• Agile Coach

INTERVIEW with Gert-Jan Danenberg: A guy’s compass full of apparent contradictions

Agile & Scrum trainer and coach. Managing Director. Musician. Stunt Foundation board member. Tennis. Running. Father. Husband. Actively involved as a citizen in his city of Delft. Always himself, without tricks. As a manager, as a trainer and as a musician. How does this guy stay the course?

Blue primer
Educated at a time when a blue worldview reigned supreme, Gert-Jan took his first steps on the job market. Those steps soon lead to some stumbling blocks such as structure, processes, hierarchy and having everything legally sealed up. It’s the late 1990s and things have to change.
Thinking creatively, shifting gears quickly, always being agile and still choosing direction. In the beginning it may seem like a dream, but dreams come true. So Gert-Jan goes into the meeting room with his employer, only to emerge not much later with his own consulting firm. Moving on.

From growing businesses, the fresh entrepreneur gets the question, “All this freedom is escalating and getting out of hand. Can you provide structure?” And from the more established, “We’re so bureaucratically organized, innovation doesn’t work. Can you fix it?” Some seek structure and others seek more freedom. And precisely in that apparent sea of contradictions, Gert-Jan comes off best. How do you get a start-up so on track that it really pops? And how do you get movement in an oil tanker that has the ambitions of a speedboat? Consultant, trainer, coach and entrepreneur Gert-Jan sets sail with Scrum Academy as a powerful engine.

The thread
Between opposites, a strong force field emerges, doesn’t it? A force field where harmony, being human and being results-oriented are all on the radar. That’s where resourcefulness and getting-things-done should shake hands. ‘Passing the mark’ and ‘full-throttle energy’ together put a dot on the horizon. Precisely these apparent opposites reflect well the two faces of Gert-Jan (star sign Gemini).

His attitude to life today is called Agile, but it’s simply just deeply rooted in his every move. Some time ago he was on the plane, after a training session in Stockholm, writing a blog and thought, ‘Is this band I play in, actually a bit of an Agile team?'” Good question, but he discovered an even better answer. “Holy crap, get this … Our band is by nature just a three hundred percent Agile team.” Guitarist Frank is Product Owner, deciding what goes into the set list. Gert-Jan is the Scrum Master, sings the oil between the wheels. Bob drums, does logistics and sound. Alex sings, plays bass and is the musical conscience. Frank adds finance and Gert-Jan writes bookings to his to-do list. Et voila, a multi-disciplinary team.

“Working with others to create something that is not yet there and in doing so achieve something unprecedented that I cannot do alone. That is my drive”

Stunt(work)
Making even more impact. Sharing knowledge and talent. So when Stunt Foundation asked to help with positioning, growth and organization, boardmember Gert-Jan didn’t have to think long. “What attracts me to Stunt is that they are looking at integration of people into society as a startup separate from conventional ideas. Detached from existing patterns and rules. Stunt combines a number of things that at first glance are difficult to combine: making new products from residual materials and teaching people skills that will increase their value in society and the job market. Sounds like a Mission Impossible, but they pull it off.”

Bright future
“First of all, I want to say that I am proud of the club of people I am working with now: super talented, brimming with knowledge and working from self-confidence.” The Scrum Academy team – in which Gert-Jan serves as change manager and Agile coach – is down-to-earth and breaks existing patterns. Not to kick the crap out of them or confront them uselessly, but always from the idea of helping someone further.

“Together we are inventing a modern new form of change management. Based on proven models and super hands-on in practice. No escape. Head and heart connected. Another apparent contradiction that goes together just fine with us.”