WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:03.880
If it's going to change, it's up to you. And it's always been up to

2
00:00:03.880 --> 00:00:07.680
you. That's this week on the Badass Agile Podcast.

3
00:00:15.360 --> 00:00:18.800
Greetings, team. Welcome to the Badass Agile Podcast.

4
00:00:18.880 --> 00:00:20.800
I'm your host, Chris Williams.

5
00:00:28.880 --> 00:00:32.650
Hey, friend. Greetings. Good to see you. Thank you for listening. I can see

6
00:00:32.650 --> 00:00:35.970
your numbers out there. Welcome back, Netherlands. I noticed some of you are starting to

7
00:00:35.970 --> 00:00:39.690
listen again. It's been a while and I have such a great history and relationship

8
00:00:39.690 --> 00:00:43.410
with folks from the Netherlands. I'm happy to see you here. But wherever you are,

9
00:00:43.410 --> 00:00:46.930
all over the world, one thing is for sure, it's a time of great

10
00:00:47.010 --> 00:00:50.650
confusion, sorrow, anger, and fear. And guess

11
00:00:50.650 --> 00:00:54.330
what? That shapes the market. So how do you react to

12
00:00:54.330 --> 00:00:57.840
that? Because I know many of you are tired and scared

13
00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:01.800
and sad and frustrated. Let me share with you some inspiration

14
00:01:01.800 --> 00:01:05.280
and some strategy that'll get you right back on track. But first,

15
00:01:05.360 --> 00:01:09.160
let's take a moment to remember why we're here. To create an elite tribe

16
00:01:09.160 --> 00:01:12.800
of leaders who truly serve their clients and communities by doing what

17
00:01:12.800 --> 00:01:16.360
matters and what works, relentlessly chasing value and

18
00:01:16.360 --> 00:01:20.040
excellence like a badass. There's so many resources out there

19
00:01:20.040 --> 00:01:23.760
about what you need to do to be agile, but we're focused on who

20
00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:27.440
you need to become in order to lead teams. So let's hammer down

21
00:01:27.440 --> 00:01:30.840
those fundamentals to create a truly unique and powerful

22
00:01:30.840 --> 00:01:34.520
force in this industry. If this episode helps you,

23
00:01:34.520 --> 00:01:38.200
inspires you, do me one favor, share it with your friends.

24
00:01:38.840 --> 00:01:41.720
It's a weird world we're living in. If you're watching the news in

25
00:01:41.720 --> 00:01:45.480
2026, there's an awful lot of uncertainty out there,

26
00:01:45.560 --> 00:01:49.120
a lot of fear. And fear drives a certain kind of

27
00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:52.580
behavior. That, put it to you this way, it ain't moving us forward

28
00:01:53.380 --> 00:01:57.220
as a society. This isn't our finest hour. Everything

29
00:01:57.220 --> 00:02:00.860
we do is affected by the climate around us. The world

30
00:02:00.860 --> 00:02:04.540
at the moment feels like the intersection of a lack of

31
00:02:04.540 --> 00:02:08.300
strength, lack of virtue, lack of vision, and lack

32
00:02:08.300 --> 00:02:12.020
of certainty. And that's hard, as I've discussed in many episodes, because

33
00:02:12.020 --> 00:02:15.500
we feel like we don't matter anymore. We feel like what we do, what we've

34
00:02:15.500 --> 00:02:19.130
learned, what we teach, what we offer isn't useful. Nobody

35
00:02:19.130 --> 00:02:22.210
wants it. And hey, it sucks to feel unwanted.

36
00:02:22.690 --> 00:02:26.450
All this skill, all this talent, all this passion, all this care and

37
00:02:26.450 --> 00:02:29.970
concern that you have, that you try to bring to the market, that you hope

38
00:02:30.050 --> 00:02:33.810
makes the world of work better, that makes the economy better,

39
00:02:33.970 --> 00:02:37.490
that makes people happier, feels like, no, thanks,

40
00:02:37.890 --> 00:02:41.610
we don't need you anymore. And don't feel ashamed. That's a

41
00:02:41.610 --> 00:02:45.130
natural human instinct. We want to matter. We want to know that the work we

42
00:02:45.130 --> 00:02:48.870
do has meaning, has impact. And we

43
00:02:48.870 --> 00:02:52.270
want to know that we're always growing and stretching and that the people around us

44
00:02:52.270 --> 00:02:55.470
appreciate and love what we do and who we are.

45
00:02:55.870 --> 00:02:59.710
Well, you have more power than you think. What happens next in our

46
00:02:59.710 --> 00:03:03.310
industry is up to you. But you need

47
00:03:03.310 --> 00:03:06.950
vision, discipline, focus, grit and a

48
00:03:06.950 --> 00:03:10.630
thirst for mastery. Without those things, we're just sitting around

49
00:03:10.630 --> 00:03:14.310
wishing we were better or that the industry will change and

50
00:03:14.310 --> 00:03:18.070
someone will come to save us. We're waiting for something.

51
00:03:18.070 --> 00:03:21.710
We're waiting for permission. We're waiting for certainty. We're

52
00:03:21.710 --> 00:03:25.510
waiting for a leader to create the change so that we can follow and

53
00:03:25.510 --> 00:03:29.190
get pulled in by gravity to the vacuum created by

54
00:03:29.190 --> 00:03:32.710
a true visionary. But that true visionary ain't coming.

55
00:03:33.270 --> 00:03:37.070
We're just bemoaning the state of agile. We're bemoaning the state of the

56
00:03:37.070 --> 00:03:40.800
world of work. We complain, we're sad because

57
00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:44.400
we're not valued and venerated the way we used to be. We're not celebrated.

58
00:03:45.040 --> 00:03:48.760
We're being told, ah, a developer can do your job. We're being told, ah,

59
00:03:48.760 --> 00:03:52.080
coaching was kind of useless, pointless, valueless.

60
00:03:52.800 --> 00:03:56.160
So we just kick back and say, okay, what job could I do then?

61
00:03:56.480 --> 00:04:00.080
Well, when we approach the market with that attitude, guess what they're going to say?

62
00:04:00.640 --> 00:04:03.840
Not much. I mean, here's a broom and a buck fifty an hour. You want

63
00:04:03.840 --> 00:04:07.470
to do that? We're like, yeah, sure, folks, it's on us to be better.

64
00:04:07.550 --> 00:04:11.310
Of any industry I've ever observed or worked in, I've never

65
00:04:11.310 --> 00:04:15.030
seen more opportunity to deliver change, to

66
00:04:15.030 --> 00:04:18.590
make the world of work better, to make the people around

67
00:04:18.590 --> 00:04:22.190
us better than in our little agile community.

68
00:04:22.270 --> 00:04:25.950
I think what we do is miraculous if it's not obvious. I love what

69
00:04:25.950 --> 00:04:29.630
I do. I always have. I love our community, I love the people in it.

70
00:04:29.630 --> 00:04:33.150
I love all of the different attitudes and opinions, even though sometimes

71
00:04:33.470 --> 00:04:36.430
I may be critical of some of them. And I know you feel the same

72
00:04:36.430 --> 00:04:40.150
way. But if a visionary isn't coming, if no one's creating the new

73
00:04:40.150 --> 00:04:43.630
job title that we can suddenly snap into, well, what is it exactly

74
00:04:43.870 --> 00:04:47.670
that we're supposed to do? What can little old me expect

75
00:04:47.670 --> 00:04:51.150
to pull off? There are millions of practitioners worldwide.

76
00:04:51.390 --> 00:04:55.110
Who's organizing them, who's inspiring them, who's paving the way for

77
00:04:55.110 --> 00:04:58.830
them? That's just the point. Nobody. But it should

78
00:04:58.830 --> 00:05:02.210
be. And it could be us. You, me.

79
00:05:02.690 --> 00:05:06.410
You know, it's especially bad right now. Because in this world, no

80
00:05:06.410 --> 00:05:09.130
matter whether you sit on the left or the right, we're being told to shut

81
00:05:09.130 --> 00:05:12.650
up and keep quiet. Doesn't matter which side you sit on. You're

82
00:05:12.650 --> 00:05:15.490
wrong. That silences leaders.

83
00:05:16.289 --> 00:05:20.090
At a time when we need leaders the most, we're terrified to

84
00:05:20.090 --> 00:05:23.650
say what we feel, to try something new. We don't want to tempt the environment,

85
00:05:23.890 --> 00:05:27.170
first of all. I mean, we're terrified of losing our jobs,

86
00:05:27.930 --> 00:05:31.570
so let's not rock the boat. But also, we're afraid of what

87
00:05:31.570 --> 00:05:35.250
happens if we're not wrong. Deep down, we all have that core

88
00:05:35.250 --> 00:05:39.050
fear that what we say doesn't matter. And that's being reinforced right

89
00:05:39.050 --> 00:05:42.810
now by the way. We also have that imposter syndrome, like, who am I

90
00:05:42.810 --> 00:05:46.250
to lead the change? I'm not one of the agile founders. Well, so what? Who

91
00:05:46.250 --> 00:05:49.890
cares? This is almost like open source technology. It's

92
00:05:49.890 --> 00:05:53.650
yours to use however you wish. Yeah. Give credit to

93
00:05:53.650 --> 00:05:56.830
the people who invented it, to all of those who came before

94
00:05:57.150 --> 00:06:00.830
and paved the way 25 years ago, 10 years ago.

95
00:06:01.390 --> 00:06:04.750
But it's a new time, it's a new age, and nothing is changing. Nothing is

96
00:06:04.750 --> 00:06:08.550
moving. We seem content to lean back and go,

97
00:06:08.550 --> 00:06:12.230
whatever. Well, look, I understand that not everyone is destined to

98
00:06:12.230 --> 00:06:15.910
lead. Some people aren't ready, some people will never want to occupy

99
00:06:15.910 --> 00:06:19.550
that role. But I don't know, it feels like agile people are change leaders

100
00:06:19.550 --> 00:06:23.100
by definition. So for those of you who feel the call,

101
00:06:23.740 --> 00:06:27.580
who wish things were different, but are tired of waiting

102
00:06:27.580 --> 00:06:31.300
for someone else to make them different, tired of waiting for someone else to

103
00:06:31.300 --> 00:06:35.140
spark and lead the change, well, there is no certainty.

104
00:06:35.140 --> 00:06:38.340
No one's going to hold the door open for you and say, you, we've been

105
00:06:38.340 --> 00:06:41.900
waiting for you. Come on in. You have to seize

106
00:06:42.140 --> 00:06:45.860
that certainty. You are that certainty. You

107
00:06:45.860 --> 00:06:49.400
might hear that and think, no, I'm not. I'm here to tell you someone

108
00:06:49.480 --> 00:06:52.840
has to. Someone's got to be. Why not you and me?

109
00:06:53.320 --> 00:06:57.160
2026 is the year that you move.

110
00:06:57.800 --> 00:07:01.520
Let this be the season where everything you've learned, everything you've

111
00:07:01.520 --> 00:07:05.040
done, informs the change. We're all

112
00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:08.760
thinking and feeling the same thing, but we're not talking about

113
00:07:08.760 --> 00:07:12.600
the next step forward. We're talking about little changes. Yeah,

114
00:07:12.600 --> 00:07:15.520
let's remove one of the ceremonies out of the five and that'll make this more

115
00:07:15.520 --> 00:07:19.120
agreeable somehow. That isn't enough. This requires

116
00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:22.640
really, really big, bold moves. For example, it might require

117
00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:26.520
that in order to solve the ominous problem that causes 85% of

118
00:07:26.520 --> 00:07:30.320
agile failure. Lack of leadership, support and leadership Understanding, you

119
00:07:30.320 --> 00:07:33.920
might have to be the person who creates the model for how to get

120
00:07:33.920 --> 00:07:37.680
executive attention and explain it to them in a way that garners their support

121
00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:41.280
and their investment. That alone would be a massive change

122
00:07:41.520 --> 00:07:45.280
that I don't see anybody addressing. But now you say, well, who am I

123
00:07:45.280 --> 00:07:48.840
to speak to those people? I can't knock on doors. I don't know what to

124
00:07:48.840 --> 00:07:52.560
say. I don't know how to craft that presentation. I don't speak their language.

125
00:07:52.880 --> 00:07:56.320
I talk to other agile people. I talk to developers and techies.

126
00:07:56.800 --> 00:08:00.400
Well, if you want change, you're going to have to be

127
00:08:00.400 --> 00:08:03.640
comfortable being uncomfortable. One of my favorite sayings is that

128
00:08:03.640 --> 00:08:07.440
discomfort with discomfort is the number one reason why nothing

129
00:08:07.840 --> 00:08:11.650
moves. It's why nothing moves in your life, in your relationships, in

130
00:08:11.650 --> 00:08:15.490
your personal development. It's why nothing moves in terms of your career or your

131
00:08:15.490 --> 00:08:19.290
physical body. And it's why nothing moves in large enterprise,

132
00:08:19.290 --> 00:08:23.090
especially because large enterprises are designed

133
00:08:23.090 --> 00:08:26.850
for inertia. You got a hundred thousand people where you work. We got to

134
00:08:26.850 --> 00:08:30.570
make sure that no one misses the script. If you got

135
00:08:30.570 --> 00:08:34.410
99,999 super high performers who get it and know

136
00:08:34.410 --> 00:08:38.090
exactly what to do and do it, but one person

137
00:08:38.090 --> 00:08:41.850
who doesn't, it can sink the whole boat. So large

138
00:08:41.850 --> 00:08:45.410
organizations are focused on the problems of scale, not the

139
00:08:45.410 --> 00:08:48.810
benefits of scale. So yeah, you're going to have to do things that are

140
00:08:48.810 --> 00:08:51.810
uncomfortable, that have never been done before.

141
00:08:52.770 --> 00:08:56.370
You have to be the certainty if you expect to

142
00:08:56.370 --> 00:09:00.210
lead monumental change that gets us out of the gutter

143
00:09:00.290 --> 00:09:04.060
and back where we belong. Not just passion, not

144
00:09:04.060 --> 00:09:07.540
just virtues, but vision, discipline, focus, grit,

145
00:09:07.540 --> 00:09:11.100
resilience, antifragility and an unquenchable thirst for

146
00:09:11.100 --> 00:09:14.860
mastery are required. Now look, if you see yourself as

147
00:09:14.860 --> 00:09:18.620
that leader but don't know how to lean into the unknown, to leap forward

148
00:09:18.620 --> 00:09:22.260
and play full out, it is time for you to clear the most

149
00:09:22.260 --> 00:09:26.060
important blocker you will ever face yourself.

150
00:09:26.950 --> 00:09:30.190
Ask me about the Forge and Forge lightning. You can find

151
00:09:30.190 --> 00:09:33.990
me@contactadassagile.com or in the show notes

152
00:09:33.990 --> 00:09:37.750
below. It is your time, my friends. Let's

153
00:09:37.750 --> 00:09:41.390
get after it and see what happens in 2026. Are you in? This is a

154
00:09:41.390 --> 00:09:45.230
movement, make no mistake. And I want you on board. You can reach out

155
00:09:45.230 --> 00:09:47.630
at the coordinates in the show notes below. You can find my

156
00:09:47.630 --> 00:09:51.350
products@learning.fusechamber.com I look forward to seeing you next

157
00:09:51.350 --> 00:09:55.150
time. And until then. Oof. More, my friend, stay badass.