Agile Mentors Podcast

Join Brian Milner and McCaul Baggett as they explore the power of empathy and storytelling in successful Agile transformations. Learn McCaul's five-step approach to effective communication and discover strategies to overcome common pitfalls in organizational change.

Overview

In this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian Milner sits down with McCaul Baggett, Chief Agile Officer at CAVU, to discuss the intricacies of communicating change within organizations.

They delve into common pitfalls in Agile transformations and highlight the importance of empathy and storytelling in engaging teams. McCaul shares his five-step approach to effective communication, emphasizing the power of testimonials and spreading awareness.

Tune in to gain valuable insights and practical tools for navigating and leading successful Agile transformations.

Listen Now to Discover:

[1:10] - Join Brian as he welcomes McCaul Baggett, Chief Agile Officer at CAVU and a master of Agile transformation, to delve into the secrets of successful Agile transformation.
[3:15] - McCaul emphasizes the critical role of storytelling in engaging and guiding teams through the process of Agile transformation.
[5:57] - Brian addresses a common challenge in Agile transformations: navigating the unknown and its impact on team dynamics.
[8:01] - McCaul explains how effective communication and a compelling narrative can help teams grasp their value during a transformation.
[10:40] - McCaul advocates for going beyond the basic 'why' by incorporating testimonial narratives to create more meaningful connections.
[14:39] - Brian suggests using these tools to foster empathy, advocating for their use in both top-down and bottom-up approaches when initiating a transformation.
[16:29] - Dive into Mike Cohn's book, Succeeding with Agile, for practical advice on navigating your transformation. Discover strategies for communication, overcoming resistance, and other key aspects of Agile success.
[17:54] - Brian inquires about effective ways to connect with and engage resistant individuals within the team.
[22:49] - Join McCaul and Brian as they discuss the importance of creating specific best practices that suit the unique needs of this particular team and organization.
[28:07] - Brian shares a big thank you to McCaul for joining him on the show.
[28:33] - Join Brian in attending Agile conferences to connect with and learn from Agile experts and peers, fostering valuable discussions and insights.
[29:53] - If you’d like to continue this discussion, join the Agile Mentors Community. You get a year of free membership into that site by taking any class with Mountain Goat Software, such as CSM or CSPO. We'd love to see you in one of Mountain Goat Software's classes, you can find the schedule here.
[30:35] - We invite you to subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast. Do you have feedback or a great idea for an episode of the show? Great! Just send us an email.

References and resources mentioned in the show:

McCaul Baggett
Communicating Change Made Easy with McCaul Bagget and Tom Bullock
Succeeding with Agile by Mike Cohn
Agile 2024
Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast
Certified ScrumMaster® Training and Scrum Certification
Certified Scrum Product Owner® Training
Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule
Join the Agile Mentors Community

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input.

• Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It real...

Is workplace stress just about long hours? Not quite. Brian and Marcus Lagré unpack the real equation behind stress—how pressure, complexity, and security interact—and why your team’s performance depends on getting the balance right.

Overview

In this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian Milner sits down with Marcus Lagré, product organization coach and author of The Stress Equation, to break down the science of workplace stress.

They explore the differences between mental and emotional stress, how pressure and complexity impact teams, and why security in the workplace is a game-changer for performance. Marcus shares research-backed insights on interruptions, stress contagion, and how leaders can create an environment where teams thrive without burning out.

References and resources mentioned in the show:

Marcus Lagré
The Stress Equation by Marcus Lagré
Certified ScrumMaster® Training and Scrum Certification
Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule
Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast
Join the Agile Mentors Community

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input.

• Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.
• Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at [email protected]

This episode’s presenters are:

Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work.

Marcus Lagré is an author, speaker, and consultant with 20 years of experience in software development, from small-team Scrum to massive 50+ team LeSS transformations. Creator of The Stress Equation, he helps organizations tackle workplace stress systematically, ensuring teams thrive under pressure without burning out.

Auto-generated Transcript:

Brian Milner (00:00)
Welcome in Agile Mentors. We're back for another episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast. I'm here as I usually am, Brian Milner. And today we have with us a really special guest, Marcus LeGray is with us. Welcome in, Marcus.

Marcus Lagre (00:13)
Thanks, Brian, pleasure to be here.

Brian Milner (00:15)
We were saying before that I'm actually kind of butchering or Americanizing his last name.

Marcus Lagre (00:20)
Nah, Americanizing, yes, but butchering, no. I wouldn't say that.

Brian Milner (00:24)
So I'm gonna give you a chance to set the record straight. Why don't you tell us the actually the correct pronunciation? Because I probably can't do it.

Marcus Lagre (00:31)
Well, my... I would say La Gré, but that's with a Swedish southern accent and not even most Swedes do that, so...

Brian Milner (00:34)
Okay. OK. Do the Swedish people look on people in the South like we do here in America? Like they're kind of more laid back and slower and... That's funny. OK. Well, we have Marcus on because, first of all, Marcus is a product organization coach. He's an author. He's a speaker.

Marcus Lagre (00:48)
Yeah, yeah, I would I would say so I would I would say so yeah

Brian Milner (01:03)
And he has a really great book that we wanted to kind of dive into the topic of here. Because in this day and age, this is a really important topic, but his book is called The Stress Equation. So you can kind of see where we might be going there with that. Well, so let's dive in. Let's talk about that a little bit. And I think probably a good place to start would be, how would you define then stress, when you, if we're talking about stress and the stress equation, how do you define stress?

Marcus Lagre (01:30)
I usually use the definition of stress because I let's start like this. I think that most people have like a too narrow perspective of what stress is. Like most people probably see it as working long hours and you know, spending a lot of time at work, but it doesn't necessarily have to. And there's this definition of stress ...

Gain insights into building cohesive and agile teams that bleed into each other and explore how conflicts can be transformed into opportunities for growth and improvement when Brian and his guest Julie Chickering delve into how to create team safety.

Overview:

In this episode of the "Agile Mentors" podcast, Brian sits down with Julie Chickering to explore the topic of team safety. They dive deep into the concept of psychological safety and its impact on team dynamics and productivity. From navigating conflicts and encouraging participation to embracing multiple perspectives and detaching personal worth from ideas, Brian and Julie provide valuable insights and actionable advice for Scrum Masters and team members alike. Join them as they uncover the secrets to creating a cohesive and psychologically safe environment where teams thrive and excel.

Listen Now to Discover:

[01:12] - Brian welcomes Julie Chickering back to the show. Teams need to feel safe and agile to be successful; that's a foundational aspect of a team. So, we're talking about team safety today.
[02:12] - Julie shares how one Manhattan bartender described her team that works well together; she says it feels like "we bleed into each other."
[04:11] - Sometimes people misuse or abuse the safe space, having each other's back as a license to be rude.
[04:57] - From pointing fingers to fixing problems together.
[05:39] - Julie shares a book called "The Culture Playbook" by Daniel Coyle and a quote on distinguishing between relational conflict and task conflict.
[06:38] - Protecting team dynamics: Learn how to navigate conflicts that escalate into personal territory and regain focus on improvement.
[07:37] - Effective strategies to steer discussions back to areas of agreement and keep the focus on facts.
[08:09] - Embracing multiple perspectives: Explore scenarios where opposing ideas are equally feasible and the importance of making a choice and moving forward.
[08:51] - Sometimes safety is misconstrued and used to stop discussions.
[09:17] - How to encourage participation based on comfort levels and through smaller group sharing.
[10:00] - The true meaning of safety.
[10:54] - Tension-free environments don't always lead to productive cultures: why disagreements are vital for meaningful discussions.
[11:33] - Detaching personal worth from ideas so you can focus on finding the best solution (vital as the Scrum Master).
[12:42] - How to facilitate conversations by focusing on facts and using visual aids to encourage objectively analyzing multiple ideas.
[13:00] - Nurturing sensitive team members: strategies to create a sense of safety for individuals who are more susceptible to critique to ensure them of the value of their contributions.
[14:13] - Why you should avoid labeling opinions as “wrong” and how assuming positive intent fosters a sense of safety.
[14:45] - The challenge of assuming positive intent (especially in written communication).
[15:21] - How to empower team members to define operating agreements that foster a sense of safety and a respectful working environment.
[17:23] - This podcast is sponsored by Mountain Goat Software's Certified Scrum classes, including Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Advanced Certified Scrum Master (ACSM), and Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner (ACSPO). Mike Cohn taught his first Scrum classes in 1997, and since then, more than 24K people have chosen to train with Mountain Goat Software. All certified classes include a twelve-month Agile Mentors Community membership.
[18:08] - How to open communication lines when unintentional offenses occur during interactions.
[18:49] - Scrum, though a simple framework, becomes complex when people's dynamics come into play.
[19:22] - Brian shares that achieving psychological safety requires a cultural shift and agreement among team members to express opinions freely.
[20:54] - Julie shares why psychological safety matters.
[22:09] - When the swirl of uncertainty and lack of safety is removed, teams can accomplish more due to increased productivity and effectiveness.
[22:34] - Brian shares some tips for Scrum Masters to make psychological safety a focal point if it is lacking within their teams.
[23:40] - Julie discusses the importance o...

Join Cort Sharp and Brian Milner as they discuss experimenting with Scrum in other out-of-the-box environments, including how Cort uses it to train the high school swim team he coaches.

Overview

In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Cort Sharp joins Brian to explore how to use Scrum tools in other environments outside of the software development arena.

Cort shares the lightbulb moment when he realized Scrum might help him become a more effective coach for his high school swim team.

Listen in as he walks us through his real-world experience using Scrum to coach swimmers, including what worked and what didn't and how he redefined things to make using Scrum successful for the team.

Listen now to discover:

[01:27] - Brian introduces Cort Sharp, the Agile Mentors Community Manager and high school swim coach.
[02:49] - Scrum is used chiefly in software, BUT there are other options. Examining out-of-the-box uses from Scrum.
[03:46] - Cort shares the story of how he got started as a high school swim coach.
[06:26] - Cort meets Scrum.
[08:39] - The discovery during Certified Scrum Training that led Cort to believe he could use Scrum to become a more effective swim coach.
[10:20] - Brian shares his own light bulb moment from his first exposure to Scrum.
[11:53] - What’s the product: Cort shares the process of translating Scrum to the swimming world.
[15:57] - How the sprint review brought everything home for Cort.
[17:03] - Evaluating how things were working with the parents of the swimmers (the stakeholders) at the weekly invitational swim meets.
[17:48] - Brian describes how Scrum helps you break things down into smaller, digestible chunks when you want to reach a big goal but don't see progress every day.
[19:02] - Cort shares how they developed the user stories for each swimmer and used feedback to develop the backlog for swim practices.
[19:44] - Cort shares the process of developing the backlog for swim practices.
[21:19] - How Agile principles (i.e., sustainable pace) translate into arenas other than software.
[24:30] - Cort explains how Scrum events like daily stand-ups and sprint reviews helped the team organize practices.
[24:47] - Which Scrum practices were harder to implement for the team? [26:47] - Opening yourself up to experimentation. (And how to reach Cort with your coaching ideas and suggestions).
[27:36] - Cort shares the biggest changes he had to make to make things work for the swim team.
[28:00] - So, who is the Scrum Master for the swim team? Redefining the Scrum roles and responsibilities to make them work in other environments.
[30:04] - Cort shares what he’s learned in the process of using Scrum with the swim team.
[33:29] - Do you have a topic or guest you'd like to see on the Agile Mentors podcast? If so, send us an email. We'd love to hear from you.

References and resources mentioned in the show

• #21: Agile Marketing Teams with Stacey Ackerman
• #23 How Agile Works in Education with John Miller
• The Agile Mentors Community

Want to get involved?

This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input.

• Enjoyed what you heard today? It would be great if you left a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.
• Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us as [email protected]

This episode’s presenters are:

Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He’s passionate about making a difference in people’s day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work.

Cort Sharp is the Scrum Master of the producing team and the Agile Mentors Community Manager. In addition to his love for Agile, Cort is also a serious swimmer and has been coaching swimmers for five years.

Join Julie Chickering and Brian Milner as they discuss strategies you can use to get started on the right foot with your new organization.

Overview

It's the new year, and for many people, that means starting a new chapter in their life, maybe in a new position, with a new team, or possibly an entirely new organization. It's the perfect time for reflection to determine what you can do in these first few days and weeks to set yourself up for success.

So, we thought it would be a great time to take this episode of the show to highlight some strategies you can use to hit the ground running.

In this episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Brian Milner and Julie Chickering discuss some strategies to set the stage for success in your new position. We will walk you through the vital steps for settling into your team and making an impact no matter what level of the ladder you are on. Plus, what to ask when you are interviewing to ensure you find the right fit.

Listen now to discover:

[01:40] - Julie Chickering is on the show to discuss starting strong with your new organization.
[02:15] - How to use team retrospective to identify where things are going well to amplify the good stuff while on a discovery mission of what needs work.
[03:35] - The one thing that Julie cautions about in one-on-one conversations that will help you avoid being influenced by others' opinions of their team members.
[05:22] - How to create curiosity instead of animosity by offering reciprocal grace to help everyone work better together.
[07:17] - Brian shares how to use an improvement board to keep a running track of things while identifying your next target, stay on the right track and avoid the worst-case scenario (as referenced by Henrik Kniberg in the Spotify Model - Part 2).
[09:23] - What Brian calls his 15-minute' cheat code" for understanding the dynamics of a team.
[11:31] - Julie shares her improvement backlog one-on-one ONE thing for Scrum Masters.
[12:08] - Essential techniques to help developers make an impact and utilize their skills in their new team.
[13:57] - How to get off on the right foot with a new team as a product owner.
[14:14] - Julie shares how to determine if an agile framework like Scrum is helping you meet your business goals (or not).
[15:34] - If you cannot communicate and collaborate with your stakeholders... you'll never deliver value to them.
[16:32] - How story mapping exercises can help product owners.
[18:31] - Why communication is the key to top-to-bottom team success.
[19:40] - The most important questions to ask when you are interviewing to determine if the organization is a good fit for what you bring to the table.
[22:17] - Why it's important to remember every interaction during an interview is a part of the job interview.
[22:33] - Brian shares a story of why it's crucial to determine if the company you are going to work for is looking for someone agile or Agile.
[24:42] - Why it's essential to do a background check on a company you're considering hitching your wagon to.
[25:38] - Start with where you are: how to start strong if you have the skills and are certified but need to gain experience.
[28:30] - How can you use your skills to give back and advance in your career?
[29:38] - How to highlight your experience and use it to your advantage when seeking various roles within a company.
[32:40] - The most powerful question you can ask your team that will help you start the new year fresh.

References and resources mentioned in the show

Spotify Engineering Culture - Part 2 (aka the "Spotify Model")
The Culture Code
How does project management work in Agile? with Julie Chickering
#7: The Sprint Review is not a Demo with Julie Chickering
Agile Mentors Community
Meetup
#13: What Does Cross-Functional Really Mean? with Lance Dacy
Mountain Goat Software
Scrum Alliance