WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.280 What's it mean to be badass in 2025 and 2026? 2 00:00:03.760 --> 00:00:07.120 Stay right here. I'll tell you all about it. That's this week on the Badass 3 00:00:07.120 --> 00:00:08.080 Agile Podcast. 4 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:19.800 Greetings, team. Welcome to the Badass Agile Podcast. I'm 5 00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:21.040 your host, Chris Will. 6 00:00:29.610 --> 00:00:33.410 Oh, my friend, I have missed you. The best part of my day is 7 00:00:33.410 --> 00:00:37.250 sitting down in front of this microphone and talking to you. Well, 8 00:00:37.250 --> 00:00:40.970 if you've been listening for a while, you've heard my episodes on the 13 9 00:00:40.970 --> 00:00:44.690 qualities of a Badass leader. Maybe it's time for an update. This is a 10 00:00:44.690 --> 00:00:48.410 weird world we live in. But first, let's take a moment to remember why 11 00:00:48.410 --> 00:00:52.030 we're here. To create an elite tribe of leaders who truly 12 00:00:52.030 --> 00:00:55.550 serve their clients and communities by doing what matters and what 13 00:00:55.550 --> 00:00:59.310 works, relentlessly chasing value and excellence like a 14 00:00:59.310 --> 00:01:03.030 badass. There's so many resources out there about what you need to do 15 00:01:03.030 --> 00:01:06.870 to be agile, but we're focused on who you need to become in 16 00:01:06.870 --> 00:01:10.630 order to lead teams. So let's hammer down those fundamentals 17 00:01:10.630 --> 00:01:13.910 to create a truly unique and powerful force in this industry. 18 00:01:14.630 --> 00:01:18.360 If you enjoy this episode, do me a favor. Share it with your friends so 19 00:01:18.360 --> 00:01:22.200 they can benefit, too. Now, I'm not a political person, or at least I 20 00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:25.440 prefer not to be political in mixed company because you never know who you're going 21 00:01:25.440 --> 00:01:29.040 to offend. And I completely respect every person's choice 22 00:01:29.280 --> 00:01:32.640 to pick the values, the virtues and the leaders and the issues 23 00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:36.720 that represent them best. But no matter which side of the fence you're on, I 24 00:01:36.720 --> 00:01:40.560 think you'll agree stuff is a bit messed right now. As of this writing, 25 00:01:40.880 --> 00:01:44.500 Jimmy Kimmel was just suspended for his 26 00:01:44.500 --> 00:01:48.220 speech and as of yet, has not been reinstated, although there's a ton of 27 00:01:48.220 --> 00:01:51.860 protest and backlash happening. But the point being that these are 28 00:01:51.860 --> 00:01:55.620 weird times that we live in. Economic instability, political 29 00:01:55.860 --> 00:01:59.300 instability, all kinds of issues around mental 30 00:01:59.300 --> 00:02:03.060 wellness, violence, poverty. I think 31 00:02:03.060 --> 00:02:06.420 people are feeling more and more helpless, and that's what I want to talk about 32 00:02:06.420 --> 00:02:10.270 in this episode. Whether you practice agile or you don't, you 33 00:02:10.270 --> 00:02:14.110 have an opportunity to effect change. Effecting change by being the 34 00:02:14.110 --> 00:02:17.830 leader that you want to see and helping others do the same. 35 00:02:18.470 --> 00:02:22.190 So now more than ever, a badass leader is fearless. They 36 00:02:22.190 --> 00:02:25.670 are certain. Fearless and certain enough to say what they need to say, 37 00:02:26.070 --> 00:02:29.710 to say what they believe. Look, you've been in this industry for a while. 38 00:02:29.710 --> 00:02:33.510 You probably have some opinions on how to do Agile or Scrum or Kanban or 39 00:02:33.510 --> 00:02:37.310 whatever, how to do those things well. So go ahead, speak 40 00:02:37.310 --> 00:02:41.150 your mind. Stop worrying about what the agile industrial complex is going 41 00:02:41.150 --> 00:02:44.910 to say. Stop worrying about what the founders might think or what the people 42 00:02:44.910 --> 00:02:48.630 around you have to say, especially when their hatred 43 00:02:48.630 --> 00:02:52.390 and intolerance boils up. Now, a great leader is 44 00:02:52.390 --> 00:02:56.030 someone who can say what they want to say, but also be 45 00:02:56.030 --> 00:02:59.590 open to the opinions of others, to changing their mind, 46 00:02:59.750 --> 00:03:03.520 to being exposed to new facts and realities that shape those 47 00:03:03.520 --> 00:03:07.360 opinions. But one of my favorite qualities of a badass leader, and 48 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:11.080 it takes a lot of work to achieve it, is that kind of emotional control 49 00:03:11.800 --> 00:03:15.160 that allows you to hear what other people are saying, to not take it 50 00:03:15.160 --> 00:03:18.360 personally, to not let it negatively affect your state, 51 00:03:18.760 --> 00:03:22.200 and to not let it sway your opinion. Being open to other 52 00:03:22.200 --> 00:03:26.040 ideas, to me is cornerstone to agility. You're not always 53 00:03:26.040 --> 00:03:29.560 right. You're not always expected to have the answers and to be right. 54 00:03:30.130 --> 00:03:33.810 You're expected to use a team of people to figure out 55 00:03:34.050 --> 00:03:37.450 right. We've lost that in society and I 56 00:03:37.450 --> 00:03:40.610 suspect we've lost it inside our teams and practices as well. 57 00:03:41.090 --> 00:03:44.450 So without taking any special classes or picking up a book or going to 58 00:03:44.450 --> 00:03:48.130 meditation, can you focus on the simple practice of 59 00:03:48.130 --> 00:03:51.770 being aware of your responses when somebody says 60 00:03:51.770 --> 00:03:55.530 something in a LinkedIn comment and it rubs you a little bit the 61 00:03:55.530 --> 00:03:59.170 wrong way? It might even be a little bit aggressive or offensive or rude. 62 00:03:59.790 --> 00:04:03.030 Can you display calm and evenness of 63 00:04:03.030 --> 00:04:06.190 disposition so that you don't engage in one of those flame 64 00:04:06.190 --> 00:04:09.630 threads that you see everywhere on all forms of social media? 65 00:04:10.030 --> 00:04:13.070 I'm currently of the mind that social media is a little bit of a poison. 66 00:04:13.470 --> 00:04:17.110 If I could do one thing, I'd probably turn off the ability to comment on 67 00:04:17.110 --> 00:04:20.870 any of it because it's for the most part a waste of time and on 68 00:04:20.870 --> 00:04:24.710 a really bad day it's bad for your emotional well being. So 69 00:04:24.710 --> 00:04:28.350 don't go there. So I think a great leader knows how to hear 70 00:04:28.350 --> 00:04:31.910 something, even something unpleasant, even something ill intended 71 00:04:31.910 --> 00:04:35.750 or mean, and realize that it's not about you and that 72 00:04:35.750 --> 00:04:39.190 responding to an emotional response with another, more 73 00:04:39.190 --> 00:04:43.030 offensive emotional response isn't going to do anything to make you feel 74 00:04:43.030 --> 00:04:46.870 better. You have to feel better all on your own. You have to stand 75 00:04:46.870 --> 00:04:50.270 by your convictions while maintaining a strength and 76 00:04:50.270 --> 00:04:53.660 certainty. Not so that you can be civil or 77 00:04:53.660 --> 00:04:57.180 polite for its own sake, but because that's how great leaders 78 00:04:57.260 --> 00:05:00.580 behave. They're not easily shaken up, they're in their 79 00:05:00.580 --> 00:05:03.860 center. So being more aware of how you're responding to the 80 00:05:03.860 --> 00:05:07.539 situations around you, just giving a careful think, read something 81 00:05:07.539 --> 00:05:10.900 twice before you send it and ask yourself, is this 82 00:05:10.900 --> 00:05:14.340 necessary? Is it true Is it right? Is it 83 00:05:14.340 --> 00:05:17.900 helpful then? If not, throw the draft away. 84 00:05:18.790 --> 00:05:22.550 Number two, now more than ever, fail, fail, 85 00:05:22.630 --> 00:05:26.470 fail. Encourage others to fail. We are so much contrary to 86 00:05:26.470 --> 00:05:30.230 the point that I just made. We're so much in the head space of 87 00:05:30.230 --> 00:05:33.670 needing to be certain, needing to be sure about what happens tomorrow, 88 00:05:34.150 --> 00:05:37.830 that we're unwilling to take risks. Say no 89 00:05:37.830 --> 00:05:41.630 to the job that isn't right for you. Stick your nose into an area or 90 00:05:41.630 --> 00:05:45.330 a domain where you don't belong. See what you can learn. Maybe there's new 91 00:05:45.330 --> 00:05:48.970 opportunities there. Build the thing that only you could build. 92 00:05:49.610 --> 00:05:53.250 Break all conventions and patterns and try something new 93 00:05:53.250 --> 00:05:56.970 without asking for permission, but be willing to explore 94 00:05:57.450 --> 00:06:00.810 boundaries and limits. I see people all the time 95 00:06:01.210 --> 00:06:04.610 in our little space, our little practice. People whose opinions I don't 96 00:06:04.610 --> 00:06:08.290 necessarily agree with, who are starting their own thing. They have the 97 00:06:08.290 --> 00:06:11.570 courage to say, well, listen, I'm tired of waiting for people to grant me a 98 00:06:11.570 --> 00:06:15.290 job. I'm going to build something on my own. That's what we're all about here, 99 00:06:15.530 --> 00:06:19.250 and badass agile in the Forge for the next year or so. At the very 100 00:06:19.250 --> 00:06:22.570 minimum, it's about empowering yourself and others 101 00:06:22.970 --> 00:06:26.810 to try. In an age where we have so much intelligence, so much technology, 102 00:06:27.370 --> 00:06:30.730 it's so easy to reach 8 billion people. If you need to, 103 00:06:31.050 --> 00:06:34.890 why not use that platform to say something distinct and 104 00:06:34.890 --> 00:06:38.490 most importantly, to take control over your own destiny? 105 00:06:38.770 --> 00:06:41.650 Who's going to give you your next job? Who's going to sign your next paycheck? 106 00:06:41.730 --> 00:06:45.370 You are. And finally, in a time where it's difficult to 107 00:06:45.370 --> 00:06:49.090 remain hopeful and positive, be hopeful and 108 00:06:49.090 --> 00:06:52.890 positive, it'll mean the world to others around you. And 109 00:06:52.890 --> 00:06:56.610 again, I think that's what leaders do. They go first. They 110 00:06:56.610 --> 00:07:00.290 recognize that others are watching and hoping. They put in their 111 00:07:00.290 --> 00:07:04.050 trust in you to somehow know what to do next. When nobody knows 112 00:07:04.050 --> 00:07:07.790 what to do next, that ain't easy. But if you can do it, despite 113 00:07:07.950 --> 00:07:11.550 all of the noise and all of the disagreement and all of the uncertainty 114 00:07:11.550 --> 00:07:15.270 that's flying all around you, if you can do that right now, you can 115 00:07:15.270 --> 00:07:19.030 lead people in ways that has nothing to do with Agile and 116 00:07:19.030 --> 00:07:22.270 yet everything to do with what we do every day, 117 00:07:22.590 --> 00:07:26.030 how's that for a riddle? The point is one of the unwritten rules 118 00:07:26.270 --> 00:07:29.430 of Agile, hidden under the principle that what we do must be 119 00:07:29.430 --> 00:07:32.270 sustainable, that we can carry this on indefinitely, 120 00:07:32.920 --> 00:07:36.520 implies that we have a duty to not do things that burn people 121 00:07:36.520 --> 00:07:40.040 out. And that includes being a beacon of hope and 122 00:07:40.040 --> 00:07:43.880 happiness and positivity and opportunity for 123 00:07:43.880 --> 00:07:47.600 everyone around you. Because, my friend, they need it right now more 124 00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:50.680 than ever. Anyway, that was sitting in the back corner of my brain and I 125 00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:53.360 thought I would dump it here so that you all could enjoy it. You can 126 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:57.040 find me, as always@badassagile.com or reach me using 127 00:07:57.040 --> 00:08:00.710 the contact information in the show notes below. Want to thank you 128 00:08:00.710 --> 00:08:04.230 as always for being a listener, and I'm looking forward to seeing you next time 129 00:08:04.390 --> 00:08:08.230 here in the Badass Agile podcast. Until then, stay Badass.