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Change-Speak: We Need to Be More Agile

Change-Speak: We Need to Be More Agile

25-04-11 | Change Confessions, Change-Speak

Good old Agile. It’s still a popular buzzword, as though the word itself holds transformational power. But when agility is reduced to a corporate slogan, what follows is rarely adaptive, it’s usually just chaos in a new wrapper.

Too often, agility is mistaken for speed. Leaders push for faster delivery without rethinking how decisions are made. Teams are left sprinting endlessly, burning out while direction remains unclear. Speed without sense isn’t agility—it’s just chaos on a tight deadline.

Then there’s the Paradox of Structure. True agility depends on clarity—of roles, purpose, and decision rights. Ironically, in the name of flexibility, many organisations dismantle essential frameworks, creating a governance vacuum where nobody knows who’s accountable for what. And yet, success is still measured through rigid KPIs and delivery dates. The tension between adaptability and predictability becomes unbearable, and teams learn to game the system rather than embrace change.

And then comes the Agile Theatre. Daily stand-ups, sticky notes, Kanban boards—all the surface-level rituals, with none of the mindset shift. It’s agility in form, not in function. Command-and-control remains firmly in place, just with newer stationery.

It’s the same logic by which a symphony orchestra is told to play jazz, but every musician is required to play from detailed sheet music, follow the conductor’s tempo, and stick rigidly to the rehearsal. However, real agility is when musicians know their instruments so well that they can improvise in harmony, responsive, confident, and collaborative in the moment.

And true change leaders need to know how to create space for that.

Welcome to the Friday Confessional. If you know, you know.

Change-Speak Madness: The False Promise of “Accountability Culture”

Change-Speak Madness: The False Promise of “Accountability Culture”

25-03-21 | Change Confessions, Change Leadership, Change-Speak

“We’re building a culture of accountability”. The moment those words escape a leader’s lips, my internal alarm bells start ringing. It’s one of the many corporate phrases that promise so much whilst often delivering so little. Because, in practice, it’s the executive team’s way of saying “we want everyone else to be held responsible for outcomes” whilst quietly exempting themselves from the same standards. True accountability isn’t something you announce, it’s something you demonstrate.

And here’s where the hypocrisy often reveals itself:

Leaders trumpet “accountability” then promptly avoid difficult conversations with underperforming senior team members. They demand extreme consistency for frontline metrics whilst their own erratic decision-making is positioned as a “strategic pivot.” They insist on rigid deadlines for their workforce whilst taking their own sweet time to respond to simple approval requests.

This twisted version of accountability is typically directed downwards, never upward. And in this guise, accountability becomes a weapon used to control rather than a way of working meant to encourage greatness.

Genuine accountability cultures don’t need to be announced because they’re visible in action. They’re evident when leaders publicly admit their mistakes. They shine through when executives face the same consequences for missed targets as their teams. They’re unmistakable when feedback flows freely in all directions without career-limiting repercussions.

  • If your organisation is serious about accountability, be sure to incorporate these essential strategies:
  • Create psychological safety where failure is seen as a learning opportunity, not career suicide.
  • Ensure those accountable are given genuine decision-making authority.
    Distribute accountability proportionally to power and influence.
  • Recognise systemic constraints instead of blaming individual shortcomings.

Next time you hear “we’re building a culture of accountability,” ask yourself: are we creating conditions for success, or just identifying who to punish for failure?

The difference isn’t subtle. It’s everything.

Welcome to the Friday Confessional. If you know, you know.

Change Speak: “Our Efficiency Strategy”

Change Speak: “Our Efficiency Strategy”

25-01-17 | Change Confessions, Change-Speak

Aaah, the optimism. The grand vision. The leadership roadshow complete with slick PowerPoints and just enough buzzwords to make it sound like this time, things will be different. But haven’t we heard it all before?

“We’re transforming the way we work!”

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity!”

“Things can only get better!”

Can they, though?

Because once the buzz dies down and the executive Q&A wraps up, reality sets in: No owner. No roadmap. No actual plan. Just a lot of blind faith and a vague hope that “momentum” will somehow carry this thing forward.

Six months later… tumbleweed:

🔹 Some teams have made an educated guess and started changing things. What exactly is not entirely clear.

🔹 Others assume the initiative was quietly abandoned like last year’s new individual performance plan (thank goodness!).

🔹 A department in Singapore is still waiting on a follow-up email that never came.

Then one brave soul dares to ask:
“Hey… are we still doing that thing?”

Cue the awkward shuffling. The tight smile. The vague reference to ‘shifting priorities.’
And just like that, the change initiative vanishes into the black hole of good intentions.

The next Big Idea is already in the pipeline.

And the teams left behind? Still confused. Still waiting. Still shaking their heads.

Welcome to The Friday Confessional. If you know, you know.