Read on for a load of inspiration. And if you want more inspiration, from the same conference, I also shared my insights about collaborating with different generations in the workplace. In the same article, you can also learn about the science of happiness.

Lead image credits: Photo by Kelly

Peter Hinssen: Living in the Never Normal

Peter Hinssen opened the Amsterdam Business Forum with the same mix of humor, energy, and uncomfortable truth that defines his books. His talk revolved around one core idea: we no longer live in “the new normal.” The world has tipped into the never normal—a permanent state of disruption.

He started by tracing his lifelong obsession with technology, showing how each innovation shifts from strange to ordinary and then to invisible. “They always follow the same pattern,” he said. “The place gets slow and then really fast, and it becomes normal.” He reminded the audience that mobile phones were once rare, then suddenly everywhere. That pattern now repeats with AI, quantum computing, and automation—only much faster.

“Innovations always follow the same pattern. The place gets slow and then really fast, and it becomes normal.”

In other words, we overestimate the rate of change at first, then correct our estimations and underestimate the rate of change.

“How did I go bankrupt? Two ways: gradually, and then suddenly.” – Ernest Hemingway

That, he said, is how disruption happens—not in slow motion, but all at once. These “Hemingway patterns” explain everything from collapsing business models to geopolitical upheavals.

To illustrate, he recalled working with economist Carlota Perez, who mapped industrial revolutions through history. Each one took decades to unfold. Now, Hinssen said, “the waves just get bigger and bigger.” Peter illustrated this with the pace of protein research:

“Before DeepMind, researchers found 75,000 protein structures in 30 years. After DeepMind, they found 2 million more in 18 months.”

Hinssen called it a moment of “data outpacing expertise.” People who understand systems, he argued, will outperform deep specialists. In his words:

“Welcome to the new world. We’re going to see people who understand data outperform deep specialists in their field.”

But the biggest danger, he said, isn’t AI itself—it’s our inability to adapt fast enough. “We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology.” That imbalance is his definition of the never normal: a world of constant instability, yet overflowing with opportunity for those who dare to reinvent themselves early.

“You have to innovate when you can, not when you need, because if you wait until you need, you’re going to be too late.”

He warned that most companies act with “yesterday’s logic” in a world moving at tomorrow’s speed. Drucker’s insight still holds: “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence itself, but to act with yesterday’s logic.”

“Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position; certainty is an absurdity.” – Voltaire

He quoted Voltaire, linking 18th-century philosophy to modern leadership. Uncertainty, he argued, isn’t something to eliminate. It’s something to weaponize. It’s the central skill for leaders in the never normal: turning volatility into advantage. He challenged the audience not to retreat into fear or risk aversion but to leverage uncertainty. You can say, ‘This is scary, I’ll protect myself,’ or you can say, ‘Can we leverage uncertainty and use the never normal as an advantage?’”

Hinssen ended with a call to action. The never normal isn’t a phase—it’s our new habitat. The pandemic didn’t pause it; it accelerated it. The goal now is not stability, but adaptability. His closing argument landed like a challenge: stop pretending the chaos will end. “What if this is not a transition? What if this is the new planet?” he asked. If that’s true, the most dangerous mindset is nostalgia—clinging to how things used to be. Sadly, that is what many populist leaders are promoting.

Sanna Marin: Optimism as a Leadership Strategy

The former Finnish prime minister didn’t talk about power or politics first. She talked about optimism. “Optimistic leadership,” she said, “couldn’t be more topical.” Her message wasn’t abstract. It came from leading a small Nordic country through global crises—a pandemic, a war next door, and a historic NATO accession—all before turning 35.

“Optimism is the fuel of any successful leader.”

That line set the tone. She defined optimism not as wishful thinking but as belief backed by action. “Without profound belief that this product, idea, or political reform will make a difference,” she said, “that change is not going to happen.” She insisted that optimism only has value when it touches reality. A leader must first look truth in the eye—no denial, no sugarcoating. “I’m not speaking about optimism that rests on false beliefs or high hopes. I’m speaking of an optimism grounded in prudent reality and deep understanding.”

She reminded us that optimism doesn’t mean looking away from horror. It means refusing to surrender hope in the face of it.

“We have very clear reason to be pessimistic,” she admitted, “but we have no other choice but to remain optimistic.”

She said that the required energy and stability for optimism and action comes from strong values:

“Because compromising your core values will only cost you your integrity—and without your integrity, you will eventually lose your ability to lead.”

From there, Marin went global. She mapped her leadership lessons onto Europe’s current crises—from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to rising authoritarianism. Her analysis cut through comfort. “International rules-based order is being challenged systematically, with determination and impunity,” and “What we need now is not hesitation, but decisive action that is firmly grounded in the new realities.”

“If we are willing to compromise the rules-based international order just for one minute, we will eventually end up in a more difficult and costly situation.”

And she warned of what happens when values turn negotiable: “We would openly admit that our principles were not so important for us after all.” What makes Marin’s perspective powerful is her refusal to separate politics from ethics or leadership from emotion. She discussed integrity as stamina—the ability to stay true even when compromise looks easier. It’s what kept her moving through sleepless nights and impossible decisions during Finland’s NATO negotiations.

Her approach also matched the Amsterdam Business Forum’s theme of “Optimistic Leadership.” In a world described by Hinssen as “never normal,” Marin’s answer was not control but conviction. For her, optimism is both leadership strategy and survival mechanism.

Marin’s optimism feels radical because it’s disciplined. It isn’t the shiny, LinkedIn version. It’s the kind that exists because the world is burning, not despite it. Her talk balanced the urgency of war and climate crisis with the humanity of hope.

The Cost of Courage

Sanna Marin wasn’t re-elected. Despite leading Finland through COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and the fastest NATO accession in history, and despite pushing through 98% of her government’s promised reforms, Marin lost her seat of power.

That paradox says a lot about leadership today. She did almost everything a democratic leader is supposed to do—deliver results, maintain stability, and protect values—yet voters wanted something else.

Her loss was a reflection of how modern politics punishes emotional honesty. Marin led with conviction and transparency. The result shows how hard it is to be a hopeful leader in cynical times. The more open she became, the more critics labeled her naïve. Yet she proved that principled optimism can coexist with performance. Few leaders can say they achieved nearly every goal while facing simultaneous global shocks.

In a world obsessed with polling and short-term gains, Marin’s story is a reminder that integrity doesn’t always win elections—but it does build legacy. She left office with her head high, still young, still outspoken, and still deeply respected abroad.

Simon Sinek: The Courage to Be Available

Simon Sinek walked on stage with his usual calm warmth. He zoomed in on human leadership—no need to be a template of perfection—just your human self.

“Many leaders are afraid to say, ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I made a mistake.’ What distinguishes the great leaders from the good leaders is their ability to say, I made a mistake.”

He described how admitting uncertainty rekindles the thrill of early careers—that mix of fear and excitement when you’re doing something new. “We’re choosing to do this, and I have no idea what to do,” he said. That honesty, far from weakness, becomes a magnet for collaboration. “Make yourself available—be available to admit when you make a mistake. Be available to admit that you need help or ask for help.”

“We don’t build trust by offering help,” he said, “we build trust by asking for it.”

It’s a kind of vulnerability; however, Sinek pointed out that this can sound weak. Last year at ABF 2024, Brené Brown promoted vulnerability, but Sinek proposed the word “availability”—a simple, practical openness that builds trust.

Next, Sinek compared corporate teams to the military units he studied, where psychological safety isn’t a slogan but a survival rule. “We don’t even like to give credit to somebody else. Yet in the military, people will give their lives for each other. I wanted to understand that.”

Trust is love in practice—the willingness to be both open and supportive.

He suggested leaders could learn from that—not to blur professional boundaries, but to remember that attention is oxygen. Most employees don’t need endless feedback or perks; they need to feel seen. “Courage is external. The trapeze artist has the courage to try because of the net. The skydiver has courage because of the parachute. All we need is one person who says, ‘I believe in you.’”

People don’t need certainty—they need belief.

That is the essence of leadership: creating nets for others. When leaders show up as human beings who care, teams find the courage to experiment, fail, and grow.

“Optimism is the undying belief that the future is bright. But it’s not naïve—it can accept darkness.”

Optimism, to Sinek, is emotional realism. You can tell your team, “This is the hardest thing we’ve ever done,” and still lead with hope. What poisons teams is not fear but false positivity—pretending everything is fine when everyone knows it isn’t. “Toxic positivity is when you don’t even believe yourself. You’re putting on an act.”

Finally, Sinek turned to the heart of his new obsession: friendship.

“Friendship is the ultimate biohack. It fixes anxiety, depression, even loneliness—but very few of us are actually good at being friends.”

That’s not sentimentalism. It’s biology. Friendship releases oxytocin, a bonding hormone. Sinek illustrated this with a story about a friend who texted him, ‘Do you have 8 minutes?’

He challenged the audience: Would you cancel a meeting because a friend needs you? Or would you cancel on a friend because of a meeting? Most people choose the latter. “We’re pretty shitty friends,” he said, half-smiling.

He and his friend created this “8-minute rule” as a code for real connection. When one of them sends that text, the other drops everything to give undivided attention. No meetings, no multitasking. Just presence.

In a time when technology accelerates faster than our emotions, Sinek argued that the most revolutionary act might be slowing down long enough to listen: being available.

Adaptability, integrity, and availability for agile growth

As the lights dimmed at the Amsterdam Business Forum, the takeaway was that we can’t control the future—but we can design our response to it.

Hinssen reminded everyone that the future doesn’t arrive gradually anymore; it “happens suddenly.” Marin proved that optimism isn’t a luxury but a discipline. And it is best grounded in values. Sinek showed that leadership starts, quite literally, with friendship. In short:

1. Adapt like an engineer.
   See patterns, anticipate change, and “innovate when you can, not when you need.”
2. Decide like a stateswoman.
   Face reality honestly, act decisively, and anchor choices in values that outlive elections.
3. Connect like a friend.
   Make yourself available. Build trust through honesty and attention.

This triad—adaptability, integrity, and availability—defines what Agile Growth (Wendbaar Groeien) literally stands for. Growth that bends without breaking, moves without losing meaning, and connects without control.

I had great fun at the conference, inspired by the speakers and the group of Bright6 people I was with. I already have a ticket for next year!

The post 16 Leadership Insights to Survive the Fastest Decade in Human History appeared first on Wendbaar Groeien.

Eliza Filby: Bringing Generations Together in the Age of AI

Eliza Filby took the stage with a clear message: ageism is the last acceptable prejudice. She walked us through the different generations—Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z—and showed how each carries its own history, strengths, and blind spots. From the Boomers, who hold massive wealth but are redefining retirement, to Gen X as the “last tech optimists,” to Millennials as the bridge generation between analog and digital, to Gen Z rewriting the rules of work, every group has a role.

What really struck me was her insistence that the future of work isn’t about dividing the generations but bringing them together. AI and hybrid work will shape our world, but the essence of thriving workplaces will remain deeply human. As she said, “It won’t serve us in our careers if we don’t return to what humans do best—listen, teach, and talk.”

Five Mind Grenades from Eliza Filby:

1. “Ageism is the last acceptable prejudice.”
   • This is something I often encounter when transforming teams into autonomous ones. Managers seem to have given up on the experienced lot and tell me not to bother. While I believe their experience is invaluable.
2. “Millennials are the translators and the bridges of the analog world and the digital world.”
   • I think we need more translators to collaborate and do great things.
3. “The passport was to millennials what the car was to baby boomers.”
   • I get that. But I’m Gen X. Neither is super important to me.
4. “It won’t serve us in our careers if we don’t return to what humans do best—listen, teach, and talk.”
   • Amen to that. Especially the teaching and listing could do with a boost.
5. “Let’s move away from multigenerational friction to harnessing the power of a multigenerational workforce.”
   • That’s what great agile teams are about: diversity and multiple perspectives.

Her talk left me thinking: what if the greatest opportunity of our time is not AI itself, but how we bring wisdom and innovation together across generations?

Neil Pasricha: Happiness First, Not Last

Neil Pasricha stepped on stage with his trademark humor and storytelling, but quickly went deep. He started with a question: if we live in the most abundant society in human history, why are we not happy? Anxiety, depression, loneliness, and suicide rates are all climbing. He argued that the problem lies in the model we’ve been taught all our lives: work hard, succeed, and then be happy. In reality, it’s the other way around.

His words were simple, but they hit home: “We need to train our brains to be happy first.” He showed that happy people aren’t just more joyful—they’re more productive, creative, and resilient. Happiness isn’t the reward at the end of success. It’s the fuel.

What made his talk unforgettable was the vulnerability with which he shared his story—divorce, the sudden loss of his best friend, and how he began blogging about “1000 Awesome Things” to find light in the dark. That project grew into bestsellers and a global movement, but at its heart it was always about choosing joy every single day.

Seven quotes that stayed with me from Neil Pasricha:

1. “We live in the most abundant society ever in human civilization. So then how come we’re not happy?”
   • It’s a question I’m often asking myself when people complain about the smallest things online and in the media. I’m clueless.
2. “Happy people are 50% more likely to get a promotion in the next 12 months.”
   • That’s right: happiness makes you likeable, and likeable people get promoted. The traditional logic is do great work > be successful > become happy. However, in reality, it is more like this: be happy > do great work > be successful.
3. “Happy people just live longer.”
   • Some people eat ‘healthy’ diets to live longer. But I can see their dinner doesn’t make them happy. Would they be shooting themselves in the foot?
4. “We’re three times more dangerous to ourselves than anybody else.”
   • That was when Neil was comparing suicide numbers to homicide numbers. I suppose they were US statistics.
5. “If you can just take 2 minutes to prime your brain for positivity, you change your whole day.”
   • I’m not sure whether it’s THAT easy, but I guess it helps.
6. “Sometimes in life, when everybody has an addiction, it looks like nobody has an addiction.”
   • Back when smoking was OK, nobody noticed. The same way nobody notices anymore that we’re on our phones all the time.
7. “Writing down gratitudes is a brain curl—you’re teaching your brain to look for the positive.”
   • Added to my list of daily workouts, after push-ups, stretching, and heart math. Pasricha’s challenge is practical: every morning, take two minutes to let go, write down something you’re grateful for, and focus your mind. That tiny ritual can rewire your day.
8. “You can’t think yourself into new action; you can only act yourself into new thinking.”
   • The fact that you need to do something, sample it, before you can start enjoying it, makes a lot of sense. I believe we are often too cognitive about new behavior. The logic can do > learn to > do is flawed. Doing comes before all.

Why this matters

Sitting there in Amsterdam, I realized these two talks are deeply connected. Eliza reminded me that the future of work must be human, and Neil reminded me that happiness is not a luxury but a foundation. Together, they made me believe that our challenge—whether in business or life—is to build environments where every generation can thrive, and where joy is cultivated, not postponed.

And that’s what I want to pass on to you. What if we measured success not just in profit, but in how much we help each other grow—and how happy we are while doing it?

Featured image credits: Matheus Bertelli

The post The Future of Work Is Human—And Happier Than You Think appeared first on Wendbaar Groeien.

Delivering Value is Complex

Working smart is essentially maximizing the amount of value and minimizing the effort. A simple idea, but complex in practice. There is no linear plan towards most value. Instead, proposes Agile, you create a reasonable plan and start as soon as possible. Spending a lot of time planning is wasteful when the plan is likely to change soon.

Agile suggests that the first step is a great learning moment. You either got lucky, and built something useful, or you learned a lot when reality hit you. The first step teaches how to work smarter, and what delivering value exactly means. Furthermore, you encounter new constraints and requirements. The sooner you discover these, the less time you waste on the wrong approach.

Agile is Continuously Steering Towards More Value

After each small step, you steer again. The more frequently you steer, the smaller the required adjustments and the faster you accelerate. If you can steer skillfully and frequently, you are agile. It’s like working on a car while it’s driving. You get the car to the track as soon as possible so you learn what to improve.

Agile is often confused with flexibility. This leads many people to think that it means you can’t make commitments and everything has to remain flexible. But the opposite is true. Flexibility is just a means to achieve your goals more effectively. Making commitments and maintaining a clear direction often help you achieve results faster. Steering less and more frequently, remember?

Agile is People Work!

Perhaps most importantly, in unpredictable environments, people are key. Agile recognizes that delivering value is people work. Diversity, different perspectives, and interaction play a crucial role in solving complex problems. Processes and tools are important to support this people work, but they should not become rigid frameworks.

A Plan as a Tool, Not a Control Mechanism

An example of support and rigidity is the plan. The plan is a tool to organize your work smartly. It is valuable if it helps with alignment and enables efficient and quick progress. But if the plan takes over and becomes a rigid framework, you lose sight of delivering value. This happens, for example, when someone uses the plan as a control mechanism.

The Agile Manifesto: The Essence of Agile

The principles of Agile work are captured in the Agile Manifesto. Although originally written by software developers, it is also relevant to a broader group of people. Below you will find a translation into English and a broader context beyond just software. The Agile Manifesto contains the following four statements:

• Processes and tools support individuals and their interactions, not the other way around.
• Knowledge and documentation are valuable, but they are secondary to delivering real value, such as working products or services.
• Clear agreements – contracts – are important, but they should not hinder collaboration with colleagues, suppliers, and customers.
• Working in a planned manner is efficient, as long as it doesn’t prevent you from responding to change.

The Fifth Cornerstone of Agile: Working with Facts

Unfortunately, an indispensable cornerstone of Agile has been overlooked in the Agile Manifesto: empiricism. Empiricism means basing knowledge and decisions on observable facts, not opinions or assumptions. Working with data and facts plays a crucial role in our successful approach. Therefore, you can make a fifth statement:

• Opinions and assumptions provide direction, but they should not blind you to observable facts.

Would you like to “Just Work Smarter”?

If you are eager to discover what Agile can mean for your team or organization, feel free to contact me. You can also read the book “Sturen op Resultaat” (Managing for Results), which provides practical guidance on implementing the above statements. It is a proven approach to creating significant value for your organization and its customers.

The post What is Agile Exactly? appeared first on Wendbaar Groeien.

How to look the Dragon in the Eyes?

Imagine fear as a dragon guarding a treasure chest of potential and growth. By confronting this dragon, you can unlock new opportunities. Mario Andretti, a legendary race car driver, once said, “If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough.” This means that true progress typically lies beyond comfort zones. Moving beyond your comfort zone is daring, and armor helps. But not all armor works well. Read on to discover how to suit up!

What is good Armor to deal with Product Owner fears?

Some weeks ago, I was at an interview with Brené Brown. She spoke of dealing with fear and the kind of armor you put on. Some armor isolates us, while others empower us to take risks together. Here are some pieces of armor I recognized from my practice as a Product Owner coach.

Knower vs. Learner armor

The armored knower prioritizes being right over learning. But this can lead to rigidity and missed opportunities. I met Product Owners who were so convinced they had to know everything that it totally stressed them out. They were unable to ask for help, for fear they might be unmasked as a not all-knowing. With coaching, we could transition into a ‘daring learner’ armor. We worked on embracing curiosity, and daring to ask for help. The new armor worked well in their Agile team. It engages the intellect and helpfulness of the whole team. One of these Product Owners remarked: “I discovered that the right questions are more important than the right answers.”

Us-Them armor vs. multi-truth armor

An ‘us-them’ armor creates safety by putting people with difficult opinions in an inferior group. This divides teams. I encountered people who would avoid colleagues that were too different. They focused on personal tasks to avoid difficult conversations. For instance, one person I coached, avoided her team by claiming all layout work. She armored up by staking her domain. She hoped to prove to ‘the hard-working people’ that she was delivering great work, and she was not one of the ‘slackers.’ The growing resentment, however, was driving the team into High Conflict. It stressed out everyone. Here, too, I worked with the team on an armor change. We built new armor by disconnecting truth and opinion from identity. The new room for complexity allowed different truths to coexist harmoniously.

Shame and Blame vs. Shared Responsibility

Relying on shame and blame armor is an effective way to ensure mistakes are not yours. However, it stifles creativity and innovation within teams. In my LEGO Scrum Simulations, for instance, teams tend to make mistakes the first time. Often someone looks at me and asks me, as their teacher, to point out who was to blame for the mistake. They intend well, and they are eager to learn new accountabilities. The blame question allows me to show the ‘shared responsibility’ armor in practice: I point out that we were all there when the thing went wrong. Shaming and blaming is pointless. What matters is correcting the mistake and ensuring it does not happen again. I hope Product Owners in my course learn from this experience. I wish all team leaders would cultivate compassion and accountability, creating an environment where risk-taking is encouraged without fear of blame.

How to be a fearless Product Owner?

To thrive as a Product Owner means choosing your armor wisely—embrace learning, lean into conflict with openness, and shared responsibility within your team. It’s OK to feel fear because your new armor protects you. It allows you to face the dragon of fear as a team.

If you’re ready to transform your approach as a Product Owner into one filled with confidence and daring leadership, consider a few coaching sessions with Anton.

The post It’s OK to be afraid as a Product Owner appeared first on Wendbaar Groeien.

Why Frequent and Short Retrospectives Matter

Frequent retrospectives ensure that feedback is timely and relevant. The key is to make retrospectives a quick and regular habit—an integral part of your sprint cycle rather than an afterthought. This approach not only fosters improvement with the issues fresh in mind but also enhances team morale by empowering members to voice their insights regularly.

Here’s how you can conduct an effective 30-minute sprint retrospective using five simple steps. Be sure to use a timer – time flies when you’re having scrum.

1. Set the Stage (2 minutes)

The first step on your retrospective agenda is creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts. Encourage openness and remind participants that the results of the session will benefit them and their work satisfaction directly.

2. Gather Data (3 minutes)

Allow team members to silently reflect on the sprint’s events or review relevant data. Some teams reflect on their burndown or continuous flow diagram. Other teams jot down thoughts on sticky notes or using digital tools for remote teams. If you decide to write notes, it helps to prepare the retrospective with topics. My favorite topics are the eight items on the agile manifesto, the scrum values – openness, courage, respect, commitment, focus – and the three elements from Daniel Pink’s Drive. The goal here is to capture individual perspectives without influence from others, ensuring diverse viewpoints are brought to light.

Remember that emotions are data too. Don’t keep it too cognitive. You can around with questions like: How satisfied die you feel? What are moments of low and high joy? How was your energy level?

3. Collect Perspectives and Solutions (15 minutes)

Cluster the collected data into subjects and start with the most important subject. Facilitate an open discussion focused on both positive outcomes and areas for improvement. Encourage participants to share their observations from the previous step, fostering a balanced conversation about successes and challenges alike. This dialogue should aim at uncovering root causes and brainstorming potential solutions collaboratively.

4. Prioritize Actions (5 minutes)

If multiple actions arise from the discussion, prioritize them based on impact and feasibility within the next sprint. This ensures that efforts focus on important changes that will yield significant benefits without overwhelming the team with too many initiatives at once.

5. Close (5 minutes)

Conclude by reflecting on the quality of the retrospective itself—what worked well in this session? What could improve next time? Finally, express gratitude to all participants for their contributions, reinforcing a culture of appreciation and continuous learning.

Bonus practical online tools for your retrospective agenda

If you can’t have retrospectives face to face, I suggest using a virtual whiteboard. Miro is my favorite because it feels most intuitive. When you’re in a Microsoft environment, Azure Devops can also capture observations with an extension. I also experimented with a Loop in an MS Teams channel.

Here’s a retrospective invite you can copy and tweak!

Hi Team,

Let's take 30 minutes to look back to the past weeks and find out how we can make our work more enjoyable and satisfying. Let me know if you have any specific topics you'd like to discuss.

Here's our agenda for the retrospective:
1. Welcome, goal and structure - 2 min.
2. Collect the facts - 3 min.
3. Discuss situation and actions - 15 min.
4. Prioritize actions - 5 min.
5. Closing - 5 min.

See you there!
Your Scrum Master.

By adopting this streamlined approach to sprint retrospectives, you’re not just saving time; you’re investing in your team’s growth and efficiency. Regularly scheduled retrospectives become less about finding faults and more about celebrating achievements while constructively addressing challenges— a recipe for sustained success in any agile environment.

So why wait? Start implementing these quick yet impactful retrospectives today and watch your team’s productivity soar! If you still feel the true conversation is lacking in retrospectives, be sure to contact me. The neutral ground of an external person like me might bring a boost.

The post An effective 30-minute Sprint Retrospective Agenda appeared first on Wendbaar Groeien.

The balance between work and life is crucial in maintaining team performance without succumbing to burnout. In this article on becoming a better team player, we dive into the delicate art of juggling professional demands and personal needs.

Long-term and Short-term Team Performance

Ever had the urge to binge-watch your favorite series? It’s an example of a short-term desire. While it offers immediate gratification, it can derail long-term goals. In team settings, this dichotomy plays out in balancing what we should do for the team versus what we need for ourselves. Striking this balance is key to preventing burnout teamwork and maintaining productivity.

Your gut is the canary in the coal mine

From birth, we are primarily driven by immediate needs – the “belly”. As we grow, we learn to plan and set long-term goals – the “head”. However, the belly never truly disappears; it serves as a reminder of our physical and emotional needs. In teams, when members ignore these needs, it leads to stress, dissatisfaction, and burnout. Successful teamwork requires acknowledging and balancing these aspects.

The Art of Balancing Head and Belly

Many view balance as boring. Yet in the context of burnout teamwork, it is a dynamic and essential skill. Consider extreme athletes: their prowess lies in maintaining an extreme dynamic balance. Similarly, effective teamwork involves creating space for personal needs amidst professional obligations. Mindfulness about one’s productivity and taking breaks when needed is crucial. It’s a mistake to think that pushing harder is the solution to decreased productivity. Instead, restful breaks often provide insights into underlying issues.

Taking True Breaks

Distinguishing between fake and true breaks is essential. Fake breaks involve activities that still engage the head, like checking emails or social media. True breaks, however, allow the mind to rest. Activities like taking a walk, enjoying a coffee chat, or mindfully drinking tea can rejuvenate the mind and are integral to managing burnout teamwork.

Maximizing Teamwork by Balancing Work-Life:

Balancing productivity and rest, individual needs, and team objectives, is a continuous process. This doesn’t imply working less or lowering ambitions. Instead, it’s about working smarter. To achieve significant goals, it’s vital to fine-tune the balance between our immediate needs (belly) and long-term objectives (head). You can simply start by taking true breaks. Then check your battery levels. Discuss with the team. They will gladly assist you in finding a better balance.

This piece draws insights from the book ‘Effect’, which offers lessons from a team of ice skating champions. Interested in enhancing your team’s performance while avoiding burnout? Contact Anton Vanhoucke for expert consulting in agile, scrum, innovation, and leadership coaching. Discover how to balance the demands of high-performance teamwork with personal well-being.

The post But…My team needs me! appeared first on Wendbaar Groeien.

Steering the Agile Submarine

Expressing Goals, Not Solutions in your backlog refinement process

Captain Marquet’s approach was groundbreaking. He refused to give orders and limited himself to expressing the end goal, refraining from dictating solutions. This shift empowered his crew, fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility. How does this apply to backlog refinement in Agile? Like a submarine captain, a Product Owner should articulate the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of backlog items, leaving the ‘how’ to the development team. This approach encourages a vibrant, solution-focused discussion among developers, unleashing their creativity and expertise.

“Don’t Brief, Certify” Technique

In “Turn the Ship Around,” Marquet introduces the “Don’t Brief, Certify” technique. Instead of giving detailed briefings, he certified the crew’s understanding and readiness. Applying this to Agile, during backlog refinement sessions, the Product Owner ensures that the team comprehensively understands each item. It’s not about instructing; it’s about confirming that the team is equipped with the knowledge to proceed.

The Power of Engaging Conversations during Backlog Refinement

Backlog refinement then becomes a platform for engaging conversations about solutions. The team collaboratively discusses and dissects each backlog item, offering diverse perspectives. This process not only ensures a deeper understanding but also enhances commitment to the solutions devised.

Maintaining Grip: Short Early Conversations

Captain Marquet’s technique of “short early conversations” right before execution is another gem. In Agile, this translates to the Product Owner having brief, focused discussions with the team just before they start working on backlog items. These conversations serve as a final check-in, ensuring alignment and clarity.

Curiosity instead of questioning

For Product Owners, it’s crucial to approach these conversations with curiosity, not interrogation. Asking open-ended questions and listening actively demonstrates trust in the team’s capabilities. It’s about seeking to understand, not to question their competence.

Conclusion: let the team figure it out

Implementing these techniques in backlog refinement can significantly enhance team dynamics and efficiency. By adopting a goal-focused approach, encouraging engaging solution discussions, and maintaining alignment through short, early conversations, Product Owners can lead their teams to greater depths of success.

Dive Deeper with Expert Guidance

If these strategies don’t resolve your backlog refinement challenges, the issue may lie deeper. Don’t navigate these waters alone. Contact Anton Vanhoucke, an expert in Agile and Scrum practices, to explore tailored solutions for your team’s unique needs. With Anton’s guidance, you can turn your Agile submarine into a powerhouse of productivity and innovation.

The post The Backlog Refinement process of a Submarine Captain appeared first on Wendbaar Groeien.

Walker calls sleep the most potent medicine. It’s free too! Read on to find out how to get more out of your nightly hours.

Why is Sleep So Crucial for your performance?

Cognitive Functioning and Memory

• Sleep is essential for memory consolidation. During deep NREM sleep, our brain processes and transfers new memories into long-term storage.
• REM sleep fosters creativity, helping our brains connect unrelated ideas in novel ways.

Emotional Well-being and Mental Health

• Sleep regulates our emotions. Without adequate REM sleep, our amygdala — the brain’s emotional center — becomes hyperactive, leading to heightened emotional reactions.
• Chronic sleep deprivation is linked with anxiety, depression, and even suicidal tendencies.¹

Physical Health

• Sleep deprivation affects the heart, with studies showing an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
• Lack of sleep can cause weight gain, impacting hunger hormones like leptin and ghrelin².
• Sleeping less than 6-7 hours a night demolishes your immune system, doubling the risk of cancer³.

Safety

• Sleep deprivation impairs judgment. Fatigue-related accidents, both on roads and at workplaces, are often more disastrous than alcohol-related ones⁴.

Why Don’t We Sleep Enough?

Modern life is conspiring against sleep. Electronic screens emit blue light that hinders melatonin production, our natural sleep-promoting hormone. Caffeine and alcohol, though seemingly benign or even sleep-inducing, actually disrupt our sleep cycles.

How Can We Sleep Better?

1. Regularity: Stick to a schedule. I personally want to be in bed by 11 p.m. and I wake up without alarm at 06:30.
2. Environment: Ensure a dark, cool, gadget-free, and screen-free bedroom⁵. I charge my phone in the next room. It is close enough for my Bluetooth headphones, so I can listen to a book or podcast before sleeping.
3. Limit Caffeine and Alcohol: Especially in the evening⁶. I rarely drink alcohol anymore, and I don’t miss it a bit. I like the taste of coffee, so I drink one around 10 a.m. and then I stop.
4. Mind Your Diet: Avoid large meals before bedtime. Your body often confuses hunger with a lack of sleep. Sleep could be the better solution to cravings. I try to eat early, just after my workout. But my agenda doesn’t always allow it.
5. Morning Sunlight: Natural light helps regulate our internal clock. I try to eat my breakfast outside. And during wintertime, when the days are short, make a morning walk at work.

Conclusion: Sleep is the best investment in Performance

Dr. Matthew Walker’s “Why We Sleep” isn’t just a book; it’s a wake-up call (pun intended). The lack of sleep, once seen as a badge of honor, is now recognized as possibly the greatest public health challenge we face in the 21st century⁷. It might be an important cause of the obesity pandemic. I personally put sleep at the forefront of my priorities, for well-being, productivity, and overall quality of life. And it works.

Footnotes and references

1. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-37921-4 ↩︎
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18517032/ ↩︎
3. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220921104752.htm ↩︎
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1739867/ ↩︎
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4734149/ ↩︎
6. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/nutrition/caffeine-and-sleep ↩︎
7. https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_walker_sleep_is_your_superpower ↩︎

The post This 100% Free Night-Time Ritual That Can Skyrocket Your Daytime Performance appeared first on Wendbaar Groeien.

I’m sharing secrets that work, from my personal experience. Do you know what’s so special about these secrets? I can openly share them and still influence you! Hold my beer.

1. The Art of creating Engaging Openers

To hook your audience from the very beginning, start with an open-ended question that introduces your topic. Make a promise using a comparative adjective—easier, faster, better—setting expectations for what’s to come. Reinforce these points throughout your speech to maintain engagement, especially when transitioning between different themes or ideas. Do you want an example? Reread the title and the introduction to this blog. Then take a break and feel how the power of this format engages you. Then read on for the next secret.

2. The Power of ‘Who’ Questions

A special case of the opening question is the who question. Begin with a compelling ‘who’ question and raise your own hand while posing it. This simple gesture immediately establishes a connection and makes your audience feel involved. For example, “Who here has ever felt the excitement of impressing someone? (Raises hand) The feeling is awesome, isn’t it?”

3. Weaving Anecdotes into the Narrative

Anecdotes are a speaker’s secret weapon. Share stories with enthusiasm, authenticity, and humor, ensuring they resonate with your audience. These anecdotes create relatable touchpoints, forging a deeper connection between you and your listeners.

For instance, I’m passionate about leadership and autonomous teams. In an explorative workshop with a new client, I was invited to share some ideas for improving that client’s innovation process. Instead of sharing ideas, I told stories of other clients. I shared anecdotes of their initial question, how that question evolved, what interventions we organized, and what the value was. I was in the explorative workshop with a colleague, and on the way back he commented: “Wow they were really clinging to your lips!” His comment totally surprised me. I felt like the only thing I did was share some stories. But these stories turned out to be more powerful than I knew. I didn’t even use the second biggest engagement hack:

4. Catering to Diverse Speed Preferences

Audiences come with varying speed preferences. Some are introverted and prefer a slower pace, while others are extroverted and thrive on faster delivery. To keep everyone engaged, alternate your speaking pace. Moreover, tailor your language and support materials to cater to these preferences. Visual aids for fast-paced individuals, audio cues for the moderate-paced, and emotional appeals for those who prefer a slower pace.

5. Pace and Space: A Dynamic Duo:

Your presence encompasses more than just your voice. Combine pacing with spatial dynamics for an even more impactful delivery. Imagine how engaging it could be if you take more distance and tell a high-energy anecdote. Then you move closer to the audience, lower your voice, start speaking slowly for emphasis, and deliver the punchline. How powerful is that?

You can also you left and right movements. Position yourself at specific points to reinforce ideas, creating a mental map for your audience. Designate specific spots on the stage for each major point, returning to these spots to reinforce your ideas.

Want to know another underused mode of communication? Hand gestures! Try using consistent hand gestures for specific ideas. For instance, every time you mention the attention of the audience in your speech, you lean forward in a pensive motion, squinting your eyes and rubbing your chin.

6. Commanding Attention with Imperatives

Speaking is not only about sharing information and ideas. You can actually ask your audience to do things. And they’ll like it because your imperatives will activate them. Phrases like “Pay close attention,” “Take a deep breath,” or “Imagine this scenario” prompt engagement and maintain focus. Imagine how these directives could keep your audience actively participating in your next discourse. And now reread the previous sentence and appreciate the power of imperatives! Then read on, because the best is yet to come…

7. Pre-Pump to pique curiosity

The next hack is a double whammy. Wonder what it is? It is opening with statements like “The next hack I’m about to share is really special…”, “Honestly, have you ever wondered…”, “What amazed me is…”, or “Here’s something hardly anyone knows…” These introductions focus and refocus your audience’s attention and prepare them for upcoming insights. You create intrigue by using attention-grabbing openings. Why is that a double whammy? Because it also changes the pace. You can slow down a bit when pre-pumping and still keep everyone’s attention! Now that you have their attention, how can you imprint something in their memory? Read on!

8. Crafting Lasting Impressions

As you wrap up your speech, remember that people retain a single emotion and a single message. Decide in advance what emotion and message you want to leave your audience with. Conclude with an action-driven moment, giving a clear directive for what they should do, avoid, or remember. The directive should be empowering. This means it should give the audience ideas or tools to resolve problems they have. What a great gift to give! But wait… how do you know what problems are relevant to your audience? That brings us to the last point.

9. Listening: The Bedrock of Effective Speaking

Listening is the cornerstone of exceptional speaking. It’s not just about understanding your audience but demonstrating genuine interest. As the saying goes, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Discovering their passions and interests allows you to tailor your message for maximum impact.

Conclusion

In essence, the art of public speaking is a delicate dance between captivating your audience’s attention, maintaining engagement, and leaving a memorable imprint. By incorporating these techniques—crafting powerful openers, utilizing engaging questions, weaving relatable anecdotes, adapting to varied pace preferences, mastering movement, using imperatives, pre-pumping key points, creating lasting impressions, and genuinely connecting through listening—you can transform into a masterful speaker who effortlessly leaves a mark on every audience. Remember, the journey to becoming a remarkable speaker begins with a willingness to truly listen and connect.

Feel free to connect with me if you want to discuss more ideas about speaking. And maybe I can engage your audience around the topics of teamwork, leadership, objectives, and a happy workplace!

The post How anyone can be a Keynote Speaker: 9 quick hacks for more engagement. appeared first on Wendbaar Groeien.

Disclaimer

I’m not a fan of violence. Most military personnel will tell you that the best solutions to crises are the ones where no shots are fired. When violence happens, however, we can learn from it. I believe these extreme situations have lessons that also apply in daily life.

The 6-step process of military planning

The actual military planning process is unlike the movies. It’s much more inclusive and does not revolve around individual heroism. Instead of heroism, it’s about leadership on all levels. 

The military process has 6 phases: define the end state, situation analysis, develop the plan, execute, reprioritize, and evaluate. They loosely map on the Scrum events you know: product goal, sprint review, sprint planning, sprint, daily Scrum, and sprint retrospective.

STEP 1: Defining the End State

The first phase of military planning involves clearly defining the desired outcome or the “end state” of the mission. Similarly, in Scrum, it is essential to establish a shared understanding of the objectives. The military call this the “commander’s intent.” 

In Scrum, the end state is called the “Product Goal.” In practice, however, I see many Scrum teams skip this step. They collect a list of tasks from the organization and start executing them. We can learn from the military that a clear commander’s intent allows team members to make informed decisions and adapt their approach as needed. That’s more agile than just executing a bunch of tasks. And it’s more fun and creative too.

In larger military operations, the end state is cascading. It is broken up into a hierarchy of mission areas, and the detailed plans are relegated to the respective units.

STEP 2. Situation Analysis

In the military planning process, conducting a thorough situation analysis is vital. This involves gathering relevant facts and assumptions about the mission: resources, risks, and opportunities. 

The analysis should also establish the scope and boundaries of the project, ensuring that everyone is aligned and aware of their responsibilities and constraints.

Likewise, in Scrum, collecting and analyzing the necessary information to make informed decisions is crucial. By conducting more analysis, Scrum teams can gain valuable insights into the project’s context, identify potential challenges, and develop appropriate strategies. Analysis doesn’t necessarily take much time. It is often a matter of asking the right questions and inviting the perspectives of experts. 

Sadly, teams often avoid confronting questions or analyzing facts relevant to their mission. Frustrating misunderstandings with the leadership are the result. On the other hand, defining a clear end-state and cooperating on the analysis builds trust.

STEP 3. Develop a plan

Once the situation has been analyzed, the military planning process moves on to developing a plan. Scrum teams do this by creating a product backlog and sprint backlog that outlines the necessary tasks, deliverables, and intermediate goals. 

A great Scrum Master will guide the process by showing the team how to collect options, prioritize decisions, define actions, and commit to these actions. By making the plan goal-based, it is easily adaptable, and thus more agile.

STEP 4. Execute

Execution is where the military planning process transitions into action. Similarly, in Scrum, this phase corresponds to the work in the sprint. During the execution phase, the Scrum team focuses on reaching the sprint goal, fostering collaboration, and effectively utilizing available resources. Complexity, external chaos, and the ‘fog of war’ ensure things rarely go as planned. More work than you can possibly do clogs up your sprint. Should you freeze? Delay the planning? No! That brings us to step 5.

STEP 5. Re-prioritize Actions

Adapting and responding to changing circumstances is essential in the military planning process. Scrum teams can apply this principle by regularly reassessing their progress toward the sprint goal. The military call this: remember the end state.

With the end state in mind, in the chaos of the battlefield, there are many things you can do. But some actions contribute more to the end state than others. The military credo is: ‘Prioritize and execute.’

In business, we have the Daily Scrum to re-prioritize tasks and adjust the approach when necessary. Having Daily Scrums with the end state in mind allows Scrum teams to remain agile, responsive, and better equipped to deal with unforeseen challenges.

STEP 6. Evaluate

The final phase of the military planning process involves evaluating the mission’s outcomes and learning from the experience. The military cultivates a culture of openness, ownership, and growth. Don’t judge; just learn. To me, it sounds a lot like the Growth Mindset. 

In Scrum, evaluation is done in the Sprint Retrospective. That’s when the team reflects on their performance, identifies areas for improvement, and applies lessons learned to future iterations or projects. By fostering a culture of learning and ownership, Scrum teams can continuously refine their processes and enhance their overall performance.

Conclusion

The military planning process offers valuable insights and practices that Scrum teams can leverage to improve their planning, execution, and adaptability. Scrum teams can enhance their collaboration, decision-making, and project outcomes by adopting ideas from the military planning process: defining and remembering the end state, cascading goals, clear scope, mission boundaries, contributing actions, leadership, ownership, and re-prioritizing. Incorporating these elements will enable Scrum teams to thrive in dynamic project environments, delivering successful outcomes with greater efficiency and agility. 

Want more? I found the works of Stan McChrystal and Jocko Willink very inspiring. They contain great insights into leadership, communication, and organization. Many thanks to Rob IJsseldijk, for kindly explaining the process to me and making this article possible.

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