Building a Culture of Agile Strategy in the Workplace

A leadership team I worked with had just wrapped a major strategy retreat. Values were refreshed. Vision was clear. Energy was high. But six weeks later? Alignment had faded. Mid-level managers were overextended. Stress was spiking. Not because the strategy was wrong, but because the team hadn’t committed to the rhythms that would sustain the change. You can’t lead on clarity and operate on chaos. Culture doesn’t stick without rhythm. When we stepped back in, we settled into the Design & Walk phase. The team didn’t need more content. They needed structure. We established new rhythms: -Biweekly leadership huddles focused on decision-making and alignment instead of updates (moving eyes forward). Reshaped 1:1s built around both results and relational feedback (focused on connection and alignment) -Quarterly reset sessions tying strategy to lived experience across teams What changed? (checking for alignment in strategy and culture) Impact? -Decision speed increased -Team energy stabilized -Managers felt more supported -Turnover dropped in key departments They didn’t just need vision. They needed clear support structures to live it out—together. Real results happen when strategic alignment and human connection move in rhythm. 📌 Where does your team need a rhythm that actually reflects what you say matters? #groundedandgrowing #leadershipdevelopment #organizationalhealth #culturebuilding #executivealignment #designandwalk #rhythms #teamstrategy #managerdevelopment

Clearing the Systemic Barriers to Authentic Agility Most so-called Agile “transformations” (oh, if ever there were a misnomer) don’t fail because of the framework, tooling, or training - they fail because of deeply embedded impediments that fall into four systemic categories: Culture, Structure, Process, and Technology. These factors form a complex ecosystem, and if you treat them like separate problems, you’ll get performative agility without real adaptability. Agility isn’t a checklist or a destination. It’s a continuous journey of adaptation. Ignore the interplay between these domains at your peril. Barrier #1: Culture - The Invisible Operating System That Resists Change Problem: Traditional organizational cultures prioritize control over creativity, rewarding compliance while punishing exploration. The result is risk-averse bureaucracy. Questions: Do people feel safe admitting mistakes? Are failures learning opportunities or liabilities? Can the status quo be challenged without retaliation? Strategies: Foster psychological safety with blameless retrospectives and candor-friendly spaces. Celebrate smart failures. Promote learning with cross-functional exposure, rotation programs, and curiosity-based metrics. Barrier #2: Structure - Your Org Chart Is Showing Problem: Hierarchical, siloed structures slow decisions and disconnect teams from value delivery. Questions: Are teams aligned to customer outcomes or department KPIs? Where do decisions get made? How often do handoffs or approvals delay progress? Strategies: Align teams to value streams. Push decision-making closer to the work. Use lightweight governance and clearly delegated authority to reduce drag. Barrier #3: Process - When Following Rules Becomes Valuable Problem: Agile rituals become performative when teams confuse ceremony with value. Questions: Are Agile events energizing or exhausting? Do metrics reflect outcomes or activity? Are teams allowed to evolve their way of working? Strategies: Design outcome-oriented processes. Audit meetings regularly. Enable process experimentation within safe bounds. Focus on feedback loops, not rituals. Barrier #4: Technology - Tools as Thrust or Drag Problem: Legacy systems and fragmented tools create cognitive friction, slow feedback, and kill momentum. Questions: Do your tools promote collaboration or reporting? Can teams release frequently without manual overhead? Does tech accelerate flow or block it? Strategies: Invest in CI/CD, test automation, and self-service platforms. Retire tools that reinforce control or don't add value. Prioritize fast feedback, simplicity, and team autonomy in tool selection. Agility Isn’t Implemented - It’s Cultivated True agility requires systemic change across all four domains. It’s messy, non-linear, and context-dependent. Focus on domain interactions. Create safe-to-learn environments. Measure progress by adaptability, not just delivery. Don't chase transformation; enable evolution.

According to a Bain survey, 65% of initiatives fail because they require significant behavioral change. Making business changes stick long-term is one of the greatest challenges leaders face. Here’s how to overcome this hurdle: 1. Clarify Objectives: Without crystal-clear objectives, your team will struggle to understand the "why" behind the change. Define the goals in simple, actionable terms that resonate with every level of the organization. 2. Reinforce Behavioral Change: Behavioral change isn't a one-time effort. It requires consistent reinforcement. Regularly communicate the importance of new behaviors, and celebrate small wins that align with the change. 3. Support Commitment to the Goal: Leaders must visibly commit to the change. This commitment builds trust and signals to the team that the initiative is not just another passing trend but a core part of the company's future. 4. Ensure Accountability: Accountability is critical. Assign clear ownership for each part of the initiative. Use metrics to track progress, and hold individuals and teams responsible for meeting their targets. 5. Combat the Swirl of the Day Job: One of the biggest obstacles to lasting change is the day-to-day swirl of existing responsibilities. Prioritize the change by integrating it into daily routines and making it part of the fabric of the organization. During a recent corporate carveout, we faced the challenge of transitioning from a legacy culture to a more agile, entrepreneurial mindset. The real hurdle wasn't just setting new strategies but ensuring everyone aligned with the new way of thinking. By focusing on these key areas—especially reinforcing new behaviors and combating the daily distractions—we successfully embedded the changes into the company’s DNA, turning a potential roadblock into a stepping stone for growth. Remember, the real problem often isn't the change itself but our collective unawareness of what truly needs to be done to make it stick. Focus on these key areas to ensure that your business changes become lasting improvements rather than temporary adjustments. #Leadership #ChangeManagement #BusinessTransformation #Carveout

To move faster, tie people to the outcome. Not just their part in it. When work moves slowly, it's because the flow is a series of abrupt starts and stops, with unclear handoffs tying them together. And as the work is handed off, so are the problems, with everyone assuming that eventually someone will take care of it. Hopefully. These are 7 ways to start building a culture that cares about more than just their step. But at the root of them is the same idea: We're all on the same team, so let's act like it. 1️⃣ Conflict Bounties Reward employees who bring up cross-team blockers. Could be a small amount of cash, PTO, or a shout out. These help issues get fixed before they catch fire. 2️⃣ Second Team Assignments Each leader uses 1hr/week to support another team. Hands on time helping, not just checking in. This helps build context and trust between teams. 3️⃣ The 5 Day Fix Choose a cross-team problem that keeps coming up. Create a small squad from the affected teams. Give them 5 days to solve it, and share the results with everyone. This gives people quick wins, and shows them that they're capable of fixing their problems. 4️⃣ Joint Retros Create monthly retros between two reliant teams. Focus on what worked, and what needs improvement. This helps teams self correct and work better together. 5️⃣ Collab Spotlights Recognize someone from outside your team who helped. Bring the silent helpers to light. Celebrates the ways we're already helping each other. 6️⃣ Track by Outcome Group progress by shared goals instead of org chart. Assign co workers across teams. People want to reach the goal instead of just checking their box. 7️⃣ Shout Outs Create a dedicated channel for them. Encourage leads to use it at least weekly. As collaboration is recognized, it becomes part of the culture. Teams that move like one, reflect the systems that are built for it. Which one are you trying first? Let me know in the comments 👇 ♻️ Repost to help build better teams. ➕ Follow Sam Krempl for more like this.

A VP told me the other day, “We’ve restructured the team, set new goals, added tools but still not seeing results.” So I asked, “Okay, but how are you supporting your managers?” They got quiet. No training, no feedback, no real investment in the people actually leading the work. That’s the part a lot of leaders miss: You can’t expect big results if you’re not pouring into the people driving them. That’s where I’d start the conversation, then, we’d get to work: ➡️Check in with your team’s sense of purpose. Ask if they feel connected to the mission. Where do they see themselves making an impact? Their answers will show you the gaps. ➡️Create consistent, open communication. Whether it’s 1:1s or team huddles, build space where people feel safe to share what’s really going on. ➡️Equip your managers to lead. Don’t just expect them to supervise, train them to coach, support, and inspire. ➡️ Bring your values into the day-to-day. Culture lives in decisions, feedback, recognition – not just your company handbook. This is not a one-time fix. This is laying the foundation for a culture that drives performance and results. Now, ask yourself: What part of your business could perform better with more focus on people and culture?

We don't have to have all of the same opinions about agile to get along. I know lots of coaches and scrum masters with very different opinions who are excellent. You may believe in the Scrum Guide to the letter. I'm much more like "directionally correct and usefully wrong" about following agile frameworks. You might have a bunch of certifications. I choose instead to be a rabid reader and accumulate diverse, real stories to help me be a better coach. We don't even have to define the Agile Mindset exactly the same way. HOWEVER... if you don't think these 7 cultures and mindsets are a crucial part of "being agile", then we are miles apart! * An Iterative Mindset -- Deliver value in small, iterative steps allowing for early and frequent feedback on each piece of work, which helps eliminate waste and build better products faster. * A Product Culture -- Form long-lasting, durable, product teams that reflect the company’s focus, vision, and purpose. Share a product vision that influences the teams’ backlogs and day-to-day work. * A Customer-Centric Mindset -- In customer terms, give the teams an appreciation for WHY it matters to the users before doing anything. Don’t guess what customers want, be customer-driven and empirical. * A Culture of Learning -- Team members share knowledge, make learning a priority, and invest in communities that grow people and skills that benefit the company. All failures are opportunities to learn something. * A Culture of Experimentation -- A Design Thinking mindset should be utilized from idea formation through delivery. Instead of requirements, think hypotheses. What’s the smallest thing we can do to learn something? * A Culture of Continuous Improvement -- Teams are empowered to change and improve their own process. Self-reflection, transparency, courage, and respect lead to sustainable value delivery and better results. * A Culture of Psychological Safety -- People will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with any ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes. This breeds greater innovation, inclusive collaboration and a greater flow of ideas that can impact our products, people, and company. THIS is how I define the Agile Mindset. And that feeling you get when the team "gets it"... that mysterious sort of time when it "clicks" is because these 7 things have started to grow and become habits, beliefs, and BEHAVIORS of the team.