Most leaders today talk about motivation as if it were obvious: you set targets, attach rewards, maybe add pressure, and magically people perform. But the idea that humans do great work because they want to, not because they’re pushed or paid, is surprisingly new. And it didn’t come from management theory. It came from a series of weird psychological experiments that almost didn’t happen. The story of intrinsic motivation starts long before anyone had a name for it – and its lessons hit...
15 days ago • 5 min read
You know that feeling when a company throws another process or incentive program at a problem, and everyone quietly knows it won’t fix anything? That’s the Motivation Gap at work. Leaders keep betting on the wrong motivators, and employees wait for the things that actually matter – and then they quit. Here’s what’s really going on. The Motivation Gap – Why Leaders Double Down on the Wrong Things It’s almost impressive how consistently managers get motivation wrong. Ask them what drives...
29 days ago • 3 min read
Every leader wants a motivated team. But motivation isn’t something you can hand out – it grows in a culture of trust. Here’s how to build it with eight simple but powerful practices we use in our leadership workshops at Silicon Valley Alliances. Build Trust to Ignite Motivation Every leader wants a motivated team. People who care. Who take initiative. Who don’t need to be chased for every deadline. So we try: pep talks, bonuses, team events, motivational posters. And for a while, it works —...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
Ever seen a team celebrate record-high velocity while customers quietly vanish? This satirical fable will make you laugh, cringe, and maybe rethink what you measure next sprint. The Velocity Cult (A modern corporate fable about rewarding A while hoping for B) Let me tell you about Sophie. She joined bright-eyed, caffeinated, and carrying just enough imposter syndrome to fit right in. Day one, her manager pointed at the wall-sized Jira dashboard glowing with KPI green. “See that number? That’s...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Let’s be real: dependency management isn’t progress – it’s maintenance of dysfunction. In this article, I unpack why these fancy PI planning boards might be making things worse, and how to actually design for flow instead. Stop Managing Dependencies. Start Eliminating Them. Let’s start with a blunt truth: Managing dependencies is a trap. (Yes, I’m looking at you, PI Planning boards with your red strings and sticky-note spiderwebs. 🔍) These boards don’t make your organization agile. They just...
2 months ago • 3 min read
In the 20th century, the biggest cost in product development was waste. But the world has changed – and your metrics probably haven't. Let’s talk about the shift every company needs to make to survive and thrive in the 21st century. The Real Cost Driver Has Changed – Has Your Company Noticed? Once upon a time – not that long ago – product development was a slow, stately dance. A new idea emerged every few years, maybe once a decade. Companies would then spend years perfecting its execution:...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Story points were invented with good intentions–and then slowly turned into a mess. Here’s what I’ve seen over the past decade, how I stopped using them, and what I teach teams now instead. This one’s practical, detailed, and a bit liberating. Beyond Story Points: A Practical Guide for Grown‑Up Agile Teams Story points aren’t the problem. They were created with good intent. A soft way to guide planning without the stress and politics of time estimates. Ron Jeffries, one of the original...
3 months ago • 4 min read
The Agile Compass Matthias Orgler Hey Reader, why do companies want to be "agile"? Did you ever ask that question? What were the replies you got? And did you do the "5 whys" to dig deeper? I've seen so many who wanted to be agile for all the wrong reasons. I believe our job as coaches is to solve their REAL problems for them. Here's a little article about why companies want to be agile… Why Do Organizations Want to “Go Agile”? A Brutally Honest Look at Real and Misguided Motivations—for...
6 months ago • 5 min read
The Agile Compass Matthias Orgler Hello Reader, respect is not a fluffy add-on – respect is the infrastructure on which high performance runs. Let's look at the busiest train station in the world to learn for creating high performing organizations. Respect: The Missing Ingredient in Your Agile Transformation Why respect isn’t just a soft value — but your system’s only real chance at speed. Shinjuku Station is the busiest railway station in the word. 4 million people passing through it every...
7 months ago • 4 min read