#146: Agile Leadership That Actually Works with Brendan Wovchko

#146: Agile Leadership That Actually Works with Brendan Wovchko

Author: Mountain Goat Software May 14, 2025 Duration: 50:29
Agile Mentors Podcast from Mountain Goat Software
Technology
What does it look like to lead a 300-person software org inside a 1,000-person company—and still stay focused on people first? Brendan Wovchko shares what he's learned about leadership, agility, and building a culture that actually works. Overview Brendan Wovchko, CTO at Ramsey Solutions, joins Scott Dunn to talk about what it really takes to lead Agile teams inside a large, fast-moving organization. From developing leadership habits to navigating team dynamics and staying grounded in purpose, this conversation is full of thoughtful takeaways for anyone working at the intersection of people, process, and product. References and resources mentioned in the show: Brendan Wovchko Ramsey Solutions #80: From Struggling to Success: Reviving Agile Teams with Mike Cohn #143: What Still Makes Teams Work (and Win) with Jim York What Is a High-Performing Agile Team? by Mike Cohn Four Quick Ways to Gain or Assess Team Consensus by Mike Cohn Elements of Agile Assessment Join the Agile Mentors Community Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast 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 podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Scott Dunn is a Certified Enterprise Coach and Scrum Trainer with over 20 years of experience coaching and training companies like NASA, EMC/Dell Technologies, Yahoo!, Technicolor, and eBay to transition to an agile approach using Scrum. Brendan Wovchko is the CTO of Ramsey Solutions and a lifelong student of what it takes to build great software, lead great people, and scale both with purpose. With roots in engineering and startups, he brings decades of hands-on experience in product, leadership, and agile culture—plus a knack for turning big ideas into results that matter.

Hosted by Mountain Goat Software, the Agile Mentors Podcast is a conversation for anyone involved in or curious about agile practices. It’s a space where the philosophy meets the practical, moving beyond theory to tackle the real-world challenges teams face every day. You’ll hear discussions that dig into the nuances of Scrum, Kanban, and other frameworks, exploring how they adapt to different environments and scale. The dialogue often focuses on the human side of change-how to foster better collaboration, navigate organizational hurdles, and cultivate a genuinely agile mindset rather than just going through the motions. This podcast serves as a resource for continuous learning, whether you're troubleshooting a specific sprint issue or looking for fresh perspectives to reinvigorate your approach. Each episode aims to provide actionable insights and thoughtful reflection, making the complex landscape of modern software development feel more accessible and manageable. Tune in for honest talk from experienced practitioners who understand that agility is a journey, not a destination.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

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Agile Mentors Podcast from Mountain Goat Software
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#179: Leadership Decisions That Quietly Derail Agile with Mike Cohn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:35
Many agile struggles don’t start with the team. They start with leadership decisions that seem reasonable but create friction, confusion, or misalignment over time. In this episode, Mike Cohn outlines the patterns that m…
#178: How AI Is Actually Changing Software Teams with Hunter Hillegas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:24
AI isn’t just speeding up coding. It’s starting to change how teams work, what they build, and even who needs to be involved. In this episode, Brian and Hunter separate real impact from hype and explore what’s already sh…
#177: The 5 Habits of High Learning Teams with Lance Dacy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:45
Most teams say they want to improve. Few actually build the habits that make it happen. In this episode, Brian and Lance break down what separates teams that learn from teams that stall—and what leaders do that quietly g…
#176: Why Most Product Organizations Struggle with Jason Knight [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:42
Many product teams are busy, but not necessarily effective. Brian Milner talks with product consultant Jason Knight about why so many organizations struggle with prioritization, customer insight, and measuring success—an…
#175: When AI Makes Agile Teams Worse with Hunter Hillegas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:32
AI can make teams faster. But it can also quietly make them worse. In this episode, Brian Milner and Hunter Hillegas dig into the risks no one wants to talk about—from eroding developer judgment to weakening team communi…
#174: Why Estimating Still Matters with Mike Cohn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:14
Estimating can bring out strong reactions, and for good reason. Mike Cohn and Brian Milner unpack why it gets misused, what “estimate responsibly” really means, and how to use planning to make better decisions without tu…
#173: Hiring for Agile Roles That Actually Work with Cort Sharp [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:28
Hiring for Scrum roles is harder than it looks. Making the wrong call can derail an Agile transformation before it even starts. In this episode, Brian and Cort unpack what to actually look for in Scrum Masters, Product O…
#172: The Five Pillars of Agile Transformation with Mike Cohn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:30
Most agile transformations start with energy, and then stall out when things get complex. In this episode, Mike Cohn returns with a practical framework to help teams and leaders spot what’s missing, build lasting momentu…
#171: Why Agile Teams Succeed—or Don’t with Colin Fisher [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:02
Most teams aren’t broken because of individual incompetence. They’re struggling because the group itself isn’t set up to thrive. In this episode, author and researcher Colin Fisher joins Brian to reframe how we think abo…
#170: Leadership Lessons from the Marine Corps with Tanner Wortham [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:11
What can Agile leaders learn from the Marines? In this episode, Tanner Wortham joins Brian to share how principles of military leadership—like building authority into the trenches, experimenting under pressure, and prior…

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