Avsnitt
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CTO Series: The Anti-Scaling Paradox: Why and When a CTO Should Refuse to Grow His Team with Markus Hjort
In this BONUS episode, we dive into a fascinating conversation with Markus Hjort, Co-founder and CTO of Bitmagic. With over 20 years of software development expertise, Markus shares invaluable insights on tech leadership, team scaling, and how AI is transforming the landscape of software development. From pivotal career moments to practical advice on aligning tech strategy with business objectives, this episode offers wisdom for technology leaders and developers alike.
Defining Moments in Tech Leadership"As a leader, for me, it is important that we have a positive attitude."
Markus reflects on two pivotal experiences that shaped his leadership philosophy. Early in his career, he received feedback about his positive approach to challenging tasks, which reinforced his belief in maintaining an optimistic outlook when facing difficulties. This approach has allowed him to inspire team members during tough situations. The second defining moment relates to estimation skills. After participating in a rescue mission for a delayed project, Markus learned the importance of making realistic ballpark estimates rather than succumbing to unrealistic deadlines. His initial two-year estimate for a project was met with resistance from a client who wanted it done in two months, but the project ultimately took four years to complete - twice his original estimate.
Leads by example with a positive attitude toward challenges
Values the skill of making quick but realistic ballpark estimates
Recommends "Programming Pearls" for developers to improve estimation skills
Emphasizes that product developers should create different options to reach goals
In this segment, Markus refers to the book Programming Pearls.
Aligning Tech Strategy with Business Objectives"Nothing should come for me as a surprise."
When it comes to ensuring tech strategy supports business goals, Markus emphasizes the importance of continuous communication with key stakeholders. Through regular informal discussions, he stays aware of emerging ideas and maintains strong relationships with decision-makers. This approach helps him anticipate future feature requirements and translate technical strategy into business objectives. The foundation of this alignment is built on trust and transparency.
Maintains constant discussions with critical stakeholders
Develops awareness of emerging ideas through informal conversations
Identifies and builds relationships with decision-makers
Translates technical considerations into business language
Fostering Collaboration Between Tech and Business Units"In the end we create the shared understanding and the habit of working together which creates better alignment and trust."
While structured meetings are important, Markus believes that true collaboration happens when people work together across departmental boundaries. In previous roles, he implemented small, cross-functional teams that included business representatives during feature development. At Bitmagic, they conduct regular gameplay test sessions that anyone in the company can join, fostering unpredictable connections and conversations. These informal interactions are especially valuable in a remote-only company.
Creates small teams with business representation for feature development
Implements regular demo sessions open to everyone in the company
Encourages cross-departmental work to build shared understanding
Emphasizes the importance of informal discussions in remote environments
Scaling Engineering Teams Strategically"You have to be careful when to scale, and when not to scale."
Markus advocates for a measured approach to team growth during scaling phases. He believes in small teams of talented individuals and prefers to grow at a deliberate pace rather than rushing to add new members. Sometimes, he's even paused hiring to focus on meeting milestones with existing resources. When rapid scaling is necessary, Markus recommends considering contractors to reduce risk and gain specialized expertise quickly, particularly in fields like gaming that require deep specialization.
Believes in small teams of talented individuals
Grows team size at a deliberate pace
Sometimes pauses hiring to focus on delivery with existing team
Strategically uses both employees and contractors based on circumstances
Navigating Financial Challenges in Startups"From the tech view it was clear this was not a good idea, but from the business perspective, it was the right decision to make."
One of the toughest challenges Markus faced involved making difficult decisions during financial constraints. In a previous startup, when resources were tight, he had to split his team between the main product and a "side project" that had been sold to generate revenue. Though technically suboptimal, this business-driven decision was necessary for survival. This experience highlights the complex balancing act CTOs often face between technical ideals and business realities.
The Impact of AI on Software Development"It has changed my way of thinking of my work as a programmer."
Having worked on AI-powered game development for over two years, Markus has witnessed the rapid evolution of AI technologies. This experience has influenced his approach to team expansion, as he considers how AI might augment human capabilities. Personally, he now uses code assistants regularly and wouldn't return to traditional programming methods. AI has transformed his workflow as a programmer and expanded his capabilities, particularly as a full-stack engineer.
Measuring Engineering Success Beyond Metrics"In early startup stages, one of the critical metrics is 'the working software.'"
Rather than relying heavily on rigid metrics, Markus focuses on practical indicators of success for engineering teams. In early-stage startups, he prioritizes the frequency of releasing working software to end users. Additionally, he monitors team energy and morale, looking for signals in commit messages and code review comments that might indicate the team's well-being. As teams grow, he sees value in using tools to help track these emotional indicators systematically.
Focuses on frequency of releasing working software
Monitors team energy and morale as key indicators
Looks for signals in commit messages and code reviews
Considers team well-being as important as technical output
Recommended Reading"Press 'pause' when you feel you are in a crisis situation."
Markus credits "Rapid Development" by Steve McConnell as a significant influence on his approach to software development, particularly before Agile methodologies became mainstream. One lasting lesson from the book is avoiding the anti-pattern of "abandoning all planning under pressure." Instead, Markus recommends pausing when facing a crisis to reassess and plan effectively, rather than rushing into reactive solutions.
About Markus Hjort
Markus Hjort is the Co-founder and CTO of Bitmagic, with over 20 years of software development expertise. Starting with Commodore 64 game programming, his career spans gaming, fintech, and more. As a programmer, consultant, agile coach, and leader, Markus has successfully guided numerous tech startups from concept to launch.
You can link with Markus Hjort on LinkedIn and listen to Markus Hjort’s podcast in Finnish, and follow his work with the future of AI in gaming at Bitmagic.ai.
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BONUS: X-Matrix and Obeya: How to Make Strategy Visible and Actionable for Everyone with Jim Benson and Karl Scotland
In this BONUS episode, we explore the groundbreaking work of two renowned agilists - Karl Scotland and Jim Benson. Together, they've developed innovative approaches to making strategy accessible and actionable across organizations. We delve into how their combined expertise in X-Matrix strategy deployment and Obeya visualization creates powerful frameworks for aligning teams and keeping strategic conversations alive throughout execution.
The Genesis of Strategic Visualization"It's not about whether agile works or not. It's about whether your business is being successful."
Karl Scotland shares how his journey from tactical agile practices to strategic thinking began with a deceptively simple question: "How will we know if this agile thing is working?" This fundamental inquiry exposed a common gap in organizations - the disconnect between implementation methodologies and measurable business outcomes. Karl explains how this led him to develop the X-Matrix, a powerful visualization tool that connects true north, aspirations, strategies, tactics, and evidence on a single page, creating coherence across organizational efforts.
Jim Benson reflects on his complementary path, observing how organizations often focus intensely on transformations without creating clear alignment between corporate needs, team activities, and customer value. This absence of a "full story" connecting strategic intent to daily work leaves teams uncertain if they're actually doing the right things. Jim highlights how their combined approach addresses this critical gap through collaborative strategy development and visual management.
Seeing Strategy, Tactics, and Work in One Place"Strategy has often been things that C-level people do when they go on a retreat to Cancun...and everybody's like 'why?' and they're like 'Cancun'...the story of how that came about isn't there."
Karl and Jim introduce their innovative approaches to making strategy visible and actionable. The X-Matrix provides a powerful framework for capturing the five key elements of strategy (True North, Aspirations, Strategies, Tactics, and Evidence) on a single sheet, showing how these elements correlate. This creates a comprehensive strategic story that answers what an organization is doing, why they're doing it, how they'll know it's working, and what success ultimately looks like.
This strategic framework then comes to life in the Obeya room, which Jim describes as a physical or virtual space containing a family of visualizations. These include value stream maps, A3s, time series data, personal Kanbans, collaborative problem-solving tools, and KPIs - all designed to support the execution of the strategy articulated in the X-Matrix. By bringing these elements together, teams can maintain a living strategic conversation, allowing for continuous learning and adaptation based on real evidence.
In this section, we also refer to:
Esko Kilpi’s Interactive Value Creation blog, where he explores different aspects of value creation, including how conversations are the core interaction pattern.
The Catch-ball process from Lean
The Backbriefing, From Stephen Bungay’s book The Art of Action
Maintaining Living Strategic Conversations"You don't create an annual strategy, but you create a living strategic conversation within the organization."
The power of connecting X-Matrix and Obeya approaches lies in their ability to catalyze and sustain meaningful strategic conversations. Karl describes the X-Matrix as an "architecture for your Obeya" and emphasizes the importance of continuous strategy development rather than static planning. He introduces concepts like "catch-ball" from Lean and "backbriefing" from military commander Stephen Bungay, which create feedback loops to ensure shared understanding and effective execution.
Jim highlights how this approach transforms strategy from an annual event into an ongoing dialogue where everyone can see how their work connects to larger goals. He emphasizes the importance of choosing language carefully, noting his appreciation for Karl's use of "evidence" rather than "metrics" - a subtle but significant distinction that encourages learning and psychological safety rather than mere measurement. This creates environments where people feel safe to discuss what's actually happening rather than hiding problems.
The Changing Landscape of Agile and Strategy"I want people to own the process themselves, which is the agreements of how they will interact, and then they deploy tools like their Obeya to facilitate that process and those interactions."
When discussing the recent PMI and Agile Alliance merger, both speakers offer thoughtful perspectives on the evolution of agile methodologies. Jim describes this as part of an ongoing commodification of agile practices, suggesting that we're entering a post-framework era where teams can draw from multiple approaches to craft ways of working that suit their specific context rather than adhering to rigid methodologies.
Karl reflects on how the early agile community started with like-minded people coming together to share ideas and be "heretics," but eventually evolved into larger, more commercially-driven conferences and organizations. He sees the future in smaller, more focused communities of practice developing around specific interests or approaches - like the collaboration he and Jim have renewed with their course and strategic visualization work.
Creating Professional Engagement Through Visualization"The word 'evidence' is a painfully poignant word... Evidence is something that grows over time based on investigation."
A fascinating insight from this conversation is Jim's observation about the transformative power of visualization and language in creating psychological safety. He notes that when organizations approach their Kanban or Obeya with a learning mindset - seeking evidence rather than just tracking metrics - the entire conversation changes. Problems become opportunities for learning rather than failures to hide.
Karl's careful choice of terminology in his TASTE model (True North, Aspirations, Strategies, Tactics, Evidence) reflects this intention, deliberately moving away from terms like "annual targets" or "process metrics" to encourage more holistic thinking. This approach helps create environments where strategic conversations can flourish across organizational boundaries, keeping everyone aligned on both direction and progress.
About Karl Scotland and Jim Benson
Karl Scotland is known for his groundbreaking work with the X-Matrix, integrating Agile principles with strategic planning. His innovative approach focuses on aligning True North, aspirations, strategies, tactics, and evidence into a single, collaborative visualization. Karl has extensive experience helping organizations develop continuous strategy development practices that connect strategic intent with execution.
You can link with Karl Scotland on LinkedIn.
Jim Benson is the visionary author of Personal Kanban and The Collaboration Equation. Jim's expertise lies in collaborative management, visualizing work, and fostering humane, team-driven environments. Through his work at Modus Institute, Jim helps organizations create systems that support continuous improvement and meaningful workplace conversations.
You can link with Jim Benson on LinkedIn.
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Zvonimir Durcevic: How Feedback Transforms Product Owners Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. The Great Product Owner: Embracing Feedback and Adapting Over Time
Zvonimir shares his experience with a Product Owner who demonstrated exceptional growth over a two-year period. What made this PO stand out was their willingness to receive feedback from the team and adjust their behavior accordingly. When the team expressed difficulty accessing the PO for questions and early feedback, the PO responded by rearranging their schedule to sit near the team part-time. Zvone emphasizes how these incremental changes, driven by openness to feedback, transformed this person into an exemplary Product Owner. The key insight: great Product Owners honor past practices while embracing necessary changes for the future.
Self-reflection Question: How might your willingness (or reluctance) to accept feedback be affecting your development as a Product Owner?
The Bad Product Owner: The Reluctant Subject Matter ExpertIn this segment, Zvonimir describes working with a Subject Matter Expert who was assigned the Product Owner role despite not wanting the responsibility. While this person excelled at documenting requirements from their extensive knowledge, they resisted taking on core PO duties. The organization assigned them the role but didn't push for proper adoption of responsibilities. Consequently, the team and Scrum Master were forced to assume PO duties to fill the gap. Although this arrangement functioned temporarily thanks to the team's capabilities and the SME's knowledge, it created an unsustainable situation where role accountability was unclear.
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]🚀 Global Agile Summit 2025
Join us in Tallinn, Estonia, from May 18th – 20th, 2025, for an event that will inspire, challenge, and equip you with real-world Agile success stories.
🌍 Connect with global Agile leaders.
💡 Learn practical strategies for impact.
🔥 Break free from Agile fatigue and become a Pragmatic Innovator.
Check Full Program
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]About Zvonimir Durcevic
Zvonimir has worked in agile product development since 2005, holding roles such as Scrum Master, Agile Coach, IT Project, and R&D Manager. He works with teams to co-create tailored solutions to increase engagement and improve customer focus and effectiveness, enabling accelerated value delivery and rapid adaptation to change.
You can link with Zvonimir Durcevic on LinkedIn.
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Zvonimir Durcevic: The Solution-Focused Retrospective for Agile Teams, Turning Problems Into Goals
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
Zvonimir defines Scrum Master success as being explicit and intentional about defining and achieving goals. He references Richard Hackmann's model of team effectiveness as a framework to evaluate whether he's helping teams become truly effective. For Zvone, success comes from creating structures that provide teams with feedback about their performance and being explicit about the team's purpose through practices like chartering. By focusing on these elements, Scrum Masters can help teams build the foundation for sustainable success.
Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Problems Are Disguised GoalsThis solution-focused retrospective format, inspired by the work of Ralph Miata and Veronika Jungwirth, allows teams to briefly acknowledge problems before pivoting quickly to what they want to achieve instead. Zvonimir explains that while teams need space to express challenges, the format redirects energy toward envisioning a better future through solution-focused questions. The process includes validating problems, using scale questions (0-10) to assess current status, reviewing past attempts at reaching goals, and designing small experiments to move toward desired outcomes. This approach helps teams shift from problem-orientation to goal-orientation.
Self-reflection Question: How might reframing your team's persistent problems as goals change your approach to addressing them?
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]🚀 Global Agile Summit 2025
Join us in Tallinn, Estonia, from May 18th – 20th, 2025, for an event that will inspire, challenge, and equip you with real-world Agile success stories.
🌍 Connect with global Agile leaders.
💡 Learn practical strategies for impact.
🔥 Break free from Agile fatigue and become a Pragmatic Innovator.
Check Full Program
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]About Zvonimir Durcevic
Zvonimir has worked in agile product development since 2005, holding roles such as Scrum Master, Agile Coach, IT Project, and R&D Manager. He works with teams to co-create tailored solutions to increase engagement and improve customer focus and effectiveness, enabling accelerated value delivery and rapid adaptation to change.
You can link with Zvonimir Durcevic on LinkedIn.
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Zvonimir Durcevic: From Command to Collaboration, An Agile Leadership Team's Transformation Story
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Zvonimir discusses his experience supporting a leadership team transitioning from a traditional command-and-control management style to a more collaborative approach involving people in change decisions. Drawing from EDGE Theory of Change (based on Arnold Mendel's work) and Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC) training, Zvone helped the leadership team understand what awaited them on the "other side" of this transformation. Through multiple half-day coaching sessions, he guided them in defining their new leadership identity and developing self-reflection skills. A critical element of this work was creating a conflict protocol that allowed leaders to discuss different perspectives constructively. Zvone emphasizes the importance of helping teams create a "third identity" – a new collective self that emerges through transformation.
Self-reflection Question: What elements of your current leadership identity would you need to let go of to embrace a more collaborative approach to change?
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]🚀 Global Agile Summit 2025
Join us in Tallinn, Estonia, from May 18th – 20th, 2025, for an event that will inspire, challenge, and equip you with real-world Agile success stories.
🌍 Connect with global Agile leaders.
💡 Learn practical strategies for impact.
🔥 Break free from Agile fatigue and become a Pragmatic Innovator.
Check Full Program
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]About Zvonimir Durcevic
Zvonimir has worked in agile product development since 2005, holding roles such as Scrum Master, Agile Coach, IT Project, and R&D Manager. He works with teams to co-create tailored solutions to increase engagement and improve customer focus and effectiveness, enabling accelerated value delivery and rapid adaptation to change.
You can link with Zvonimir Durcevic on LinkedIn.
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Zvonimir Durcevic: Context Diagramming, Helping Agile Teams See Their Complex Communication Network
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
Zvonimir shares a story about a five-person team developing an important product who maintained good internal dynamics but limited their interaction with the rest of the organization. Despite delivering quality work, they were viewed as a "difficult team" by stakeholders. When Zvone joined, he conducted assessments and introduced context diagramming to map the team's relationships and dependencies. This exercise revealed the complexity of their communication network and helped the team understand that cutting off relationships with stakeholders was counterproductive. The breakthrough came when the team began using the context diagram to explain their situation to others, helping stakeholders recognize how organizational factors were affecting the team's work.
Self-reflection Question: How might mapping your team's communication network reveal disconnects that are affecting your effectiveness?
Featured Book of the Week: Agile Transformation by Michael SpaydZvonimir recommends "Agile Transformation" by Michael Spayd as a resource that helped him understand how to examine systems through different lenses. The book provides multiple perspectives for gaining deeper insights into the systems we work with. Zvone particularly values the book’s ability to help practitioners look beyond surface-level issues and understand underlying dynamics in organizations undergoing Agile transformations.
In this section we talk about the Integral agile transformation framework.
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]🚀 Global Agile Summit 2025
Join us in Tallinn, Estonia, from May 18th – 20th, 2025, for an event that will inspire, challenge, and equip you with real-world Agile success stories.
🌍 Connect with global Agile leaders.
💡 Learn practical strategies for impact.
🔥 Break free from Agile fatigue and become a Pragmatic Innovator.
Check Full Program
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]About Zvonimir Durcevic
Zvonimir has worked in agile product development since 2005, holding roles such as Scrum Master, Agile Coach, IT Project, and R&D Manager. He works with teams to co-create tailored solutions to increase engagement and improve customer focus and effectiveness, enabling accelerated value delivery and rapid adaptation to change.
You can link with Zvonimir Durcevic on LinkedIn.
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Zvonimir Durcevic: Establishing Communication Channels, Lessons From a Scrum Master's Failure
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
In this episode, Zvonimir shares a pivotal experience that shaped his approach as a Scrum Master. His team started strong with excellent stakeholder relationships, but gradually team members began missing refinement meetings as they took on more outside responsibilities. Despite conversations with management, the issue persisted, leading to a growing backlog that no one wanted to trim down. Zvone learned critical lessons about the importance of establishing clear working agreements with stakeholders and sponsors from the beginning. He emphasizes the need to create proper communication channels, as successful Agile work depends on reaching the right people when problems arise.
Self-reflection Question: How might the communication agreements in your organization be contributing to your team's ability to focus on their work?
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]🚀 Global Agile Summit 2025
Join us in Tallinn, Estonia, from May 18th – 20th, 2025, for an event that will inspire, challenge, and equip you with real-world Agile success stories.
🌍 Connect with global Agile leaders.
💡 Learn practical strategies for impact.
🔥 Break free from Agile fatigue and become a Pragmatic Innovator.
Check Full Program
[Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]About Zvonimir Durcevic
Zvonimir has worked in agile product development since 2005, holding roles such as Scrum Master, Agile Coach, IT Project, and R&D Manager. He works with teams to co-create tailored solutions to increase engagement and improve customer focus and effectiveness, enabling accelerated value delivery and rapid adaptation to change.
You can link with Zvonimir Durcevic on LinkedIn.
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BONUS: AI and Cybersecurity - An Introduction to The Hidden Threats in Our Connected World with Dr. Eric Cole
In this BONUS episode, we explore the evolving landscape of cybersecurity in the age of artificial intelligence. Dr. Eric Cole, a renowned cybersecurity expert and author of Cyber Crisis: Protecting Your Business from Real Threats in the Virtual World, shares critical insights about how AI is transforming security strategies. From the privacy concerns of our always-connected devices to practical tips for protecting your business and personal information, this conversation offers essential knowledge for navigating our increasingly digital world.
The Double-Edged Sword of AI in Cybersecurity"We are giving away our IP, our data, and our privacy. The data set is what gives value to AI."
The rise of artificial intelligence presents both opportunities and serious risks in the cybersecurity landscape. Dr. Cole emphasizes that while many focus solely on AI's benefits, we often overlook the fact that we're surrendering vast amounts of our sensitive information, intellectual property, and private data to AI providers. This data becomes the foundation of AI's value and capabilities, creating a significant privacy concern that many organizations fail to properly address. As we embrace these new technologies, we must carefully consider what information we're willing to share and what safeguards should be in place.
Modern Attack Vectors: The Human Element"Attacks today are mostly social engineering. We end up having to retrain people to not trust their email."
Today's cybersecurity threats have evolved beyond traditional technical exploits to focus primarily on social engineering—manipulating people into compromising their own security. Dr. Cole explains that modern attackers increasingly target the human element, requiring organizations to fundamentally retrain employees to approach communications with healthy skepticism. Particularly concerning are mobile threats, as our phones constantly record audio and other personal data. Dr. Cole warns that "free" apps often come with a hidden price: your privacy and security. Understanding these attack vectors is essential for developing effective defense strategies in both personal and professional contexts.
Cybersecurity as a Business Enabler"Security is not a barrier, not an obstacle. Cybersecurity is a business enabler."
Dr. Cole challenges the common perception that security measures primarily restrict functionality and impede business operations. Instead, he reframes cybersecurity as a critical business enabler that should be integrated into strategic decision-making. Organizations need to make deliberate decisions about the tradeoffs between security and functionality, understanding that proper security measures protect business continuity and reputation. Dr. Cole particularly warns about supply chain attacks, which have become increasingly prevalent, and emphasizes that awareness is the foundation of any effective protection strategy. He recommends centralizing data for easier security management and advises that client devices should minimize storing sensitive data.
Mobile Phones: The Ultimate Tracking Device"You don't go anywhere without your cell phone. Your cell phone is never more than a foot from you it's with you wherever you go... which means if somebody wants to track and monitor you they can."
We often worry about theoretical tracking technologies while overlooking the sophisticated tracking device we voluntarily carry everywhere—our mobile phones. Dr. Cole points out the irony that people who would never accept being "chipped" for tracking purposes willingly keep their phones within arm's reach at all times. These devices record our locations, conversations, messages, and activities, creating a comprehensive digital trail of our lives. With access to someone's phone, anyone can trace their movements for months and access an alarming amount of personal information. This risk is compounded when we back up this data to cloud services, effectively giving third parties access to our most sensitive information. Understanding these vulnerabilities is the first step toward more mindful mobile security practices.
Business Opportunities in the Security Space"We have too much information, too much data. How can we use that data effectively?"
The cybersecurity landscape presents significant business opportunities, particularly in making sense of the overwhelming amount of security data organizations collect. Dr. Cole identifies data correlation and effective data utilization as key investment areas. Modern security systems generate vast quantities of logs and alerts, but transforming this raw information into actionable intelligence remains a challenge. Companies that can develop solutions to effectively analyze, correlate, and extract meaningful insights from security data will find substantial opportunities in the market, helping organizations strengthen their security posture while managing the complexity of modern threats.
Essential Training for Security-Conscious Developers"Go for secure coding courses. This helps us understand how software can be exploited."
For software developers looking to build more secure applications, Dr. Cole recommends focusing on penetration testing skills and secure coding practices. Understanding how software can be exploited from an attacker's perspective provides invaluable insights for designing more robust systems. By learning the methodologies and techniques used by malicious actors, developers can anticipate potential vulnerabilities and incorporate appropriate safeguards from the beginning of the development process. This proactive approach to security helps create applications that are inherently more resistant to attacks rather than requiring extensive security patches and updates after deployment.
About Dr. Eric Cole
Dr. Eric Cole is the author of "Cyber Crisis, Protecting Your Business from Real Threats in the Virtual World." He is a renowned cybersecurity expert with over 20 years of experience helping organizations identify vulnerabilities and build robust defense solutions against advanced threats. He has trained over 65,000 professionals worldwide through his best-selling cybersecurity courses and is dedicated to making cyberspace a safe place for all.
You can link with Dr. Eric Cole on LinkedIn, or visit his company’s website Secure-Anchor.com.
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Marina Lazovic: Leadership Skills Make the Difference for Product Owners
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
The Great Product Owner: The PO as a LeaderMarina identifies that while product skills are important, it's leadership abilities that truly distinguish exceptional Product Owners. Great POs demonstrate strong empathy and lead by example, creating an environment where the team feels supported. Marina emphasizes the importance of availability – outstanding Product Owners make themselves accessible to their teams when needed, establishing a presence that goes beyond just attending ceremonies. This leadership through presence and support fosters trust, enabling teams to approach challenges with confidence knowing their PO has their back.
The Bad Product Owner: The PO Who Did Not Understand Their TeamMarina describes a problematic pattern where Product Owners fail to understand their team's strengths and weaknesses. These POs lack awareness of team composition – not recognizing the balance between senior and junior members or understanding their specific challenges. This blindness leads to unrealistic expectations about what the team can accomplish in a sprint. Marina suggests addressing this by establishing regular sync meetings with the PO to discuss team dynamics and challenges. By helping Product Owners understand team composition, Scrum Masters can bridge this knowledge gap and foster more realistic planning and expectations.
Self-reflection Question: How might you help a Product Owner better understand the unique composition and capabilities of your team without creating an adversarial dynamic?
About Marina Lazovic
Marina is a Scrum Master and Kanban Trainer from Belgrade, Serbia, with nearly a decade in the IT industry. Though not from a technical background, she is passionate about helping development teams and organizations optimize processes and build great products using Agile. She thrives on driving efficiency and fostering collaboration.
You can link with Marina Lazovic on LinkedIn.
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Marina Lazovic: Measuring Agile Team Success Through Stable Delivery Flow
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
Marina reflects on how her understanding of Scrum Master success has evolved, noting that delivery optimization is an aspect she previously undervalued. For her, success means supporting teams to deliver in an optimal way with stable flow. She emphasizes that since software is built for users, delivery is the ultimate measure of value creation. Marina recommends discussing with teams what "delivery" actually means in their context and focusing on aspects within the team's control. She suggests using the "circle of influence" concept to define what constitutes delivery and to identify actionable improvement options during retrospectives. By concentrating on sprint-level delivery metrics, teams can establish a concrete definition of success that ties directly to value creation.
Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Lean CoffeeMarina prefers keeping retrospectives simple and direct, recognizing that developers typically appreciate getting straight to the point. She particularly recommends the Lean Coffee format, which provides structure while allowing teams to focus on what matters most to them at that moment. What makes this format effective is its adaptability and efficiency. Marina emphasizes the importance of asking teams which retrospective formats they prefer rather than imposing a particular structure. To make retrospectives actionable, she insists on specifying WHO will do WHAT and by WHEN for every action item, ensuring clear accountability and follow-through on improvement initiatives.
Self-reflection Question: How clearly defined is "delivery success" for your team, and what specific flow metrics could you introduce to make it more concrete?
About Marina Lazovic
Marina is a Scrum Master and Kanban Trainer from Belgrade, Serbia, with nearly a decade in the IT industry. Though not from a technical background, she is passionate about helping development teams and organizations optimize processes and build great products using Agile. She thrives on driving efficiency and fostering collaboration.
You can link with Marina Lazovic on LinkedIn.
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Marina Lazovic: How to Introduce Data-driven Decision Making to Skeptical Agile Teams
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
Marina describes her experience introducing data-driven decision making to help teams improve their processes. Starting with basic metrics like velocity, she gradually expanded to more sophisticated data points such as how long items remain in specific workflow states. She emphasizes the importance of introducing these concepts naturally into daily work and using the data to spark meaningful conversations with both the team and Product Owner. By examining why items were stuck and for how long, the team uncovered underlying issues they could address. Marina also explains how she used historical data to inform sprint planning, making estimates more realistic. Her approach focused on simplicity—introducing one data point at a time, avoiding jargon, encouraging teams to discover problems themselves, and empowering them to develop their own solutions rather than imposing answers.
Self-reflection Question: What single data point could you start tracking that might reveal the most important improvement opportunity for your team?
About Marina Lazovic
Marina is a Scrum Master and Kanban Trainer from Belgrade, Serbia, with nearly a decade in the IT industry. Though not from a technical background, she is passionate about helping development teams and organizations optimize processes and build great products using Agile. She thrives on driving efficiency and fostering collaboration.
You can link with Marina Lazovic on LinkedIn.
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Marina Lazovic: How Limiting Work-in-Progress Saved a Struggling Agile Team
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
Marina shares the story of a small team of three developers who were struggling with multiple challenges. The team was primarily working on front-end fixes but faced persistent environment issues that kept breaking their work. Under pressure from a Product Owner pushing for delivery, the team fell into the trap of working on too many things simultaneously, resulting in items staying perpetually "in progress" and never reaching "done." As the situation deteriorated, the PO began micromanaging the team in attempts to unblock work. Marina explains how she helped the team understand the value of limiting work-in-progress (WIP), even when initially both developers and the PO were resistant to the idea. Through experimentation over several sprints, they discovered that limiting WIP actually increased their completion rate rather than reducing it.
Self-reflection Question: What work-in-progress limits might benefit your current team, and how could you experiment with implementing them in a way that addresses stakeholder concerns?
Featured Book of the Week: The Five Dysfunctions of a TeamMarina recommends "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" as an essential read for Scrum Masters. She describes it as a book filled with valuable lessons and examples that she could easily identify in her workplace. Marina finds particular value in sharing the concepts with her teams and using the book as a framework to discuss dysfunction patterns they might be experiencing. The practical examples provided in the book serve as excellent conversation starters to help teams recognize and address their own challenges.
About Marina Lazovic
Marina is a Scrum Master and Kanban Trainer from Belgrade, Serbia, with nearly a decade in the IT industry. Though not from a technical background, she is passionate about helping development teams and organizations optimize processes and build great products using Agile. She thrives on driving efficiency and fostering collaboration.
You can link with Marina Lazovic on LinkedIn.
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Marina Lazovic: When Nobody Expects the Scrum Master, Overcoming a Rocky Start in a Team New to Agile
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
Marina shares her challenging experience of being the first Scrum Master to join a company new to Agile. She describes the awkward moment of joining a team via Zoom, only to discover that no one knew she was coming or fully understood her role. Marina explains how she navigated this uncomfortable situation by being patient, transparent, and not taking people's defensive reactions personally. She emphasizes that when people face unexpected change, their fear can manifest as resistance, making it crucial for Scrum Masters to remain calm, open, and focused on building understanding rather than reacting with frustration.
Self-reflection Question: How might you prepare yourself emotionally and strategically for joining a team that isn't expecting you or doesn't understand the Scrum Master role?
About Marina Lazovic
Marina is a Scrum Master and Kanban Trainer from Belgrade, Serbia, with nearly a decade in the IT industry. Though not from a technical background, she is passionate about helping development teams and organizations optimize processes and build great products using Agile. She thrives on driving efficiency and fostering collaboration.
You can link with Marina Lazovic on LinkedIn.
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BONUS: Why Your Teams Really Resist Change, The Neuroscience of Leadership That Nobody Taught You With Andra Stefanescu
In this BONUS episode, we explore the challenges leaders face during transformations with leadership coach Andra Stefanescu. Drawing from her extensive research and coaching experience, Andra shares powerful insights on fostering psychological safety, understanding brain-based responses to change, and developing the emotional intelligence needed to lead effectively. She reveals practical frameworks and techniques that help leaders navigate resistance and build meaningful connections with their teams.
The Leadership Challenge of Transformation"People are giving resistance... and in general, leaders are feeling overwhelmed in times of changes, whatever those changes are."
Resistance and overwhelm are the two biggest challenges leaders face during transformations. Through her research and coaching work across different industries, Andra has found that leaders often feel powerless when their teams resist change. This resistance stems from basic psychological needs not being met. Leaders can overcome these challenges by understanding the different psychological needs of their team members and adapting their communication accordingly. By using specific frameworks, leaders can address resistance more effectively and rediscover their passion for leadership.
Understanding the Brain's Response to Change"When something is changed, whatever that is... what your brain perceives is like a threat because the one question that we put all day long in our brains is: is this safe for me?"
The brain naturally resists change because it prefers routine and automation. When facing transformation, people instinctively question whether the change is safe, which triggers resistance. This creates a challenging dynamic where leaders experiencing their own fear and resistance become less able to empathize with their team's concerns. Andra emphasizes the importance of leaders "putting their own mask on first" by acknowledging their own feelings and ensuring they're in the right state of mind before attempting to lead others through change.
The Middle Manager's Dilemma"Middle managers are in the middle, they have high pressure from above, high pressure from down... And this is where they arrive in this powerless situation, where they ask themselves, how can I make this work?"
One common scenario Andra encounters is middle managers feeling trapped between conflicting demands. They face pressure from upper management to implement changes quickly while experiencing resistance from their teams below. This position often leads to feelings of powerlessness and diminished job satisfaction. Andra notes that despite the depth of this challenge, it can be addressed through techniques that help leaders recalibrate themselves and improve communication with others.
Fostering Psychological Safety Through Emotional Intelligence"Employees who report to have a leader with low emotional intelligence are four times more likely to leave the company within one year."
Emotional intelligence is increasingly recognized as a critical leadership skill. Andra's research shows that 31% of employees who experience burnout report lacking support or recognition from leadership. She approaches developing emotional intelligence through guided self-reflection rather than external assessment, helping leaders gain insights about their communication patterns and relationships. Psychological safety doesn't happen by default—it requires active work and maintenance from leaders.
The SCARF Model for Better Leadership"There are specific buttons that you press positively or negatively, and when you press them positively, you are most probably meeting also the psychological needs of the people."
Andra recommends the SCARF model developed by Dr. David Rock as a practical framework for leadership communication. This model identifies five key domains that affect how people collaborate: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness. By understanding and addressing these domains positively, leaders can better meet their team members' psychological needs. Additionally, she recommends the Process Communication Model (PCM), which helps leaders identify different personality types and adapt their communication accordingly.
Connect Before Collaborate"Put the relationship above your agenda because it's more important to have a long-term relationship than to achieve whatever you wanted to go through with."
One powerful principle Andra teaches is to connect before attempting to collaborate. Too often, leaders jump straight into tasks or discussions without first establishing a connection, failing to consider the other person's current state of mind. By asking simple questions like "What's on your mind today?" or "What is your intention for this meeting?", leaders can build psychological safety and maintain relationships that endure beyond immediate goals. This approach recognizes that workplace relationships should be viewed as long-term investments rather than transactional encounters.
Sustainable Leadership Development"Ask: why do I get resistance? How can I communicate in a way that I get followers instead of resistance?"
For sustainable growth, Andra encourages leaders to reflect on why they encounter resistance and how they might communicate differently to inspire followers instead. Self-awareness is crucial—leaders need to understand their own communication patterns and leadership styles before they can effectively influence others. By learning frameworks based on neuroscience and practicing new communication techniques, leaders can create environments where both they and their teams thrive during transformations.
Recommended ResourcesTo better understand how change affects our brain, Andra recommends Your Brain at Work by Dr. David Rock.
About Andra Stefanescu
Andra is a leadership coach and facilitator specializing in brain-based ways to foster psychological safety and team collaboration. She helps leaders navigate transformation challenges with playful, neuroscience-driven techniques. Passionate about creating healthy workplace relationships, Andra empowers teams to resolve conflicts, make better decisions, and experience meaningful growth through customized training experiences.
You can link with Andra Stefanescu on LinkedIn and follow Andra Stefanescu on Substack.
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Karen Suarez: Decision Authority, The Make-or-Break Factor for Product Owners
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
The Great Product Owner: Clear Vision That Inspires ActionKaren describes an exemplary Product Owner who deeply understood both their product and market. This PO maintained a perfect balance of being firm in their vision while remaining open and curious to input. What made this PO particularly effective was their ability to communicate a clear, compelling vision that motivated the team. They defined key results in ways that were easily understood and actionable for team members. Most importantly, they trusted the development team with solution design rather than prescribing how features should be implemented, creating an environment where the team felt both guided and empowered.
The Bad Product Owner: Committee Decisions and Never-Ending BacklogsKaren identifies two common anti-patterns in the Product Owner role. The first is when the PO isn't truly empowered to make decisions because the company hesitates to give this responsibility to a single person. In these cases, the PO becomes merely a proxy for a committee, with solutions predetermined elsewhere. The second anti-pattern is the PO who cannot say "no," allowing backlogs to grow unmanageably large. Karen once worked with a team that had accumulated 5,000 backlog items! Her solution was to use data to demonstrate why such expansive backlogs are counterproductive, create filtered views showing only the highest-priority items, and eventually make it acceptable to delete irrelevant backlog items altogether.
Self-reflection Question: In your organization, does the Product Owner have true decision-making authority, or are they operating as a proxy for committee decisions?
About Karen Suarez
Karen is a dedicated Scrum Master with a long experience driving agile transformations and fostering high-performing teams. She is passionate about continuous learning, and excels in aligning agile practices with organizational innovation.
You can link with Karen Suarez on LinkedIn.
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Karen Suarez: Beyond Process Compliance, True Indicators of Agile Team Maturity
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
For Karen, success as a Scrum Master is measured by how well the team functions autonomously. She evaluates this through several key indicators: the team's ability to tackle tough topics, including when someone isn't carrying their weight; their willingness to embrace and resolve conflicts; the product's flexibility in responding to market and customer feedback; and most importantly, whether team members proactively suggest solutions themselves. Karen emphasizes that her ultimate goal is to help the team reach a state where they no longer need her guidance, as this represents true maturity and self-organization.
Self-reflection Question: How comfortable is your team with addressing conflict directly, and what could you do to create psychological safety around difficult conversations?
Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Start/Stop/ContinueKaren prefers simple retrospective formats like Start/Stop/Continue that create space for meaningful dialogue rather than complex activities. Her focus is on developing team members' ability to share their real challenges. She prepares participants to discuss truly critical issues by modeling empathy and vulnerability herself. Karen encourages team members to bring up difficult topics by sharing how these issues affect them personally and acknowledging how others have helped. This approach creates psychological safety while ensuring retrospectives address substantive concerns rather than just surface-level issues.
About Karen Suarez
Karen is a dedicated Scrum Master with a long experience driving agile transformations and fostering high-performing teams. She is passionate about continuous learning, and excels in aligning agile practices with organizational innovation.
You can link with Karen Suarez on LinkedIn.
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Karen Suarez: When a Scrum Master Needs to Hire a Manager, An Organizational Design Story
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
Karen shares her experience as the first Scrum Master in a company where development, QA, product, and deployment were all separate departments, resulting in a cycle time exceeding six weeks. She strategically approached transformation by first identifying interested individuals in other departments who were already collaborating with the development team. Karen formalized the Product Owner role by cultivating a relationship with someone from the product department who showed interest in working closely with the team. She created regular collaboration routines between QA and development, and gradually involved the deployment team by inviting them to demos and having developers learn deployment skills. When faced with trust issues between deployment and development teams, Karen recognized the need for leadership support and built a case for hiring a manager who could help bridge these departments, acknowledging that some organizational challenges require sponsorship beyond the Scrum Master role.
Self-reflection Question: In your organization, what departmental silos might be increasing cycle time, and who could be your allies in breaking down these barriers?
About Karen Suarez
Karen is a dedicated Scrum Master with a long experience driving agile transformations and fostering high-performing teams. She is passionate about continuous learning, and excels in aligning agile practices with organizational innovation.
You can link with Karen Suarez on LinkedIn.
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Karen Suarez: How to Design Communication Channels to Protect Agile Team Focus, and Avoid Interruptions
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
As a first-time Scrum Master managing a team of 15-20 people, Karen focused primarily on protecting them from constant interruptions in their open office space. However, she soon realized this approach was creating barriers between the team and stakeholders. Karen developed strategies to balance protection with accessibility by establishing "office hours" when the team could be interrupted, creating dedicated communication channels (like Slack) to collect stakeholder questions, and always including the Product Owner when change requests came in. This balanced approach maintained team focus while keeping communication lines open.
In this segment, we refer to the Coach Your Product Owner e-course, available to all who need to support their product owners with understanding, and adopting an Agile way of working.
Self-reflection Question: How might creating structured interruption times help your team maintain focus while still remaining accessible to stakeholders?
Featured Book of the Week: The Scrum GuideKaren recommends repeatedly reading The Scrum Guide throughout your Agile journey. She finds she learns something new with each reading as her interpretation evolves with experience. Karen also highlights "Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love" by Marty Cagan, which helped her better understand the Product Owner role and gave her practical tools to support POs in their responsibilities.
About Karen Suarez
Karen is a dedicated Scrum Master with a long experience driving agile transformations and fostering high-performing teams. She is passionate about continuous learning, and excels in aligning agile practices with organizational innovation.
You can link with Karen Suarez on LinkedIn.
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Karen Suarez: "You're Not Listening": A Scrum Master's Wake-Up Call
Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.
Karen shares a valuable learning experience when she pushed her team too hard to split user stories and change their story writing approach. The team's feedback was direct: "You are not listening." This moment taught Karen several important lessons: not everyone is ready for change at the same time, resistance often contains valuable information about our own actions, and the Scrum Master isn't always the one who knows better. Karen emphasizes the importance of giving yourself time to pause, reflect, and adapt to the team's current situation. She also discovered how the product backlog can serve as a powerful communication tool when used properly.
In this segment, we refer to the book Start With Why by Simon Sinek.
Self-reflection Question: When was the last time you received pushback from your team, and what information might that resistance be telling you about your own approach?
About Karen Suarez
Karen is a dedicated Scrum Master with a long experience driving agile transformations and fostering high-performing teams. She is passionate about continuous learning, and excels in aligning agile practices with organizational innovation.
You can link with Karen Suarez on LinkedIn.
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Global Agile Summit Preview: Mastering Your Own Career Success as a Scrum Master with Fred Deichler
In this BONUS Global Agile Summit preview episode, we explore the journey of Fred Deichler, a technology leader and the host of the product track at the Global Agile Summit (GAS). Fred shares his insights on what makes Scrum Masters successful in their roles and as individuals. Through his personal story and practical advice, Fred offers valuable lessons on continuous learning, community involvement, and self-reflection—three key elements that have contributed to his remarkable career journey.
The Journey to Mastering Your Own Success"I didn't think I was different from anyone else. For me it was a long process, but for others it looked like too fast."
Fred's journey of self-discovery began when someone asked him a simple yet profound question: "How did you achieve so much so fast?" This question prompted him to reflect on his career path and the factors that contributed to his success. Fred shares how this moment of introspection led him to identify the key elements that have shaped his career trajectory and personal growth, offering valuable insights for Scrum Masters looking to master their own success.
The Power of Continued Education"Early in my career, I thought that my manager was there to tell me what to learn. As a manager I can inspire people, but I can't tell you what to learn."
Fred emphasizes the importance of taking ownership of your learning journey. He discusses how his perception of education evolved throughout his career, moving from a passive approach to an active pursuit of knowledge. Fred highlights the significance of understanding your learning style, referencing the VARK learning model, and embraces the idea that it's okay to be different from others in how you absorb and process information. This section provides Scrum Masters with valuable insights on how to approach continuous education for personal and professional growth.
Leveraging Community Involvement"Take those ideas that you learned and flesh them out with other people."
Community involvement emerges as a crucial element in Fred's success formula. He shares how engaging with others helped him refine his ideas and gain new perspectives. Fred encourages Scrum Masters to:
Take action and discuss ideas with others
Participate in conferences as valuable learning opportunities
Develop strong opinions that are loosely held
Use community interactions to develop and refine ideas
Through these practices, Fred illustrates how community engagement can accelerate growth and provide a supportive environment for professional development.
The Value of Self-Reflection"End of the week: how do I know if I did a great job?"
Self-reflection stands as the third pillar in Fred's success framework. He emphasizes the importance of regular introspection to evaluate progress and identify areas for improvement. Fred shares practical approaches to reflection:
Questioning if conversations went as expected
Establishing a regular reflection practice
Finding a mentor or friend to reflect with
Participating in lean coffee meetups for structured discussions
These reflection practices have enabled Fred to continuously assess his performance and make adjustments to improve his effectiveness as a professional and as a person.
From Aspiration to Achievement: The 6-in-30 Story"I was listening to the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast, and I decided ‘I'm going to be on that show one day!’"
Fred shares his inspiring "6 in 30" story—a powerful testament to setting goals and working toward them. He recounts how, six years ago, while sitting in his car between jobs, he made a commitment to himself that would shape his future. Fast forward 30 months, and Fred applied to speak at the Agile Online Summit, transforming his aspiration into achievement. This personal anecdote illustrates the power of setting clear intentions and taking deliberate steps toward realizing them.
In this segment, we refer to the different learning styles: VARK, Visual, Auditive, Reading/writing, Kinesthetic.
Building Your Professional NetworkWhen asked about essential resources for Scrum Masters, Fred immediately points to LinkedIn as a valuable platform for professional networking and knowledge sharing. He emphasizes how building and leveraging professional connections can open doors to opportunities and provide access to a wealth of insights from industry experts.
About Fred Deichler
For over two decades, Fred has been a technology leader, who has been intuitively following the Scrum values and Agile principles even before discovering them. He has successfully led multiple teams on their Agile journeys, emphasizing the importance of a harmonious balance between people, processes, and tools, and continuously striving for improvement. For Fred, personal growth is as crucial as professional development.
You can link with Fred Deichler on LinkedIn.
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