Why I stop zooming in twice a year

Those who work Agile are used to reflecting. Reflecting over and over again. During the year, therefore, it is very often zooming in. On a project, on a specific opportunity, on a special customer issue. This also applies to me, of course. I too therefore often dig in, with my eye on the ball, result-oriented. Calibrated moments of reflection at the micro level. But twice a year I do precisely that. I stop zooming in. I turn it around. Is it time for a dose of zooming out. When and why do I do that?

The answer to your first question. I specifically do that two moments a year. Those two moments I use to zoom out and reflect big time. The first moment: summer vacation. The second moment: now. Around the turn of the year. I stop zooming in, start zooming out. I look for the common thread. I leave isolated events for a moment and focus on recognizing patterns. Some of the questions I ask myself (and you can ask yourself):

what do I notice?
what goes very well?
what do I want to get rid of?
what gives energy?
What exactly am I running on?

I recognize this pattern immediately

While zooming out over the past few days, one clear pattern keeps recurring. A development over the past year that I have also noticed before. Indeed, as Scrum Academy, we are remarkably often asked to provide more than one training session. I see that customer demand has evolved and we are being asked to help entire teams and organizations be more successful. Of course, training can be part of that. It helps if you all have the same level of knowledge. But knowledge alone won’t get you there. In practice, you will really have to adapt and change things. If you want to move forward. In short: less stand-alone training and more complete Agile Transformations. The beauty? I get energy from that too!

This really energizes me

So this year, more than ever, we helped organizations and teams put in place new structures, change cultures (how do we look at the environment, customers and ourselves) and ways of working. Saying goodbye to old ingrained paths and together moving on to the new. A “finding journey. Instead of a quest. Just taking the opportunity to quote Winnie the Pooh: “I don’t search. I encounter.” By experimenting step by step with clients over the past year with value and with the way we organize ourselves, something new emerges. By doing.

From trainers to change managers & change agents

Similarly, by now we really are no longer a training agency pure and simple. Over the past year, we have again organically grown in our full approach to helping clients adapt to the rapidly changing world. Of course, this has the necessary impact on us as trainers/coaches. Fortunately, we are all professionals. We read our asses off, educate, apply, reflect. This is necessary if we want to be the best sparring partner, coach and guide for our clients. Scrum and Agile are just a few of the tools in our toolbox, which is growing by the day. That stretching of ourselves is something that characterizes us and that I am proud of! Practice what you preach.

Shall we focus this together

In our complete approach, we train people to work with Agile challenges(like these 8). Then we coach them in practice to give it hands and feet. We will continue this trend in 2024. I’m already looking forward to setting sharp with you:

What value to customers you are really delivering;
How to organize that even smarter;
How to use every talent in your organization or team to get closer to common goals.

But before I forget

Now I like to leave you alone first. And get some rest myself. Laptop closed. Do not zoom in. Do not reflect. Just nothing for a while. A little bit of silence. Family. Friends. Celebration. And a few good resolutions. Okay, then let’s also toast to a top 2023 together with one glass of bubbly!

Cheers!