What happens when your greatest strength becomes your biggest blind spot? In this episode, Peter and Dave sit down with Jill Macauley, COO of Behavioral Essentials, to explore how self-awareness shapes better leadership. They dig into why even talented leaders struggle with identity shifts, how generational expectations are changing the workplace, and why the best coaches focus on small tweaks rather than complete overhauls. From the reluctant engineer-turned-manager to the chef who can't slow down, this conversation gets real about the grief of letting go of old identities and the messy work of looking in the mirror.

This week´s takeaway: 

1. Your gifts become your blind spots when overused. That strength that got you promoted? It might be working against you now. The key is recognizing when speed becomes recklessness, when confidence becomes rigidity, or when expertise becomes tunnel vision.
2. Identity shifts are a grieving process. Moving from individual contributor to leader to leader of leaders isn't just a promotion. It requires letting go of the identity you've built your career on, and that loss is real. Give yourself (and others) permission to struggle with it.
3. Skip the woo-woo, ask "why" instead. Self-reflection doesn't have to feel soft or abstract. Simple questions like "Why did I react that way?" or "What role am I playing in this?" are pragmatic tools that work in any meeting, with any team.

In this episode, Peter Maddison and Dave Sharrock sit down with Josh Hill, an HR innovator who's challenging the traditional transactional approach to people management. Josh shares his unconventional journey from the Australian military to progressive HR, where he's pioneering the concept of "work as a product" at marketing agency Tier 11 and through his recruiting venture, Super Hired.

Josh explains how HR teams can shift from rushing to solutions toward discovery-led approaches that treat employees as customers. He walks through real examples of iterative onboarding improvements, the importance of understanding jobs to be done in hiring, and why talent density matters more than filling seats quickly.

The conversation explores compensation dynamics, the value of matchmaking over recruiting, and how small experiments can build momentum for broader HR transformation. Whether you're leading people operations or navigating organizational change, this episode offers practical insights on making HR less transactional and more intentional.

Key Takeaways:

1. Start with discovery, not solutions – Before building HR processes or solutions, take time to interview employees, understand their stories and experiences, and map out what's actually obstructing outcomes. Even 10 minutes of discovery beats rushing to a result.
2. HR as a matching exercise, not a numbers game – Recruitment and people management generate real value when viewed as careful matchmaking between what work a company offers and what employees are looking for, rather than just transactional headcount filling.
3. Make HR less transactional – Slow down important conversations around hiring, onboarding, and employee experience. These decisions deserve the same rigor companies apply to external product development, not just checkbox processes.

Customer journey maps have been the standard for years. But what if they're built for a world that no longer exists?

Dave and Peter challenge the linear, step-by-step approach to understanding customer experience. From showers on Emirates flights to adaptive payment systems, they explore why our traditional mapping tools might be keeping us from seeing breakthrough opportunities.

What We Cover:

• Why traditional journey maps focus on the "critical path" and miss everything else
• The shift from cohorts and personas to individualized experiences
• The privacy paradox of hyper-personalization
• How decreasing costs make adaptive systems possible

Key Takeaways: 

✅ Traditional customer journey mapping optimizes a narrow, linear experience when customers want many different paths 

✅ Privacy and ethics matter more as experiences become hyper-personalized 

✅ What was too costly before is now feasible, changing the game for customer experience

Perfect for product managers, CX professionals, and digital transformation leaders.

Connect: definitelymaybeagile.com | feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com

Are you drowning in work? Learning to streamline your team's processes but can’t find the time? Don't panic; Peter Maddison and David Sharrock have covered you with simplistic yet powerful strategies! In this episode, they talk through the 'two-out, one-in process. It's a methodology that ensures the focus is on finishing tasks rather than continually adding to the work pipeline. Expect discussion of work-in-progress limits and empowering your teams to take control of their work.

 This week's takeaways:

•  Try “two-out, one-in," as it can be a valuable technique for teams overwhelmed with too much work in progress.
• Make sure everything is captured as work. Visibility is a key first step.
• Sharing the visibility of the team's workload and its capacity with stakeholders can lead to a better understanding of the team's constraints and workload.

Resources: Video Lucy and the Chocolate Factory: https://youtu.be/NkQ58I53mjk

Join the conversation by contacting us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com with your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes. Don't forget to subscribe to stay updated on our latest releases. So, brace yourself for an insightful conversation as Peter and David showcase how to navigate the complexities of adopting new working methods while managing work overload.

Tune in to the newest episode of Definitely Maybe Agile as Peter Maddison and Dave Sharrock challenge the notion of using a single solution for all problems. They explain the importance of having a diverse, agile methods and practices toolkit. Peter and Dave highlight the need to consider the context of each problem before deciding on a solution. They stress the value of tailoring the approach to fit the unique circumstances, emphasizing the necessity of fully understanding the problem.

This week's takeaways:

• Have a toolkit of different frameworks and models.
• Measure the right thing.
• Context is King.

Contact us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com with your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes. Hit subscribe to stay updated on our latest releases. Don't miss out on this insightful discussion on effective problem-solving strategies in the agile world. Expand your toolkit and enhance your problem-solving skills with the expert advice featured in this episode.

In this episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, we'll discuss how to make the most of your time at conferences. Discover the power of tribe-finding, uncover a range of learning opportunities, and unlock the potential for networking with like-minded individuals. From informal exchanges to roundtable discussions with industry experts, there's something for everyone.

This week's takeaways: 

• Find your tribe.
• Prepare in advance.
• Embrace informal networking opportunities.
• Don't be afraid to leave if it's not serving your goals.

 Join the conversation by contacting us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com with your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes. Don't forget to subscribe to stay updated on our latest releases. And remember, conferences can be an absolute blast and an enriching learning experience rolled into one!

 Are you ready to challenge conventional wisdom about traditional architecture and Agile practices? This week, Peter Maddison and Dave Sharrock steer us through the labyrinth of Agile Architecture, revealing how it can become a strategic partner rather than just a service function. We examine the potential barriers old-school architecture can pose, and how Agile principles can reshape the layers of your organization's system architecture.

This week's takeaways:

• Ensure architects are actively involved in specific business domains or architecture, rather than being temporary consultants.
• Remember that architecture is not solely the responsibility of a select few; it permeates all levels of the organization.
• Avoid relying too heavily on Architectural Review Boards (ARBs) as they can impede decision-making and hinder innovation. Instead, prioritize empowering architects to make informed decisions and collaborate regularly with relevant stakeholders.

Join the conversation by contacting us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com with your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes. Don't forget to subscribe to stay updated on our latest releases. Let us uncover the potential of Agile Architecture together! 

Are you ready to shatter the glass ceiling of traditional management methods? We promise this episode will equip you with the tools to achieve just that! Join us, Peter Madison and David Sharrock, as we journey into the realm of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). Learn about their power in fueling organizational alignment and goal-setting and how they stand apart from other management frameworks like MBOs, balanced scorecards, and KPIs. Discover why they are indispensable in setting long-term objectives and milestones that can pivot with the ever-changing landscapes of your business operations.

This week's takeaways:

•  OKRs are a goal-setting framework are effective at creating alignment and, though simple on the surface, they take practice to get right.
• They are not meant to be static but rather should be updated and adjusted as new information becomes available.
• It should not be tied to performance reviews or bonuses. Instead, they should be used as a tool for setting ambitious goals and tracking progress.

To join the discussion, email us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com with your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes. Remember to hit that subscribe button to stay updated on our latest releases.   Tune in, and let us help you revolutionize the way your organization marches towards achieving its goals. 

 Join Peter Maddison and David Sharrock on the latest episode of Definitely, Maybe Agile as they sit down with Pia Wendelbo, change agent and CEO of Scandinavian Change Agents. Together, they delve into the crucial topic of holistic thinking in change management. Pia highlights the often overlooked impact on people during a transformation, emphasizing the importance of considering culture, staff happiness, and the structures and processes affected by the change. This insightful conversation highlights the need for a more comprehensive approach to change management that fully embraces human aspects of organizational transformation.
 
This week's takeaways:

• Recognize that individuals are at the core of any transformation effort.
• Incorporating "slack" into work life can bring balance and productivity.
• Continuous learning and improvement are crucial in transformation.

To join the discussion, email us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com with your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes. Remember to hit that subscribe button to stay updated on our latest releases. 

Erin Leslie, a leadership coach, and career strategist, joins the Definitely Maybe Agile podcast to discuss the importance of vulnerable leadership and emotional intelligence in agile transformations.

Erin shares her experience leading agile teams in the public sector, and discusses the challenges and opportunities of working in this environment. She emphasizes the importance of creating a safe space for creativity and risk-taking and of being able to relate to team members on a human level.

This week's takeaways:

• Allow space for emotions and feelings to be expressed in conversations and listen for the answer rather than coming in with preconceived ideas.
• New roles in government. The public sector is increasingly adopting new roles, such as product owner. These roles allow public servants to take on more responsibility and ownership of their work.
• Compassion is essential in both public and private sector leadership.

To join the discussion, email us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com with your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes. Remember to hit that subscribe button to stay updated on our latest releases. 

 In this episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, Dave and Peter talk to Marius de Beer, Senior Director of Digital Product Delivery at Aritzia, about the challenges and evolution of agile practices. After years of working on transformations at different organizations, Marius has distilled agile transformation down to four things: How you are measured, recognized, rewarded, and supported. This is an episode you won't want to miss!

This week's takeaways:

• Change itself has changed: Making change a natural part of learning, responding, and growing helps remove the fear and resistance associated with it.
• Applying the four principles at each organizational layer: It's important to consider the needs and recognition of the organization as a whole, not just individuals or teams.
• Instead of forcefully pushing tools and practices onto individuals or teams, providing support and focusing on how people are measured, recognized, and rewarded is more effective.

To join the discussion, email us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com with your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button to stay updated on our latest releases. 

Peter and Dave explore strategy creation in this episode, specifically focusing on product development, discovery, and management. Drawing from their own experiences, they discuss the challenge of balancing creating a product and actively listening to customers when venturing into a new marketplace. They raise important questions, such as determining when a product is ready for the market and identifying the differentiators that will enable organizational success in a competitive landscape.

This week's takeaways:

• It's essential to understand the customer's needs and motivations.
• Emphasizing an emergent strategy allows you to rapidly iterate, improve, and build upon your product based on customer feedback and market insights.
• Find the balance between exploration (observing, listening, empathizing) and exploitation (accelerating product delivery).

We would love to hear from you! Share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com. And remember to subscribe to stay updated on our latest releases. 

In this episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, Peter Maddison and Dave Sharrock discuss the book "Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni. They talk about how the book provides a natural description of the challenges faced by teams and emphasize that the book focuses on the team's dysfunction at the top of the organization and how it affects the entire business.

This week's takeaways:

• The value of taking time out as a leadership team. Stepping away from the daily grind can help leadership teams address dysfunctions.
• The benefit of investing in teams. When teams are allowed to work together, they surpass expectations and progress faster. 
• The importance of fostering an environment for collaboration. Investing in teams and enabling effective collaboration leads to greater value creation and faster progress.

Resources: 

• The Tuckman Model: A Roadmap for Team Development and Success- https://medium.com/@williammeller/the-tuckman-model-of-team-development-c0b3fbdce0de
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21343.The_Five_Dysfunctions_of_a_Team

We would love to hear from you! Share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com. And remember to subscribe to stay updated on our latest releases.

Can AI really shrink your development teams from two pizzas to one? Peter and Dave explore the promise and reality of smaller teams in the age of AI agents. While AI can handle documentation, test automation, and other "hygiene" tasks teams often skip, the real question isn't whether you can reduce team size, it's whether you should. They dig into when one-person teams make sense (startups and greenfield projects), when they don't (complex legacy systems), and why the biggest gains might come from augmenting existing teams rather than downsizing them. Plus: why most AI initiatives fail and how to find the real business problems worth solving.

This week´s Takeaways

1. AI as Capacity Booster, Not Team Replacer: AI agents excel at handling the "hygiene" work that teams often skip: documentation, test automation, release notes. Rather than shrinking teams, this gives existing teams ephemeral capacity to tackle work that improves long-term system quality and maintainability.
2. Context Determines Team Size: One-person teams work brilliantly for startups and greenfield projects where you can build from scratch. But complex legacy systems in large organizations still need the diverse knowledge and experience that comes with larger teams to navigate technical debt and organizational complexity.
3. Solve Real Business Problems First: The biggest AI failures happen when teams focus on cool technology instead of actual business needs. Before experimenting with smaller teams or AI agents, identify genuine business problems that need solving; that's where you'll see real returns and organizational support.

 In this episode, Peter Maddison and David Sharrock have a special guest, Jorge Arevalo, CIO, CTO, IT Director, and consultant. The topic of discussion for today's episode revolves around the role of C-level executives and the board in the context of digital transformation. Jorge shares his firsthand experiences with digital transformation projects in the banking sector and sheds light on the challenges C-level executives and boards face during these initiatives.

This week's takeaways:

• Understand the why. Having a clear understanding of the why will help to guide the transformation and ensure that it is successful.
• Create a safe environment. In a safe environment, people feel comfortable enough to speak up resulting in a greater willingness to share ideas and take risks.
• Ensure digital literacy. The board of directors should have a basic understanding of digital technology.  We talk through how to make this happen.

Resources:
Turn Your Ship Around!: A Workbook for Implementing Intent-Based Leadership in Your Organization -https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22529128-turn-your-ship-around

We would love to hear from you! Share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com. And remember to subscribe to stay updated on our latest releases. 

In this episode of Definitely Maybe Agile, Peter Maddison and Dave Sharrock chat with Eric Brook, CTO, Technology & Product Executive, about the importance of ownership in organizations. Brook explains that ownership is not just about control, but about a sense of responsibility and accountability for our work. He offers a number of practices that organizations can use to foster a culture of ownership.

This week's takeaways:

• Ownership is not just about individual employees. It is also about teams and organizations as a whole.
• It doesn't come for free, it takes effort and commitment from everyone involved.
• Creating a culture of ownership is an ongoing journey. It is important to be open to feedback and change.

Resources:

• Eric's new blog post - https://ericbrooke.blog/2023/05/10/ownership-in-small-and-medium-technology-companies-part-1/
• Learning Domain-Driven Design: Aligning Software Architecture and Business Strategy - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/57573212

To join the discussion, email us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com with your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button to stay updated on our latest releases.  So, let's dive in!

In this episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, Dave and Peter have a special guest, Mike Freislich, co-founder, coach & Trainer of We Do Change. This time we'll have a slightly longer episode than normal as we dive into different aspects of Kanban Flight Levels framework and how it can be used to help organizations achieve business agility.

This week's takeaways:

• It allows teams to have a concept of strategy for themselves.
• When embarking on an organizational change, do not do it alone.
• Create a culture of inclusion and collaboration to empower employees to take ownership of their work.

Resources:
Mike Freislich  - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefreislich/ https://www.wedochange.io/

To join the discussion, email us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com with your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button to stay updated on our latest releases.  So, let's dive in! 

 In this week's episode of Definitely, Maybe Agile, Peter Maddison and Dave Sharrock discuss the challenges and opportunities of scaling agile. It's the age old story. Organization meets Agile, tries it in a small area, has some initial success, and then says "let's do this elsewhere!".  At that point the wheels come off the car.

They argue that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to scaling agile, and that the best approach will vary depending on the specific organization. There's a need to focus on what is the outcome you are looking for? People forget the goal is agility, not more Agile. They also agree that it is essential to avoid simply "scaling" a framework, and that instead, the focus should be on "descaling" the work.


This week's takeaways:
- Involve all stakeholders in the scaling process
- Scaling agile means scaling the work, not the framework
- Use frameworks as a starting point, not a destination
- Transformation is essential for successful scaling

To join the discussion, email us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com with your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button to stay updated on our latest releases.  So, let's dive in! 

In a recent episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, Peter Maddison and Dave Sharrock explore if AI tools can replace Agile coaches. Is there a future where ChatGPT or other AI-powered tools eliminate the need for human interaction in Agile coaching? Discover their insights on how AI can enhance our knowledge and potential pitfalls to avoid.

This week's takeaways:

• AI could be seen as an augmentation of human capabilities rather than a replacement. This can accelerate learning and problem-solving.
• It's important to understand and evaluate the output of AI tools, as they may not always be correct.
• We should start experimenting with AI now, but always be ready to take back control if needed.

Feedback is always welcome, including questions, topic suggestions, or participation in a conversation, by emailing feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com. Hit the subscribe button for the podcast to stay updated on the latest episodes. 

Peter Maddison and David Sharrock discuss the significance of culture in driving organizational change in the “Are we having fun yet?” episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast. They emphasize that imposing “your method” and “your framework” on others will not bring them on board with the transformation.

A better outcome is happier. Are the actions we are taking removing barriers and resulting in happier employees? When we forget it isn't about “our method,” we start to inflict instead of inviting people. When that happens, people lose agency. People need to feel they can contribute.

This week's takeaways:

•  We should enjoy what we do
• Don't try copying somebody else model
• The focus on the method vs. the outcome

"The principal function of most corporations is not to maximize shareholder value, but to maximize the standard of living and quality of work life of those who manage the corporation"- Russell Ackoff.  Providing the shareholders with a return on their investments is a requirement, not an objective. As Peter Drucker observed, profit is to a corporation as oxygen is to a human being: necessary for existence, not the reason for it. A corporation that fails to provide an adequate return for their investment to its employees and customers is just as likely to fail as one that does not reward its shareholders adequately.

Feedback is always welcome, including questions, topic suggestions, or participation in a conversation, by emailing feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button for the podcast to stay updated on the latest episodes. 

In this episode of Definitely Maybe Agile, Peter Maddison and Dave Sharrock delve into a common dilemma faced by many organizations: why should they invest in Agile or digital transformation if their workforce lacks interest in it? They discuss the importance of creating an engaging, fulfilling, and motivating work environment, pointing out that disengagement is often a sign of deeper issues within the organization. Leaders must prioritize their employees' well-being to avoid a downward spiral.

This week's takeaways: 

• Understand the system, don't blame the people
• Environment determines commitment
• Clear and aligned incentive drives behaviour and reinforced by structure

Resources:
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups-  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33517721-the-culture-code
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness-  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3450744-nudge

Feedback is always welcome, including questions, topic suggestions, or participation in a conversation, by emailing feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button for the podcast to stay updated on the latest episodes.

Dave Sharrock and Peter Maddison discuss the challenges of implementing Agile practices when working with a complex legacy system with a monolithic architecture. They stress the importance of working out how to incrementally deliver value and describe some of the patterns and strategies you might take.

 This week's takeaways: 

• Understanding the end-to-end system needs and treating the problem space correctly
• Making small incremental changes to systems can be life-changing and empowering for teams
• Enabling teams to make small changes should be the goal
• The approach to achieving this goal will depend on the systems being worked with and how they need to evolve

Feedback is always welcome, including questions, topic suggestions, or participation in a conversation, by emailing feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button for the podcast to stay updated on the latest episodes. 

 This week Peter and Dave decided to delve into questions that have come up in workshops with senior leaders. Some of the questions they consider are How can we bring senior leadership along on the journey? What are the leaders showing through their actions? How do we measure the success of a leader's contribution?This episode emphasized the crucial role that executive leadership support plays in the success of an agile transformation and encouraged leaders to lead by example and show their commitment to the change.

This week's takeaways:

• A leader's success should also be measured by their availability and response time to team members.
• Growing leaders around them is a sign of a great leader.
• Safety in tough decisions is important for leaders to create a safe conversation.
• It's important for leaders to recognize and grow the people around them to create the next generation of leaders.

We are always eager to receive your feedback! If you have any questions, would like to suggest a topic, or even participate in a conversation, please don't hesitate to contact us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com. Also, be sure to hit the subscribe button for our podcast to stay updated on our latest episodes. 

 On this week's episode of Definitely Maybe Agile, Peter Maddison and David Sharrock dive into the world of change management through a conversation about the book "Our Iceberg is Melting." This easy-to-read parable offers a unique perspective on change through the lens of a colony of penguins living on a melting iceberg. The book explores the eight-step model of change management from Kotter's perspective, providing an accessible entry point to the topic. The conversation delves into the nuances of change management, highlighting the importance of gaining buy-in across different characters and perspectives within an organization. So come listen to Peter and Dave chat about the complexities of change management and what we can learn from those penguins.

 This week's takeaways:
• Identify influential players in the organization.
• Broadening awareness of complexity and existential threats.
• Look for something to learn from any situation, no matter how difficult.
• Allow team members to act independently.
• Listen for opportunities to contribute and offer feedback.

Resource:
Our Iceberg Is Melting- https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/419461 

We are always eager to receive your feedback! If you have any questions, would like to suggest a topic, or even participate in a conversation, please don't hesitate to contact us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com. Also, be sure to hit the subscribe button for our podcast to stay updated on our latest episodes. 

In this episode, Dave and Peter sit down with Radhika Dutt, author of "Radical Product Thinking: The New Mindset for Innovating Smarter," to explore why iteration-obsessed product development is failing organizations.

Radhika shares hard-learned lessons from her 25-year career across diverse industries and five acquisitions, introducing the concept of "product diseases" like hero syndrome, pivotitis, and obsessive sales disorder that plague modern product teams. She challenges conventional wisdom around OKRs and goal-setting, explaining why they often create an illusion of performance while masking real problems.

The conversation explores why goals, targets, and OKRs backfire and what actually works instead. Radhika introduces her tried-and-tested alternative: a framework for puzzle-setting and puzzle-solving called OHLs (Objectives, Hypotheses, and Learnings). This approach helps companies develop a mindset that equips teams to experiment, learn, and adapt in a disciplined way, ultimately delivering far better results than traditional goal-setting methods.

The discussion dives deep into crafting detailed, hypothesis-driven vision statements that actually help teams make decisions, rather than fluffy corporate speak that sounds inspiring but provides no guidance. Radhika explains how to balance vision debt against short-term survival needs using her three-question puzzle-solving framework.

Key Takeaways:

• The importance of writing good hypotheses and understanding customer pain points deeply before defining experiments and measurements
• Organizations need to get much closer to their target customers to truly understand their behaviors and pain points, enabling better vision statements and hypotheses that resonate
• Effective vision statements must enable decision-making; if you can't make yes/no decisions based on your vision, and understand the trade-offs between short-term survival and long-term vision, it's not valuable enough

Free Resource: Download the OHLs template and toolkit: https://www.radicalproduct.com/toolkit/#OHLToolkit

In the most recent episode, Peter and Dave engage in a thoughtful discussion on Mike Burrows' book "Agendashift". They highlight the book's unique consolidation of practices and experiences that Burrows has accumulated while working with clients. They particularly appreciate the book's straightforwardness and how it almost reads like a how-to guide for those facilitating conversations.

The book focuses on emergent approaches that can be tailored to an individual organization, rather than a one-size-fits-all framework. They appreciate that each chapter includes exercises, underlying principles, and theories. Peter and Dave also acknowledge the book's emphasis on the human behavior side of things, which can be easy to overlook during transformations.

This week's takeaways:

• How do you create outcomes that are relevant?
• Empathy is a change agent super-power
• How to Guide- Facilitator driven

Resources:

• Agendashift- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35439273-agendashift?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_11
• OI-SR- https://www.agendashift.com/resources/oi-sdr
• OI-SR Template- https://www.agendashift.com/resources/oi-sr-template 

 We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

 In this week's episode, Peter Maddison and David Sharrock discuss how Geoffrey Moore's “chasm” model of market adoption can be used to understand organizational change. They explore the differences between enthusiastic early adopters and more reluctant individuals when it comes to change. The model explains the challenges organizations face when adopting new ideas or technologies and the necessary shift in mindset and approach required to successfully navigate the chasm. They also discuss what behaviors or approaches need to be altered based on the specific context of the organization.

This week's takeaways:

• Understand the different stages of adoption, practices, and people.
• Different methods and techniques are needed for different groups of people, depending on their journey.

 We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com

On the last episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, Peter Maddison and Dave Sharrock had a great discussion about 12 year-end suggestions for a more agile 2023. Let’s take a look at the four main categories they discussed.

This week's takeaways:
A.- Marketplace and change:
   1. Stop thinking things are different right now (change is the new black).
   2. Think holistically
   3. Broaden your information-gathering sources

B.- Pragmatic stuff to remember
   4. Shorter time horizons
   5. Rise to your goals, fall to the level of your systems
   6. Strategic: If you say yes to this, what do you say no to?

C. Don't forget
   7. Quality is probably more important than you think
   8. Don't forget your people
   9. Security

D. End of year
   10. Revisit your objectives
   11. Reflect: Notebook story
   12. Sharpen the saw

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

Many businesses are under pressure to undergo digital transformation, but the process is often fraught with difficulties. In this week's episode of the podcast, Peter and Dave discuss what causes digital transformations to run into issues and fail.

This week's takeaways: 

• Focusing on too much change all at once
• Lack of alignment
• Conflicting priorities

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com

 How do you know you are going in the right direction? This is a question that plagues many of us. We set out with a plan and a destination in mind, but somewhere along the way, we lose sight of where we're supposed to be going. If this sounds familiar, don't worry, you're not alone. In this week's episode, Peter and Dave talk about how to measure your progress and keep track of whether or not you're headed in the right direction. We'll also discuss some of the indicators that can help you determine if you're making the desired behavioral change.

This week's takeaways:
- Keep your people on board and reward the change
-Incremental delivery. Take small and measurable steps
-Checking-in regularly
- Establish your Leading vs Lagging Indicators

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

Dave Sharrock and Peter Maddison dive into the topic of bridging the gap in this week's podcast. In recent weeks they've talked a lot about transformation through the eyes of technical digital implementation. Now they will focus on bridging the gap between technology and the business side of the organization.

This week's takeaways:

• Customer-centric versus product-centric
• Close customer decision gap
• There's a greater understanding in general of technology and how it can be applied

Resource:
How Apple Is Organized for Innovation- https://hbr.org/2020/11/how-apple-is-organized-for-innovation

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In the last couple of weeks, Peter and Dave have shared their thoughts on digital transformations and what constitutes that transformation. In this episode, they will cover the underlying piece or underlying umbrella about this, which is digital change management. They'll talk about how to move forward after implementing change.

 This week's takeaways: 

• Make changes small enough that people can get through them. We want lots of small changes, not one massive one.
• Change is continuous.
• Stop optimizing before you have tested your model.

Resources:
Dave Snowden - How leaders change culture through small actions https://youtu.be/MsLmjoAp_Dg

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

 Dave Sharrock and Peter Maddison explore how an agile transformation is different from a digital transformation in this week's podcast.

This week's takeaways:

• Identify what you need to change first.
• Leadership alone won't make it. They need the participation of the whole organization.
• Understand why you are making the change.

Resource:
Simon Sinek - Golden rule- https://youtu.be/qp0HIF3SfI4

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this week's podcast, Dave and Peter explore the fourth types of digital transformation: cultural or organizational.

They explain why organizational transformation is tied to any other type of transformation and the role of leadership in those changes.

This week's takeaways:

• Leaders have to be on board with the change.
• Organizational change is always present.
• Intuitive or deliberate. There's a big difference between leaders who intuitively change the culture and those who thoughtfully change a culture.

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

 We've been talking about digital transformation this season. We mentioned the four types of digital transformations: process, business model, domain, and organizational change. Today on the Definitely, Maybe Agile Podcast, Peter & Dave will focus on domain transformation.
What is domain transformation? What differs from business model transformation? Why can it be so difficult for companies to achieve it?

This week's takeaways:

• Success in the new domain often comes from the different approaches and knowledge you bring with you
• Use tools to gather data and understand the risks
• Domain transformation can be challenging to achieve.

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

When should you let AI agents loose on your processes, and when should you keep them on a tight leash? Peter and Dave explore the messy reality of using agentic AI for process improvement.

They dig into why the processes you can easily map might not be the ones where AI agents add the most value. From recruitment pipelines that need human intuition to DevOps workflows that demand zero variation, not every process is created equal when it comes to AI intervention.

This week's takeaways:

• Categorize your processes first. Look at your processes and start sorting them. Some need to eliminate variation (like DevOps deployment pipelines), while others benefit from exploring the edges and finding creative solutions.
• Not all processes are equal when it comes to AI. There are many ways AI can help improve processes, but you need to think about whether you want to reduce variability or increase intelligent flexibility in each specific case.
• Train AI to know when to hand off. What you want AI to do is recognize when it can't handle something and pass it to the right system - whether that's a math library for calculations or a human for complex decisions.
• Understand the difference between consistency and exploration. DevOps spent years eliminating variation to create stable, repeatable deployments. Other processes might actually want that variation because it gives you something unusual and valuable.

If you're wrestling with where to apply AI in your organization without breaking what already works, this episode offers a practical framework for thinking through the trade-offs.

Resource:

• Ethan Mollick's "The Bitter Lesson versus The Garbage Can": https://substack.com/home/post/p-169199293

Questions or thoughts? Reach us at feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com

Previously, Dave and Peter talked about process transformation in the context of digital transformations. This week on the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, they discuss the second of the four types of digital transformation, business model transformation.

They will explain some examples of the different types of business model transformation that organizations can experience.

This week's takeaways:

• Bring strategic leaders to the table.
• A shift in how you interact with customers.
• Get good at change.

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

On this episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast Peter and Dave will talk about the first of the 4 forms of Digital Transformation, Process Transformation. They'll discuss what it is, how to do it, and why it's important.
This week's takeaways:

• Process transformation is probably what most people think of as a "Digital transformation"
• Have a clear understanding of your business outcomes.
• Processes always need to transform.
• Define if your transformation is going to be incremental or not.

 
We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

NOTE: This isn't a full episode, just an intro to the next season

We're definitely excited for season 2 of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast!

Peter Maddison and Dave Sharrock are ready to tackle the big questions around digital transformation. What does it look like? How can we define it? Why does it all go wrong? These are just some questions they'll be exploring in the upcoming season. But more than just understanding digital transformation, they want to help their listeners recognize where they are in their transformation journey. Is it an agile transformation or a digital transformation? And, of course, no transformation discussion would be complete without challenging some paradigms. So tune in for an exciting season 2 of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast!

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast Dave and Peter dive into executive decision-making. We discuss what can happen when powerful, informed people with a lot of authority and responsibility try to come together to make decisions.

This week's takeaways:

• Pace of change – decision-making is an essential skill
• Emotional intelligence to recognize if we need to step back
• Root of leadership change
• Decision gap (lead time)
• Is the decision being made in the right place?

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast Dave and Peter discuss a barrier to your workshop's success. Dominant personalities can affect group participation and limit ideas from other participants in a discussion or meeting, but don't worry because there are techniques to ensure everyone's participation. You can learn more about them in this episode.

This week's takeaways:

• Small groups facilitate the conversation
• Need consensus across the group in terms of moving forward
• Use patterns from Liberating Structures 1,2,4, ALL
• Exercise 15 minute photo

Resources:
Liberating Structures- https://www.liberatingstructures.com/
15-minute FOTO- https://www.agendashift.com/resources/15-minute-foto

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com

In this episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, Peter and Dave will dive into some workshop techniques for facilitation.  They outline key elements that will help you and your stakeholders get to the outcome you are looking for.

This week's takeaways:

•  Preparation is essential
•  Small groups facilitate conversation
•  A clear understanding of the workshop's purpose is key to guiding conversation
•  Have fun with it

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

 We recently talked about the mandated Return to Work policies. This week, Peter and Dave discuss the implication of that mandated approach to psychological safety.

This week's takeaways:

• Shouldn't be a tick box issue
• Isn't one size fits all
• Stepped back and put yourself in the other person's shoes

Resources:
David Rock's Scarf Model-  http://web.archive.org/web/20100705024057/http://www.your-brain-at-work.com/files/NLJ_SCARFUS.pdf

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

It's been a couple of years since people started working from home, and now the situation is leading companies to make changes again. How we're dealing with the challenge of returning to the office is the big question. This week Peter and Dave dive into the implications of returning to work.

 This week's takeaways:

• Mandatory returns are not psychologically safe.
• Be transparent about why things happen.
• Make it attractive

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In this week's episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, Peter and Dave talk about the Governance of software delivery value streams. In particular, how to take into account organizational concerns like regulation and architecture while increasing your ability to delivery software faster.

This week's takeaways:

• Governance of delivery in terms of in-process requirements.
• TACO: Traceability, Accessibility, Compliance, and Operations.
• Also need to govern out of process requirements, architecture, data, privacy, security, and regulation.
• The out-of-the-process is often the brakes or the foils that will slow down the delivery.

Resources:
Securing Your Pipes with a TACO - https://youtu.be/E7UjGd7ZRo0

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

Nowadays, training in the Agile space, in some ways, has had a bad rep. It has left a bit of a stigma around what training we need. However, people generally agree there is significant value, so can we change how we approach training? When is training valuable? In this week's episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, Peter and Dave discuss how to make your training program effective.

 This week's takeaways: 

• Need training that provides a common lexicon
• Train principles and values over process and practices
• Learn through play
• Facilitates rapid organizational change and speed change
• Training can be made more powerful with coaching elements like follow-on support to reinforce learning

 We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

What happens when you look beyond survey data to understand what's really driving your organizational culture? James Warren, founder of Share More Stories, reveals how analyzing employee and customer stories at scale uncovers the hidden "how" and "why" that traditional data misses.

His most surprising discovery? Trust has become the single most predictive emotion across all industries. Companies with high trust create lasting loyalty, while low-trust organizations remain vulnerable no matter how well they're currently performing.

Warren shares a compelling healthcare case where well-intentioned technology actually destroyed employee experience by preventing human connections, plus insights on why leadership becomes more critical during agile transformations.

Key Takeaways:

• Trust beats everything: Trust is now the most predictive emotion across industries. High-trust cultures create sustainable advantage while low-trust organizations stay vulnerable to competitors
• Leaders must change too: In agile transformations, leadership becomes more important, not less. Leaders need to model vulnerability and change alongside their teams
• Stories reveal hidden patterns: Traditional data tells you "what" happened but stories tell you "why" it happened, uncovering emotional drivers surveys completely miss

In this week's episode of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, Peter and Dave talk about Nested Value Streams. They explain how to take a value stream concept that works well with a single product or service, and scale it up to an organization with hundreds of teams working on multiple products and services.

This week's takeaways:

• How value stream thinking helps to scale up our development capability from one team to many teams
• The boundaries between value streams do not have to be a physical handoff
• Value streams can be technically distinct
• Understand how to make priority trade-offs between value streams

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

In episode 62 of the Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast, Peter and Dave uncover what they mean by value streams.

 This week's takeaways:

• Understand how your organization does things, so you can learn how to improve.
• Identify where to focus and how to prioritize by identifying constraints in your value streams.
• Optimize your organization to be able to deliver more effectively and faster.

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

The Definitely, Maybe Agile podcast is back this week with an episode all about plans. In today's episode, Peter and Dave continue their series on the Value Management Office by talking about the importance of planning. They discuss how planning is critical to successfully executing a project and how having a structure rather than starting from a blank sheet of paper can aid the planning process. They also explain why it is essential to understand the framework of a plan before creating one.

This week's takeaways:

• Coordinate over short distances.
• Having a frame to drop work into can be valuable.
• Avoid blank sheets of paper
• Priorities over the medium term, decisions at the team level in the short term.

We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com