Blogs
Agile Evolution and Impact Blog
When Communication Breaks Organizations
I used to think broken communication was a plumbing problem. Add a channel here, a weekly update there, and one more meeting to catch up on what...
Checkbox Agile Assessments Measure the Audit, and Little Else
You can game most agile assessments in an afternoon. I know because I used one of the leading ones for years. I ran it inside real organizations,...
The Meaning Of Agile When You Strip Away The Noise
I used to think leadership meant having all the answers and holding the reins. I believed a good manager stayed close to the work, checked it often,...
The Quiet Signals of Team Dysfunction
The first sign that a team is struggling is rarely a fight. It is a hush. I have stood in front of a group already worn down by change after change...
Agile Maturity Is a Category Error
In 2023, I gave a talk at an Agile conference on evolution versus maturity in agile environments. The idea came from years of walking into...
The Bully in the Corner Office Is Usually Afraid
A leader takes over a team during a stretch that matters. The stakes are high. The pressure is real. Everyone above them is watching. The numbers...
Your Leadership Team Isn’t Aligned. They’re Just Politely Waiting for Each Other to Fail
I've sat in enough executive meetings to recognize the pattern. Everyone nods. Everyone agrees. Everyone leaves the room and quietly continues doing...
Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement (The Systems and the Mindset)
There has always been a buzz about continuous improvement. It makes sense; without it, we wouldn’t have the advancements that shape our lives today....
Your Best People Aren’t Burnt Out. They’re Trapped
Burnout gets talked about like it’s a personal weakness. “Time management.” “Resilience.” “Better boundaries.” “Take a vacation.” Sometimes those...
You Don’t Need More Agile. You Need Fewer Lies in Your System
Most leaders don’t wake up and think, “How can I create a dishonest workplace today?” They do something more normal (and more damaging): they build...
AI Won’t Fix Your Delivery. It’ll Just Speed Up the Mess You Already Have.
AI is the new hope. Hope that your backlog will finally shrink. Hope that quality will magically improve. Hope that your team will “move faster”...
Compounding Beyond 1%: Values-Based Leadership & Cooperation
In every corner of personal development and leadership, the idea of improving “1% a day” has become a cultural mantra. You’ve seen the graphic:...
If You Measure “Activity,” You’ll Get Activity (Not Productivity)
When leaders roll out workplace monitoring software, it’s usually framed as a productivity move. “We just want visibility.” “We need to manage...
“Don’t Bring Your Authentic Self to Work” Is the Wrong Lesson
I was going through my news feed when I came across an article with former U.S. Secret Service agent, Evy Poumpouras, and she said something that...
Deming Wouldn’t Ask “What Can AI Do?” He’d Ask “What System Are You Accelerating?”
AI has become the new leadership Rorschach test. Some people are terrified it will replace them. Others are convinced it can do anything. Most...
Psychological Safety at Work: Why Good People Stay Quiet (and How to Fix It)
If you’re leading a team and you’ve been hearing less pushback lately, don’t assume things are finally “aligned.” Silence is often what happens when...
Empathy Isn’t Soft. It’s a Business Advantage (Ask EllisDon)
I was at my son’s college graduation recently, and the chancellor, Geoff Smith (former CEO of EllisDon), shared a story I keep thinking about. In...
Why Good People Stay Quiet in Bad Systems: Psychological Safety at Work
Many leaders think urgency creates focus, and sometimes it does. But when everything is urgent, people stop trusting the system. They stop trusting...