs from “AI-assisted” workflows Tools and practices Focused uses to ship faster and cheaper with AI Pair programming vs. pairing with an LLM: similarities and mindset shifts How teams are learning to prompt effectively—without prompt engineering training Vibe coding vs. integrating with entrenched systems: what's actually feasible Scaling engineering culture around non-determinism and experimentation Practical tips for onboarding dev teams to tools like Cursor, Windsurf, and Vercel AI SDK Using LLMs for deep codebase exploration, not just code generation Mentioned in this episode Cursor Windsurf LangChain Claude GPT-4 / ChatGPT V0.dev GitHub Copilot Focused (focused.io) Shopify internal AI memo Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.   Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence

Carmen Jurado: The Power of Constructive Feedback in Building Trust in Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Carmen identifies the hallmark of a successful team as one that allows itself to be vulnerable. Success isn't just about positive feedback but creating an environment where team members feel safe to discuss mistakes openly. She shares an experience where a team member made an error that caused a significant project delay, prompting other team members to complain. Instead of allowing this to create division, Carmen facilitated an open discussion where the team member acknowledged their mistake and received constructive feedback from colleagues. This exchange built trust and demonstrated that the team had developed the psychological safety needed to hold each other accountable. Carmen emphasizes that this accountability for work and agreements is a responsibility that belongs to the entire team, not just the Scrum Master. Self-reflection Question: How can you foster greater psychological safety in your team so members feel comfortable addressing mistakes directly with each other? Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Golden Apples Carmen recommends the "Golden Apples" retrospective format, which draws inspiration from Greek mythology. This creative format incorporates feedback questions about sprints and the team, with game elements that introduce friendly competition. Carmen typically reserves this format for festive times of the year to boost team morale. She also mentions her fondness for movie-themed retrospectives and encourages Scrum Masters to invest time in creating fun, creative retrospective experiences that engage the team. In this segment, we refer to Norm Kerth's Retrospective Prime Directive. [Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Real Agile forecasting runs on math, not magic. Brian and Lance dive into Monte Carlo methods, DORA metrics, and how AI is shifting the future of project management. All with a human-first approach that builds better teams, not bigger spreadsheets. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian Milner and Lance Dacy unpack why Agile teams need to rethink how they forecast work—and why math, not magic, is the real secret. From the roots of Taylorism to today's Monte Carlo simulations, they explore how to navigate uncertainty with data-driven tools like DORA metrics, flow metrics, and probability theory, while keeping the heart of Agile leadership focused on trust, transparency, and better decision-making. References and resources mentioned in the show: Lance Dacy Free Chapters of Agile Estimating and Planning by Mike Cohn Join the Agile Mentors Community Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Lance Dacy is a Certified Scrum Trainer®, Certified Scrum Professional®, Certified ScrumMaster®, and Certified Scrum Product Owner®. Lance brings a great personality and servant's heart to his workshops. He loves seeing people walk away with tangible and practical things they can do with their teams straight away.

We're bringing back one of our favorite conversations — and for good reason: Noibu is a trusted partner of Mejuri. In this episode, we revisit our insightful chat with Rohit Nathany, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Mejuri, the leading fine jewelry brand redefining ecommerce. Rohit dives into how his team transitioned from a custom tech stack to Shopify, launched a loyalty-driven mobile app, and built a high-performing internal tech culture that fuels fast, focused innovation. Whether you missed it the first time or just want a fresh take, tune in for sharp insights on balancing speed, scale, and strategy in modern ecommerce.

Agile experts Sandy Mamoli and David Mole join Meta-Cast to share what they've learned after a decade of running self-selecting teams. Discover how team autonomy, hackathon culture, and the new edition of Creating Great Teams can help you build empowered, high-performing Agile teams in any organization.Links to and information about David and Sandy:Sandy Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandymamoli/Sandy Email: sandy@nomad8.comDavid Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmole/David Email: David@nomad8.comNomad8 Website: https://www.nomad8.comSelf-Selection Second Edition Details: https://www.nomad8.com/team-self-selectionFree Self-Selection Webinar: https://events.humanitix.com/free-self-selection-webinarBook Second Edition (Beta until release in May): https://pragprog.com/titles/mmteams2/creating-great-teams-second-edition/Book First Edition: https://pragprog.com/titles/mmteams/creating-great-teams/ Stay Connected and Informed with Our NewslettersJosh Anderson's "Leadership Lighthouse"Dive deeper into the world of Agile leadership and management with Josh Anderson's "Leadership Lighthouse." This bi-weekly newsletter offers insights, tips, and personal stories to help you navigate the complexities of leadership in today's fast-paced tech environment. Whether you're a new manager or a seasoned leader, you'll find valuable guidance and practical advice to enhance your leadership skills. Subscribe to "Leadership Lighthouse" for the latest articles and exclusive content right to your inbox.Subscribe hereBob Galen's "Agile Moose"Bob Galen's "Agile Moose" is a must-read for anyone interested in Agile practices, team dynamics, and personal growth within the tech industry. The newsletter features in-depth analysis, case studies, and actionable tips to help you excel in your Agile journey. Bob brings his extensive experience and thoughtful perspectives directly to you, covering everything from foundational Agile concepts to advanced techniques. Join a community of Agile enthusiasts and practitioners by subscribing to "Agile Moose."Subscribe hereDo More Than Listen:We publish video versions of every episode and post them on our YouTube page.Help Us Spread The Word: Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our podcast/episodes on iTunes, or by giving to our

Richard Brenner: Contracting for Success,  Establishing Clear Agile Coaching Outcomes Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Richard reflects on his evolution in defining success as a Scrum Master and Agile Coach. Initially, he believed that if his team was successful, he was successful—but soon realized this perspective was incomplete. Top management wanted tangible evidence of coaching impact, which became problematic without clearly defined metrics. Richard now advocates for establishing a coaching agreement at the beginning of any engagement, with both management and teams defining what success looks like for the coach. He emphasizes the importance of dual-sided accountability as a natural outcome of proper contracting, using metrics that matter to the organization such as flow metrics and outcome metrics to demonstrate coaching value. Self-reflection Question: How are you measuring your own success as a coach or Scrum Master, and have you created explicit agreements with both teams and management about what success looks like? Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Solution Focused Retrospective Richard recommends the Solution Focused Retrospective from the book "Solution Focused Coaching for Agile Teams." While traditional retrospective formats from books like "Agile Retrospectives" typically open a topic and dig deeply into the problem space, the solution-focused approach suggests spending only a short time discussing problems before pivoting to designing the desired future state. This format focuses on identifying the next step and emphasizing what positive outcomes the team wants to achieve, rather than dwelling on what's wrong. Richard values this approach for its ability to maintain a positive, forward-thinking mindset within teams. [Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Richard Brenner: How Small Signs of Cynicism Can Destroy Agile Team Cohesion Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Richard shares a powerful story about how team dysfunction often starts with small steps. During a joint retrospective with three agile teams, Richard witnessed a moment where a team member made a cynical comment toward a manager who was attempting to participate. This revealed a damaged relationship between management and the team, creating tension that Richard initially chose to ignore. Looking back, he would now immediately address such comments and tackle the "elephant in the room." Richard explains how seemingly minor behaviors like cynicism or passive-destructive actions (such as consistently being late to stand-ups) can significantly impact team health. He recommends establishing conflict resolution protocols early and using impact feedback without judgment to address these issues before they escalate. In this segment, we refer to Lysa Adkins' conflict resolution protocol.  Self-reflection Question: What small signs of dysfunction might you be overlooking in your team that could develop into larger problems? Featured Book of the Week: Solution Focused Coaching for Agile Teams Richard recommends "Solution Focused Coaching for Agile Teams" by Ralph and Veronika. This book describes the solution-focused approach to many common situations that Agile coaches face in their work. Richard values this resource for its practical guidance on addressing challenges through a positive, solution-oriented perspective rather than dwelling on problems. [Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Zvonimir Durcevic: The Solution-Focused Retrospective for Agile Teams, Turning Problems Into Goals Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Zvonimir defines Scrum Master success as being explicit and intentional about defining and achieving goals. He references Richard Hackmann's model of team effectiveness as a framework to evaluate whether he's helping teams become truly effective. For Zvone, success comes from creating structures that provide teams with feedback about their performance and being explicit about the team's purpose through practices like chartering. By focusing on these elements, Scrum Masters can help teams build the foundation for sustainable success. Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Problems Are Disguised Goals This solution-focused retrospective format, inspired by the work of Ralph Miata and Veronika Jungwirth, allows teams to briefly acknowledge problems before pivoting quickly to what they want to achieve instead. Zvonimir explains that while teams need space to express challenges, the format redirects energy toward envisioning a better future through solution-focused questions. The process includes validating problems, using scale questions (0-10) to assess current status, reviewing past attempts at reaching goals, and designing small experiments to move toward desired outcomes. This approach helps teams shift from problem-orientation to goal-orientation. Self-reflection Question: How might reframing your team's persistent problems as goals change your approach to addressing them? [Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Zvonimir Durcevic: Context Diagramming, Helping Agile Teams See Their Complex Communication Network Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Zvonimir shares a story about a five-person team developing an important product who maintained good internal dynamics but limited their interaction with the rest of the organization. Despite delivering quality work, they were viewed as a "difficult team" by stakeholders. When Zvone joined, he conducted assessments and introduced context diagramming to map the team's relationships and dependencies. This exercise revealed the complexity of their communication network and helped the team understand that cutting off relationships with stakeholders was counterproductive. The breakthrough came when the team began using the context diagram to explain their situation to others, helping stakeholders recognize how organizational factors were affecting the team's work. Self-reflection Question: How might mapping your team's communication network reveal disconnects that are affecting your effectiveness? Featured Book of the Week: Agile Transformation by Michael Spayd Zvonimir recommends "Agile Transformation" by Michael Spayd as a resource that helped him understand how to examine systems through different lenses. The book provides multiple perspectives for gaining deeper insights into the systems we work with. Zvone particularly values the book's ability to help practitioners look beyond surface-level issues and understand underlying dynamics in organizations undergoing Agile transformations. In this section we talk about the Integral agile transformation framework. [Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Marina Lazovic: How to Introduce Data-driven Decision Making to Skeptical Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Marina describes her experience introducing data-driven decision making to help teams improve their processes. Starting with basic metrics like velocity, she gradually expanded to more sophisticated data points such as how long items remain in specific workflow states. She emphasizes the importance of introducing these concepts naturally into daily work and using the data to spark meaningful conversations with both the team and Product Owner. By examining why items were stuck and for how long, the team uncovered underlying issues they could address. Marina also explains how she used historical data to inform sprint planning, making estimates more realistic. Her approach focused on simplicity—introducing one data point at a time, avoiding jargon, encouraging teams to discover problems themselves, and empowering them to develop their own solutions rather than imposing answers. Self-reflection Question: What single data point could you start tracking that might reveal the most important improvement opportunity for your team? About Marina Lazovic Marina is a Scrum Master and Kanban Trainer from Belgrade, Serbia, with nearly a decade in the IT industry. Though not from a technical background, she is passionate about helping development teams and organizations optimize processes and build great products using Agile. She thrives on driving efficiency and fostering collaboration. You can link with Marina Lazovic on LinkedIn.

What if the key to building better teams and products is hidden in our brain chemistry? In this episode, Brad Nelson joins us to break down the neuroscience behind motivation, happiness, and productivity—especially for Agile teams. From dopamine and serotonin to stress hormones like cortisol, we explore how brain science can inform leadership, team culture, and workplace habits. Plus, we connect these insights to practical Agile practices like pair programming, retrospectives, and sustainable velocity. Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Inside the episode... The four key brain chemicals that drive motivation and happiness Why a lack of control is the most stressful thing at work The neuroscience behind agile practices  How to use gratitude, movement, and breaks to boost productivity The connection between stress, cortisol, and sustainable team performance Practical ways leaders can create high-performing, engaged teams The surprising link between happiness, mastery, and continuous learning Mentioned in this episode Dan Pink's work on autonomy, mastery, and purpose - https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_the_puzzle_of_motivation?podconvergence DC and Ryan - https://www.apa.org/members/content/intrinsic-motivation?podconvergence Shawn Achor - https://www.shawnachor.com/?podconvergence Positive Psychology  - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/positive-psychology?podconvergence Upward Spiral by Dr Alex Korb - https://www.amazon.com/Upward-Spiral-Neuroscience-Reverse-Depression/dp/1626251207?podconvergence Hawthorne studies - https://www.library.hbs.edu/hc/hawthorne/01.html?podconvergence Maslow's hierarchy of needs - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs?podconvergence Meik Wiking and the Happiness Research Institute - https://www.happinessresearchinstitute.com/experts/meik-wiking?podconvergence HarvardX: Managing Happiness: https://www.edx.org/learn/happiness/harvard-university-managing-happiness?podconvergence Book: The High 5 Habit by Mel Robbins: https://www.amazon.com/High-Habit-Take-Control-Simple/dp/1401962122?podconvergence TED talk on The brain-changing benefits of exercise by Wendy Suzuki: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHY0FxzoKZE?podconvergence Book: The infinite game by Simon Sinek: https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Game-Simon-Sinek/dp/073521350X?podconvergence Peter Senge's “Learning Organization” - https://infed.org/mobi/peter-senge-and-the-learning-organization/?podconvergence Brad's favorite product: Nvidia Shield for streaming content: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/shield/shield-tv-pro/?podconvergence Brad's podcast Agile for Agilists: https://www.agileforagilists.com/?podconvergence Brad's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradgile/?podconvergence Places to get started on finding a therapist:  Psychology Today - https://www.psychologytoday.com/?podconvergence Better Help - https://www.betterhelp.com/?podconvergence Talk Space - https://www.talkspace.com/?podconvergence Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.   Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence

Global Agile Summit Preview: Transforming Conflict into Opportunity, Leadership Lessons for Agile Teams with Eagan Rackley In this BONUS Global Agile Summit preview episode, we sit down with Eagan Rackley, the track host for the developer track at the Global Agile Summit. With over 24 years of experience spanning game development, enterprise architecture, graphics, and highly parallel programming, Eagan shares his journey from viewing leadership as control to seeing leadership as a collaborative space for problem-solving. We explore how to transform conflict into opportunity, align cross-functional teams, and lead effectively both with and without formal authority. The Moment That Changed Everything "The obstacle is the path." When Eagan's small experimentation-focused team merged with marketing, tensions flared and conflict erupted. Both sides believed "they don't get it" and adopted a defensive "protect the castle" mentality. The situation devolved into heated exchanges until an agile coach offered a perspective-shifting insight: they were all on the same team.  This moment fundamentally reshaped Eagan's view of leadership. He realized that effective leadership isn't about knowing all the answers or controlling people—it's about creating space for collaboration and helping people solve problems together. The best leaders don't fix everything themselves; they empower their teams to find solutions collectively. Empowering Teams Through Permission and Alignment "It's about getting people to feel that they have permission to do what needs to be done." When teams feel something is happening to them, they often disengage and resist. Eagan explains that people feel powerless primarily when incentives are misaligned. The key to gaining buy-in is shifting the narrative from "this is happening to me" to "we can do this together."  Leaders should focus on removing tension and finding ways to incorporate seemingly contradictory goals. By giving people permission to take action and aligning their incentives, leaders can transform resistance into engagement and ownership. Turning Conflict into Alignment "We need to accept that we have different perspectives and different ways to see success." Cross-functional teams naturally experience tension due to differing priorities and success metrics. Eagan shares how his team transformed their marketing conflict by asking questions that made both sides feel heard and understood. They established a shared way of working that respected everyone's needs. He recommends three powerful questions to align teams: "Why do we exist as a team, and why does it matter?" - This helps everyone see the whole picture and builds shared purpose. "What is our desired outcome, and when have we achieved it?" - This focuses on outcomes rather than tasks and encourages thinking from different disciplinary perspectives. By acknowledging different perspectives and naming conflicts openly, teams can move from resentment to motivation and investment in shared goals. Conflict as a Tool for Transformation "Conflict is information. Conflict is data." Eagan's relationship with conflict transformed when he began seeing it as valuable information rather than something to avoid. Conflict provides clarity between people and highlights areas needing attention. He shares how, after years in leadership, he intentionally stepped back into an individual contributor role to learn a new industry. This experience reinforced his belief in the power of approaching conflict with the mindset that "we're on the same team, we can solve this together." This perspective shift embodies what makes Agile so powerful—moving from focusing on products to prioritizing people. In this segment, we refer to the book Shift: From Product to People, by Michael Dougherty, and Pete Oliver-Krueger, who've been guests on the podcast before. And we also refer to the Ratatouille Principle, which reminds us that great ideas can come from anywhere! Leading Without Authority "You lead with trust, not knowledge." When Eagan returned to an engineering role in a new industry, he experienced the challenge of having no built-in credibility or authority. This taught him valuable lessons about bottom-up leadership. He discovered that effective influence comes from building trust first, not from demonstrating knowledge.  He recommends validating people's frustrations, listening authentically, and sometimes allowing people to learn through their own experiences. This approach recognizes that leadership isn't confined to formal roles—we're all leaders in different contexts. Resources for Your Leadership Journey Eagan recommends several resources for those wanting to deepen their leadership skills: "Management 3.0" by Jurgen Appelo "Agile Retrospectives" by Esther Derby and Diana Larsen The "Change by Attraction" podcast The Value of the Global Agile Summit The Global Agile Summit offers a unique environment where transformative "aha!" moments happen. It's not just about learning new techniques but about fundamentally changing how we think about work, leadership, and collaboration. Eagan believes these perspective shifts are what make the summit so valuable. About Eagan Rackley Eagan Rackley is the track host for the developer track at the Global Agile Summit and a seasoned software engineer and Agile leader with 24+ years of experience spanning game development, enterprise architecture, graphics, and highly parallel programming. A passionate problem-solver, he excels in building collaborative teams, driving innovation, and turning conflict into opportunity. He thrives on creating software that empowers people and transforms ideas into impact. You can link with Eagan Rackley on LinkedIn.

Substack Week: Bridging the Gap Between Agile Teams and Leadership With Josh Anderson In this Substack Week episode, we explore the critical challenges and opportunities in the relationship between Agile teams and organizational leadership. Josh Anderson shares insights from his extensive experience in technology leadership and discusses how both sides can work together more effectively. Understanding the Business-Team Divide "We are part of the business, but many teams separate it out say, 'Oh, that's over there, that's not us.' No, that is us." One of the most common challenges in organizations is the perceived divide between "the business" and development teams. Josh emphasizes that this separation is an anti-pattern that needs to be addressed. Teams must understand how they create value for customers and how their work connects to the organization's broader mission. The key is asking fundamental questions like "Why do we exist?" and focusing on delivering real value to customers rather than just building features or fixing bugs. The Art of Communication with Leaders "You have to reach across the aisle... speak in language that they understand, and of course the other side of the aisle has to understand that you may not understand all of the financial acumen or other things that they're throwing out." Effective communication requires both sides to make an effort to understand each other. Josh highlights the importance of: Using common language that everyone understands Being willing to ask for clarification when needed Explaining technical terms and concepts clearly Focusing on business value rather than process details Understanding that it takes approximately seven repetitions for new concepts to be fully absorbed Learning from Anti-Mentors "That experimental database of things I need to try is getting actively shrunk. So I'm starting to just cross off things. Okay, don't do that, don't do that, don't do that." Josh introduces the concept of "anti-mentors" - learning valuable leadership lessons from challenging experiences with ineffective leaders. This approach helps: Build a clear understanding of what not to do Narrow down the field of potential leadership approaches Create a stronger foundation for experimentation with new methods Transform negative experiences into positive learning opportunities The Leadership Laboratory "Constantly experiment with things. But be super inclusive about those experiments that you're going to run and say, 'Hey, this is who we want to be.'" Josh emphasizes treating leadership development like product development, using experimentation and feedback loops to improve continuously. Key aspects include: Setting clear expectations about experiments and intended outcomes Including team members in the process of change Giving changes enough time to show results Being open to adjusting based on feedback Creating a safe environment for trying new approaches Recommended Resources For Further Study The book: Turn the Ship Around by David Marquet Josn's The Leadership Lighthouse Newsletter on Substack The Meta-Cast Podcast with Josh and Bob Galen And take a look at KAZI.IO - Josh's consulting business [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Chrissy Fleming: The Role of Trust and Fun in High-Performing Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. For Chrissy, success as a Scrum Master means fostering high-performing teams that solve valuable problems. She emphasizes that while this sounds simple, it requires building trust, establishing accountability, and maintaining a commitment to continuous improvement. A key indicator of success is when teams naturally have fun together, reflecting their comfort and psychological safety. Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Simple and Team-Led Chrissy advocates for simple retrospective formats that encourage team participation, particularly those led by team members rather than the Scrum Master. She recommends using tools like Easy Retro and MURAL for remote sessions, emphasizing the importance of individual reflection time before group discussion and creating a safe space by acknowledging personal mistakes. [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Ville Reijonen: Overcoming Code Ownership Silos in Agile Teams Ville describes a team that had divided code ownership, where members were reluctant to share or modify each other's work. This fostered fear, mistrust, and a defensive approach to development. Ville explains how this pattern of component segregation led to silos and distrust. He outlines actionable steps for rebuilding trust, such as adopting robust testing practices, implementing an internal open-source model, and encouraging ensemble programming. By fostering a culture of shared ownership, teams can collaborate more effectively and develop higher-quality software. Self-reflection Question: How can testing and collaboration frameworks help build trust within your team? Featured Book of the Week: “Innovation and Entrepreneurship” by Peter Drucker Ville recommends Peter Drucker's Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a timeless classic that provides a comprehensive understanding of the purpose of business—creating and retaining customers. Ville shares how this book, which he encountered during a case-study-based innovation course, shaped his approach to thinking about innovation in the big picture. He emphasizes how important it is for Scrum Masters to view their work through a broader lens to support product and customer success. [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Ellen Grove: The Power of "Why", Modeling Coaching Behavior for Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Ellen defines success for Scrum Masters as the team developing a stronger sense of agency and self-sufficiency. When teams begin asking better questions and demonstrate ownership of their processes, it indicates growth and maturity. Scrum Masters must model this behavior by being thoughtful, curious, and consistently asking "why" to encourage a coaching mindset. This approach enables teams to think critically and solve problems collaboratively. Self-reflection Question: How can you model the behavior you want to see in your team during retrospectives and beyond? Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Retromat Ellen recommends using Retromat, a versatile online tool that provides a variety of retrospective formats to match the specific needs of your team. Ellen values mixing up retrospective formats to keep sessions engaging and contextually relevant. She stresses the importance of paying attention to all steps of a retrospective process, ensuring teams reflect, ideate, and act effectively. [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]