Agile Uprising Podcast

In this special episode, host Andy Cleff breaks explosive news about the Agile Uprising's hostile takeover of the entire agile establishment. Listen as he reveals how the community-driven coalition has acquired PMI, Agile Alliance, ISO, and Scrum.org in one fell swoop—and why their surprise acquisition of Cologuard might be the most disruptive move of all. Learn about the immediate changes to cert...

Remember when letting people choose their own teams seemed completely radical? (I sure do!) A decade ago, Sandy Mamoli and David Mole pioneered "self-selection" at Trade Me in New Zealand, sparking a movement that would challenge conventional wisdom about team formation. In this reunion episode, we dive deep into their journey from initial experiment to proven practice. Drawing on a decade of expe...

In this Agile Uprising pod, co-hosts Andy Cleff and Adrew Leff conclude a trilogy with Gene Gendel by examining why organizational design must be the foundation for sustainable agility. Drawing on his experience as a transformation agent, Gene challenges the common approach of starting with mindset change and explains why structural changes must come first. The discussion brings together insights...

One of the hardest decisions we make as professionals is knowing when it's time to leave a job. This week we sit down to compare notes on how we make our decisions, and what references or heuristics we use to help ensure we're making the right choice. Enjoy!

In this episode of the Agile Uprising podcast, host Andy Cleff chats with Simon Holzapfel about how humans organized and learned together before industrial-age practices disrupted our natural patterns. Through examples from anthropology, biology, and neuroscience, they explore what ancient societies and our own biology can teach us about effective collaboration at scale. The conversation challenge...

When you find yourself drowning in change metrics and conflicting feedback from multiple transformation initiatives, how do you make sense of it all? Join Agile Uprising Host Andy Cleff and his guest Patrick Verdonk as they explore why traditional change frameworks alone aren't enough in today's complex organizations. Patrick, an experienced change facilitator and author of "Beyond Frameworks: Nav...

In this Agile Uprising pod, Andy Cleff welcomes back Gene Gendel to dive deep into what true product orientation means beyond surface-level changes. Gene unpacks common misconceptions about product-centric organizations and explores the 'productization saga' - where companies relabel components without meaningful structural change. The conversation examines how work breakdown, team structure, and...

Join host Andy Cleff and his guest Dr. Steve Martin, author of "Bad Sh!t Managers Do: How to Lead Instead" for an honest and often humorous exploration of the journey from management to true leadership. Drawing on his diverse background - from Disney cast member to Fortune 100 consultant - Steve shares practical insights on how to impact behavior, build trust, and empower teams. Whether you're a n...

In this Agile Uprising pod, co-hosts Andy Cleff and Jay Hrcsko chat with Gene Gendel about how HR policies and financial structures can either enable or constrain organizational agility. Gene shares insights from decades of experience helping organizations navigate the challenges of traditional performance management and budgeting practices. Drawing from his work as an 'Agile Theater Recovery Spec...

This week Jay goes solo to talk about something that's been on his mind lately...cathedrals. If you've got an open mind you might get something out of this one. Enjoy. Triggernometry - Why We Have a Meaning Crisis The Psychological Drivers of the Metacrisis If you enjoyed this episode, please give us a review, a rating, or leave comments on iTunes, Stitcher or your podcasting platform of choice. I...

Join Andy Cleff, Claudia Orozco-Gomez, Mike Cadell, and MG as they dive deep into the nuances of conflict in work settings. Their conversation explores how to recognize different types of conflict, distinguish between healthy and unhealthy disagreement, and navigate cultural differences in global teams. The panel share practical insights on creating effective working agreements, the importance of...

In this Uprising Podcast episode hosted by Andy Cleff, Michael "Mad Dog" Dougherty and Pete "OK" Oliver-Krueger discuss their new book "Shift from Product to People" - a novel exploring the third wave of agile adoption. Through rich character development inspired by real people and the Enneagram personality system, they illustrate how organizations struggle even after implementing agile practices...

A release of one of our favorites from about this time 5 years ago… just as relevant today! Chris Murman and Colleen Johnson sit down with Esther Derby to discuss Esther's book 7 Rules for Positive, Productive Change. (With a special guest appearance by Izzie, the french bulldog.) Topics include: Getting unstuck… gaining fresh perspectives… embracing change… addressing "fatigue".. seeing the syste...

In this Agile Uprising podcast, Andy Cleff chats with Bob Anderson, Chief Executive Officer | Co-Founder of Leadership Circle and co-author of Mastering Leadership and Scaling Leadership. They explore the intersections between leadership and personal mastery, between competence and consciousness, and how organizations can achieve extraordinary performance at scale through the personal transformati...

In this episode of the Agile Uprising podcast, hosts Andy Cleff and Chris Murman welcome back Ken Rickard for a dive deeper into the concept of sensemaking in organizational change and continuous improvement. Ken discusses the importance of moving beyond frameworks to address complexity with complexity, the power of storytelling and metaphors in change management, and the value of discovery-based...

In this episode of the Agile Uprising podcast, host and Professional Kanban Trainer Troy Lightfoot sits down with Certified Scrum Trainer Chris Li to discuss the pervasisive online sentiment that common agile of ways of working like Scrum and Kanban just suck. If you read LinkedIn you'll see these types of posts frequently. They discuss why so many people feel this way, is it a fault of the ways o...

In this episode of the Agile Uprising podcast, hosts Troy Lightfoot, Andy Cleff, and Andrew Leff discuss the impacts of focusing on outputs and outcomes including some very potentially controversial takes! Additional they discuss why Quitting is so critical and how to know when to quit. (Working on getting the Author of Quit on the podcast as well for a future episode!) Links Mentioned Thinking In...

As our summer break continues, we are bringing back a classic episode, too good to not bring back! Join Brad Stokes and Christopher Avery as they discuss The Responsibility Process®. When Christopher Avery was a management consultant, this was his driving question: Why are so many smart people unhappy at work? 20 years ago, Christopher realized that the most useful skills he was teaching his smart...

In this episode of the Agile Uprising podcast, hosts Andy Cleff and Chris Murman are joined by guest Matt Barcomb for a spirited discussion on cooperative ventures in business. Barcomb challenges traditional organizational structures, discussing the shift from domination-based systems to cooperation-based models. The conversation delves into worker cooperatives, democratic decision-making processe...

In this episode of the Agile Uprising podcast, host Andy Cleff explores the virtues of humility and vulnerability in leadership. He emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and the courage to admit "I don't know" as foundational to effective leadership and personal growth. Drawing on insights from thought leaders like Dr. Brené Brown, Cleff discusses how vulnerability fosters innovation, creati...

In this episode of "Virtues for the Change Journey," Andy Cleff explores the often-overlooked power of gratitude in the workplace. Discover how cultivating a culture of appreciation can significantly boost motivation, employee engagement, and overall performance. Andy unpacks the connections between gratitude and appreciation, sharing compelling research that underscores their impact on productivi...

Continuing last week's conversation of where agile is headed, we go from the anecdotes to arithmetic. We sit down for a chat with Evan Leybourn, Head Imaginarian of the Business Agility Institute to discuss what he's seeing from his vantage point regarding our industry and where it looks to potentially be going. Have a listen! The Business Agility Institute If you enjoyed this episode, please give...

In this episode of Agile Uprising, Andy Cleff, Chris Murman, and Jay Hrcsko engage in a candid, unscripted discussion about the current state of the agile community. They explore the challenges and opportunities arising from the industry's upheaval, emphasizing the need for a shift in narrative from doom and gloom to constructive optimism. The conversation touches on the importance of unity among...

In this episode of the Agile Uprising podcast, host Andy Cleff explores the importance of building alliances to support continuous improvement. He discusses how alliances can enhance both individual's and teams' journeys by providing diverse perspectives, psychological safety, and interpersonal trust. The pod explores four types of alliances (that come from the Rebels at Work Group): Support Pack:...

This week we sit down with frequent guest Mike Burrows to discuss his newest book Organizing Conversations. We talk about the idea of dialogic organizational development, how writing this book was actually harder than he thought, and Mike shares some insight into his newest writing project. Enjoy! Organizing Conversations @ Amazon If you enjoyed this episode, please give us a review, a rating, or...