#94: Connecting Teams and Leadership with Anthony Coppedge

#94: Connecting Teams and Leadership with Anthony Coppedge

Author: Mountain Goat Software April 17, 2024 Duration: 39:26
Join Brian and Anthony Coppedge as they unlock the secrets to bridging the team-leadership divide. Learn how to navigate through fear, short-term thinking, and the transformative power of Agile within top-tier organizations like IBM. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian sits down for a groundbreaking conversation with Anthony Coppedge, of IBM and creator of the Retrospective Radar. They delve deep into the disconnects plaguing organizations between their teams and leadership. From overcoming fear and fostering long-term value to harnessing the strength of middle management and the critical role of data-driven decision-making, this episode offers a treasure trove of insights for those looking to drive agility and foster a culture of transparency and success in their organizations. Join us to explore how translating team realities into leadership vision can catalyze meaningful change and position companies for enduring success. Listen Now to Discover: [1:18] - Brian welcomes Anthony Coppedge, IBM's business agility expert. [2:40] - Unveiling the core issue, Anthony explores how fear fuels the disconnect between teams and their leaders, offering insights into bridging this crucial gap. [4:04] - Anthony highlights the power for the team in delivering real value for the benefit of others. [5:14] - Hear Anthony unpack the significance of scalability in systems and processes, highlighting its role in enabling organizations to adapt and thrive, and what the conversations with the teams can look like to achieve scalability. [6:00] - Anthony lays out vivid examples of the existing gap between teams and leadership, offering insightful strategies needed to effectively bridge this divide. [7:50] - Highlighting the pivotal role of middle management, Anthony suggests leveraging these key players as connectors between teams and top leadership. [8:50] - Anthony shows how to effectively convey the ground-level realities of teams to leadership, ensuring their efforts are directly linked to the organization's overarching direction. [10:30] - Brian emphasizes the critical need to grasp what drives leaders, advocating for the translation of team insights into a language that resonates with leadership priorities. [13:59] - Anthony explores how adopting a client-centric approach fosters transparency in communication, ensuring clarity and alignment across all levels. [16:31] - Bridge the gap between your leadership and teams by helping the leaders to expand their Agile language and experience with Mountain Goat Software’s Agile For Leaders Course. [18:34] - Anthony proposes actionable strategies and the importance of teams spearheading cultural shifts within their organizations, steering them towards embracing Agile principles. [21:43] - Highlighting the strategic use of data, Anthony discusses how it can illuminate results and motivate shifts towards better practices. [29:14] - Brian unveils Anthony's innovative approach to reflection and growth with 'The Retrospective Radar.' [36:11] - Brian shares a big thank you to Anthony for joining him on the show and invites listeners to connect with him on LinkedIn. [37:27] - We invite you to share the podcast with friends and 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. [38:06] - If you’d like to continue this discussion on the episode specific discussion forums on the Agile Mentors Community. You get a year of free membership into that site by taking any class with Mountain Goat Software. [38:48] - Brian invites listeners to join him live and in person at the 2024 Global Scrum Gathering in New Orleans and the Agile2024 conference in Dallas. References and resources mentioned in the show: Anthony Coppedge Retrospective Radar Retrospective Radar Template Creative Commons usage rights for the Retrospective Radar Agile For Leaders Join the Agile Mentors Community Subscribe to t

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

Agile Mentors Podcast from Mountain Goat Software
Podcast Episodes
#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…