Connect Your Agile Minds! – Unstoppable Agile Transformations
Have you ever watched a massive organization try to “go Agile” (yes, I’m mocking the wrong way to do it) only to see it fizzle out faster than you can say scrum master? Maybe you’ve witnessed leadership sending teams off to a series of generic trainings, hoping the new knowledge would magically stick. Or perhaps you’ve seen top-level execs declare, “We’re now doing Agile!” without offering more than a round of PowerPoint slides. If any of this rings a bell, you’re not alone!
I’ve been part of multiple large-scale agile transformations, and I’ve learned that focusing on just training teams in waves or educating executives in isolation rarely leads to real, lasting change. Period! It may seem like you’re checking the right boxes—“We trained teams, we taught leaders, job done!”—but over and over, we see this approach fail to transform culture and mindset. So, how do you make an agile transformation actually stick in a large enterprise? Here’s the short answer: You connect the right people.
Why “Train and Wave Goodbye” Falls Flat
Let’s talk about the most common approach first—rolling out agile training to teams in waves. You gather 5–10 teams, put them through some workshops, follow up with a few weeks of on-the-job coaching, then move on to the next set of teams (who may or may not have had parallel training, too). On paper, it sounds good. In reality, it often winds up feeling like a never-ending factory line of “certifying” teams, while the deeper values and cultural shifts get lost in the shuffle.
Why doesn’t it work? Because learning new techniques alone isn’t enough to live new values. Being told about courage or accountability doesn’t suddenly make someone become courageous or accountable. If that were the case, nobody would ever smoke, and we’d all have perfect exercise habits! You can’t force a shift in beliefs and attitudes just by saying, “Here, read these slides and do these ceremonies.”
Top-Down Alone Doesn’t Cut It Either
Then there’s the other route—teaching leadership positions about agility. Don’t get me wrong, involving leadership is crucial. You need executive buy-in to remove systemic barriers and drive organizational changes. But if you only focus on leadership and never quite get the people on the ground engaged, you risk creating an environment where employees feel agile is just another “management fad.” Ever heard people say, “Oh, this too shall pass”? Yeah, that’s what happens when it’s all command-and-control from the top. Even the coolest methodology can start to feel like oppression if teams aren’t genuinely on board.
Transformation = Culture Shift
So, if training teams in waves doesn’t do the trick, and top-down by itself isn’t enough, what’s missing? In my experience, it’s a fundamental understanding that an agile transformation isn’t just a technique transformation—it’s a culture transformation.
- Techniques are easy to teach: You can learn scrum events in a day.
- Culture is trickier: Building trust, fostering accountability, and encouraging respect can take years—and it needs continuous nourishment.
There’s a big difference between “We got our scrum master and product owner certifications!” and “We truly live agile values day in and day out.” That is where the magic lies.
Finding Your “Agile Minds”
Here’s one of the biggest insights I’ve gained from years of shepherding transformations: Every enterprise already has agile minds in its midst. I guarantee it. These are the folks who, once introduced to agile methods, instantly get them. It feels like common sense to them. They might not even realize they are agile-minded until they see something like scrum or kanban and think, “Oh, yeah, that’s exactly how I’d do it, too!”
Sometimes, these agile minds have been quietly waiting for a chance to break out of the box. They’re itching to work collaboratively, experiment, fail fast, and learn. They have the empathy and curiosity that agile thrives on. When you introduce them to frameworks like scrum, they take off—and they influence those around them, often in incredible ways.
Nurturing Your agile Superstars
But guess what? These wonderful agile champions are still human. They’ll get tired. They’ll face resistance from their peers and managers. They’ll have moments of self-doubt. If we don’t support them—if we don’t protect them—they risk burning out or losing motivation.
How do we support them? We coach them, we recognize their successes, and we create an environment where they can share their experiences—the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. And the best way to do that is to connect them with others who share that same spark!
The Missing Link: Connection
These agile champions are often scattered all over the organization—maybe even across different continents. Sure, they might chat on Slack or wave at each other in passing, but they’re not really collaborating or sharing struggles in a focused way.
What changes the game is building an intentional network or community around these people—an “agilists anonymous,” if you will! Form a community of practice (CoP), a guild, or a chapter—whatever you want to call it—and encourage these agile enthusiasts to meet, share, and problem-solve together. Let them see that they’re not alone. When they’re doubting themselves or butting heads with resistant colleagues, they can lean on each other for support.
Why Communities of Practice Are a Big Deal
- Peer Support​
At a financial enterprise, we formed a community of agile aficionados. When one person hit a wall—be it a stubborn stakeholder or a tricky team dynamic—someone else in the group had already tackled a similar issue. Shared wisdom saved hours of trial and error.
- Cross-Pollination of Ideas​
In a global manufacturer, agile coaches from different departments got together and realized they could adopt good practices from each other. Marketing borrowed an idea from IT, and IT borrowed an approach from Marketing. The synergy was insane!
- Momentum & Energy​
Passion is contagious. Once a critical mass of people is genuinely excited about agile principles, it becomes a virtually unstoppable force that seeps into daily conversations, decisions, and even how people greet each other at the water cooler!
Real-World Example: The Power of a Gathering
Want a vivid picture? Let’s look at a global manufacturer I worked with recently. They hosted a two-day event in Paris, inviting everyone who wanted to attend—team leads, scrum masters, product folks, you name it. Some of these people were already connected through existing communities of practice, others were meeting each other for the first time. While the session talks were very insightful, the true power of this event came from connecting people. People left with new friendships, fresh ideas, and the knowledge that they had a support system.
I’ve seen similar gatherings become the defining moment that propels an agile transformation from “an initiative” to a full-blown cultural change. It’s amazing how much confidence—and relief—people feel just knowing they’re not the only ones excited about this new way of working.
How to Start Connecting Your agile Minds
You don’t have to throw an enormous conference with fancy speakers and laser light shows (though that’s fun, too!). Sometimes, a simple day or two of open-space discussion can work wonders. Here’s a quick recipe:
- Identify Your Champions​
Who’s naturally gravitating toward agile thinking? (Hint: They’re often the ones already trying new practices on their own or who light up when you mention collaboration.)
- Create a Safe Space​
This could be a Slack channel, a monthly lunch-and-learn, or a formal community of practice. The key is to make it clear that this space is for exploration, not judgment.
- Encourage Self-Management​
Don’t over-police the agenda. Let your agile minds decide which topics to cover. Empower them to own the conversation.
- Invite Leadership, But Carefully​
Leadership support is crucial—but in these gatherings, leaders should come as fellow learners, not as top-down dictators. They might even discover hidden talent that’s ready to rise!
- Celebrate Wins, Big and Small​
Momentum is fueled by success stories. Did a team reduce meeting times by 50%? Did someone pilot a new retrospective format that boosted morale? Celebrate it publicly.
Turning Connection into Culture
Once these agile minds are regularly connecting, you’ll see the shift ripple through the organization:
- Language Changes​
Suddenly, you’ll hear phrases like “empiricism” and “continuous improvement” popping up in everyday meetings.
- Ripple Effect​
People on the periphery get curious. They start asking, “What’s going on in that agile community?” That curiosity can spark new champions.
- Shared Mental Models​
When a team in Berlin is stuck on a retrospective format, they can reach out to a colleague in New York who faced the same issue. This short-circuits the typical “reinvent the wheel” syndrome.
As these connections grow, you’ll find that big cultural shifts no longer feel like an uphill battle. Instead, it’s like stepping onto a moving walkway that carries everyone forward at an accelerating pace.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Go It Alone
Change is hard. Period! And large-scale transformation can be intimidating. But you don’t need to convince everyone from day one. It’s enough to find those agile minds who already “get it,” then give them space to ignite the fire in others. When connected, supported, and celebrated, these individuals become an unstoppable force that can shift your entire enterprise culture.
So if you’re planning an agile transformation or you’re in the thick of one already, remember: Connect your people! Build those communities of practice, spark those unconference-style meetups, and let your agile champions find each other. If you do, you’ll witness a groundswell of enthusiasm and resilience that no wave-based training plan or top-down mandate could ever achieve on its own.
And hey, if you need a hand organizing such events or you’re looking for fresh ideas (or inspiring keynotes!), I’m here to help. But whatever you do, don’t underestimate the power of connection. It might just be the missing ingredient that propels your agile transformation from yet another corporate initiative into a genuine, culture-shifting movement.
Go forth and connect those agile minds! I promise—it’s a sight to behold when the momentum starts rolling. Once you spark that unstoppable force, there’s no turning back. Let’s make real change happen!