From frustration to action
Els Verkaik
In the book Expedition Agility, you’ll find a variety of exercises designed to make the journey toward agility lighthearted and engaging. In each blog post, we highlight one of these practices to inspire you and invite you to experiment with it.
This time, we’re exploring the exercise “The Wall of Complaints.”
Venting — the healthy way
In times of change, frustration can easily build up within teams and organizations. Small irritations pile on top of each other, and before you know it, they start to affect the atmosphere.
Even though friends of change focus on making things a little better every day, sometimes it simply helps to let off some steam. Complaining isn’t necessarily a bad thing — as long as it leads to action.
The exercise “The Wall of Complaints” offers a safe and structured way to bring frustrations to the surface and turn them into concrete improvements. It’s an opportunity to clear the air, name the issues that deserve attention, and come up with solutions together. Instead of getting stuck on what’s not working, this exercise helps you create positive momentum toward real change.
The Exercise: The Wall of Complaints
- Invite a group of people to talk about the change initiative.
- Ask each participant to write down what’s not going well, what’s annoying them, or what they’d like to see done differently — one complaint per post-it note.
- Stick the notes on a large sheet of paper or a wall: this is your Wall of Complaints. Discuss what’s on the wall — that alone can be a huge relief.
- Once everyone has vented, take a step back and look at the wall critically. Group the post-its by theme, then discuss which themes are most important to address. Which ones have the biggest impact? Which cause the most friction? Give everyone three stickers to place on the themes they find most urgent. You’ll quickly see where the group’s priorities lie.
- Select one or two themes to focus on.
- Start brainstorming about the first theme. What could we do differently to reduce this frustration? Everyone writes their ideas on post-its — one idea per note.
- Post all ideas on a new sheet and discuss them. During brainstorming, every idea counts — no judging or debating yet. Ask questions only to clarify.
- Group similar ideas together. Then give everyone three stickers again to vote for the most promising solutions.
- Pick the top-voted solution and flesh it out together.
- Decide on the first concrete step you can take. Who will take the lead in making this happen?
After building your Wall of Complaints and sharing frustrations openly, you’ve not only released tension but also gained clarity about what truly matters. Grouping and prioritizing the complaints helps you see where the most energy is being drained — and where the biggest opportunities for improvement lie.
Brainstorming solutions shows that every problem can be solved, as long as the team is willing to take it on together.
The real power of The Wall of Complaints lies in transforming negative energy into constructive momentum. With a clear first step and support from your colleagues, complaining is no longer the end of the story — it becomes the start of a shared journey toward improvement and growth.
Source: Expedition Agility
By: Els Verkaik, Edwin Clerkx & Jeroen Venneman
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The power of invisible rules
Els Verkaik
The book Expedition Agility includes various working methods to tackle changing to agility in a playful, light-hearted way. Each blog article highlights one working method to inspire you and to experiment with. This time it is ‘this is how we do it’.
The unwritten rules
The culture of an organization is often hidden in unwritten rules, habits and quiet expectations. Only when we make these implicit behaviors explicit can we understand and address the real culture.
The ‘this is how we do it’ method helps teams to expose these hidden rules, so that an open conversation can be had about them. By shadowing teams and observing how they work together, who makes the decisions and what patterns occur, you gain insight into the deeper layers of the organizational culture.
This working method challenges teams to reflect on the questions they often don’t ask out loud. For example: what do you have to do to belong? And: how do we deal with criticism or change? The answers to these questions not only make the culture visible, but also offer the opportunity to consciously reflect on what works well and what needs improvement.
Format: This is how we do it
- Walk along with one or more teams where the change will start, for example the teams that will be the first to try out a new way of working. Observe how people work, how they work together, what the interaction patterns are, who determines what, what the pecking order and power relations are, etc.
- Name a number of questions to which the relevant teams will give ‘this is how we do it’ answers. Examples are:
– What do you have to do to fit in?
– What do you have to do to not belong? When are you out?
– What are we not talking about?
– Who or what always gets priority?
– How do we deal with compliments?
– How do we deal with people who are critical?
– What is our reaction when another change is announced?
– What makes us run faster?
– Who is actually in charge? - Invite the teams to discuss the similarities and differences in the answers. Also give your observations back to the team. You can ask questions such as: what is the strength of the team? What would we like to improve?
This working method makes it clear that culture is not only something that happens, but also something that we form together. By making the unwritten rules and silent patterns explicit, a shared awareness is created within the team about how they work together and which norms determine daily practice. This provides a valuable opportunity to reflect on what works and what doesn’t – and to jointly determine which elements of the culture should be preserved and which should change.
The strength of this working method lies in making the invisible visible, so that teams can not only grow in effectiveness, but also in mutual connection. The conversation that follows is a first step towards a more conscious, stronger and more open organizational culture.
Source: Expedition Agility
By: Els Verkaik, Edwin Clerkx and Jeroen Venneman
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Change starts with belief in your influence
Els Verkaik
The book Expedition Agility includes various working methods to tackle changing to agility in a playful, light-hearted way. Each blog article highlights one working method to inspire you and to experiment with. This time it is ‘cross the line’.
Making beliefs visible
Our beliefs provide a powerful compass for how we approach change, both personally and within a team or organization. They can help us move forward, but they can also block us if we hold on to limiting thoughts. The ‘cross the line’ working method is a playful and interactive way to explore what we really believe about our own role in change. By literally taking a step across a line, participants make their beliefs visible and negotiable. It is a powerful way to discover where the doubt lies and where the trust lies, both in yourself and in the organization.
This exercise provides a safe space to reflect on what you think you can change and helps participants to adjust their mindset: from ‘I can’t change anything’ to ‘I have influence’.
Format: cross the line
Our beliefs can hinder and strengthen us. To find out what beliefs we have when it comes to changing the organization, you can do the following working method:
- Divide the space in half imaginarily by drawing a line or make it with tape. Place a floor plate on one side of the line with YES on it and a floor plate with NO on the other side of the line.
- Ask everyone to stand. Then you ask the participants: ‘Do you believe you can change yourself?’ Ask participants to stand on one side of the line, depending on their answer (either the YES box or the NO box).
- Ask two or three people to explain why they are where they are. Usually it comes out, but you can also explain that you can continuously change and adjust your behavior.
- Then ask the question, “Do you believe you can change the team you’re a part of?” Ask the participants again to stand in the YES box or the NO box. Some will now cross the line.
- Ask two or three participants again why they are where they are or why they have changed subjects. Here too, it often comes out automatically, but you can explain that you can change the team by making an impact, setting a good example, holding retrospectives, making things negotiable, making proposals for other ways of working, etc.
- Finally, ask the group, “Do you believe you can change the organization you work in?” Participants again choose to stand in the YES or NO box.
- Again, ask two or three people to respond. Here too, if necessary, you can explain that it is about exerting influence and taking others with you. It’s like throwing a stone into the water: you can see the ripples in the water flowing wider and wider. That’s how it goes in organizations. But it starts with faith, the confidence that you can play a role in that.
At the end of the cross-the-line session, the deeper beliefs within the group become visible. The conversation that ensues not only shows where people have confidence in change, but also where they have doubts.
This method makes it clear that change starts with the conviction that you can make a difference yourself, no matter how small that difference may seem. Whether it’s personal change, influencing your team, or even transforming an entire organization – it all starts with believing in your own influence.
Like a rock thrown into the water, your actions spread and affect others. By raising this awareness, it becomes clear that everyone can play a role in change, if you only dare to believe that it is possible.
Source: Expedition Agility
By: Els Verkaik, Edwin Clerkx and Jeroen Venneman
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New Agile Champion Program starting in september!
Els Verkaik
Are you ready to join, or do you know someone who might be interested? Spread the word! 💬
Make an impact and inspire others! 🚀
Do you want to make your organization a little better every day?
Would you like to learn how to drive change and bring others along on the journey?
Then our Agile Champion Program is exactly what you’re looking for!
During this 6-day program, you’ll learn:
✨ How to foster agility in your organization.
✨ How to use practical tools to drive change.
✨ How to inspire others and take steps together toward a better organization.
The program is packed with practical knowledge, inspiring insights, and plenty of hands-on activities!
👉 Sign up now for the September 2025 group in Utrecht by emailing info@amigos.nu
More info: Agile Champion Program – Amigos
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Vul je e-mailadres in en ontvang 1x per maand een update in je mail met alle blogs die geplaatst zijn op onze site.
Take a moment to be amazed today
Els Verkaik
The book Expedition Agility includes various exercises to approach the transition to agility in a playful and lighthearted way. In each blog article, we highlight one of these exercises to inspire you and encourage experimentation. This time, we explore the exercise “Take a moment to be amazed today.”
Rekindle your curiosity
In the hustle and bustle of daily work, we often lose the ability to see our own organization with fresh eyes. What once seemed unusual or impractical has now become the norm. The way we work, the rules we follow, and the habits we have are rarely questioned. But what if we take a moment to consciously marvel at our surroundings?
The exercise “Take a moment to be amazed today” invites teams to look at their organization with a curious and critical perspective, as if stepping inside for the first time. By asking yourself and each other questions about why things happen the way they do, you can uncover hidden inefficiencies as well as creative solutions that often go unnoticed.
Exercise: Take a moment to be amazed today
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Try looking at your organization as if you were seeing it for the first time. Ask yourself why things are done the way they are.
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Investigate and discover the oddities in your organization—things that have become normal but might not be normal at all. For example: always needing consensus for every decision, consistently missing deadlines, or accepting that agreements are not followed (because, well, it happens, right?). Or the unquestioned acceptance of fixed remote workdays where someone never comes to the office.
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Pay special attention to the “desire paths” in your organization—the unofficial shortcuts people take that aren’t documented in processes and procedures. What detours are being made to speed things up or bypass obstacles?
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Ask yourself a different kind of question: What isn’t being talked about? What are the recurring topics in your organization, and what stays out of sight? Consider aspects like customers, employees, budgets, results, satisfaction, culture, and behavior. What does this say about your organization? Why might this be the case? And what could change if these topics received more attention?
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Dive into your colleagues’ needs. Are they openly expressed? Do these needs align with the organization’s agility goals, or are they in conflict? How could you bridge that gap?
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Examine your work processes. What causes slow decision-making, delayed delivery, and resistance to change? Why is it so hard to improve?
After a day of curiosity, you’ll often come away with surprising insights. By investigating strange habits and illogical workflows with your colleagues, you’ll realize that much of what is considered “normal” is anything but. What starts as a playful exercise can spark valuable discussions about what is truly needed for your organization to become more agile and effective.
By using humor and laughing at quirks, you lower the threshold for change and create a safe space for transformation. The insights you gain can ultimately lead to concrete improvements, helping you make faster decisions, deliver results more efficiently, and adapt more easily to change. This exercise not only fosters a sense of wonder but also paves the way for growth and innovation.
Source: Expedition Agility
By: Els Verkaik, Edwin Clerkx, and Jeroen Venneman
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Invitation Online Agile connect event April 3th
Els Verkaik
It’s almost that time again. Our next Agile Connect Event will take place on Thursday 3 April from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. This online event offers the opportunity to participate in a lively discussion and exchange of ideas about Agile in practice.
During this interactive event, everyone will have the opportunity to bring up questions or statements. This is not mandatory. You are also welcome to join to help others with their issues. Together we can inspire each other, gain new insights and learn from each other.
The event offers inspiration through the experiences and insights of others, and the opportunity to discover new perspectives and solutions for your issues. In addition, you can meet professionals from other organisations who are also working on making their organisation more agile step by step.
Register by filling in the RSVP form below. We will then send you a confirmation with the details of the online session. As mentioned before, the event is not only for certified Agile Champions but also for everyone else who is creating a movement in their organisation. So don’t hesitate to let others register too.
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The Best Change Agent is a Power-Calimero
Els Verkaik
Last week, a great article about Expedition Agility was published in the Managementboek.nl Online Magazine. In this interview, we as Amigos – Els Verkaik, Jeroen Venneman, and Edwin Clerkx – share the journey that led to our book and the philosophy behind our work. We’d love to share some key insights with you.
Agility as a Journey of Discovery
Change is not a fixed plan with a checklist to tick off. It is a journey of discovery where you learn, adjust, and continuously seek new ways forward. This mindset is reflected in the Amigos model: a journey across six ‘islands’ – Agility, Mindset, Inspiration, Growth, Organization, and Sustain. This model helps organizations and teams embrace change in a playful yet structured way.
Making Change Enjoyable
We often hear that change feels complex and heavy. That’s why we approach it differently. Our methods incorporate exercises, game cards, and metaphors to make change more accessible. When you engage with change in a playful way, it sticks better—and becomes more enjoyable.
The Power of the Power-Calimero
One of the key messages in the interview is the role of the ‘Power-Calimero.’ While a regular Calimero feels powerless and dependent, a Power-Calimero takes control. They look for opportunities to improve, even in less-than-ideal circumstances. This is the mindset we aim to cultivate in organizations: you can always contribute to change, no matter how small your influence may seem.
Want to Read More?
Curious to read the full interview? Visit the Managementboek.nl Online Magazine and discover how Expedition Agility introduces a fresh approach to change.
Interested in how you or your organization can start working on agility? Visit www.amigos.nu to explore our training programs, exercises, and events!
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Focus on delivering value
Els Verkaik
Focus on Delivering Value
In the book Expedition Agility, you’ll find numerous exercises to help organizations transition to agility in a playful and engaging way. Agility is the ability of individuals and organizations to respond quickly and effectively to change, which is vital to remain relevant and successful in a constantly evolving world. Each blog in this series highlights one exercise to inspire you and encourage experimentation. This time, we’re diving into The Value Trophy.
Thinking in Terms of Value
Sharing results with stakeholders is an essential part of any team striving for agility. Feedback on results helps you determine whether you’re on the right track and adjust your course if needed. Typically, this is done through review or demo sessions. But what if we turned these moments into a vibrant and playful workshop?
The concept of The Value Trophy revolves around celebrating delivered value rather than simply checking off completed tasks. By shifting the focus to customer or organizational value, teams are encouraged not only to reflect on what they’ve accomplished but also on what it has achieved. This creates a healthy competition that is both motivating and increases awareness of the impact of their work.
The rotating trophy—The Value Trophy—adds an extra layer of excitement, with the team that delivers the most value earning the honor of taking it home.
Exercise: The Value Trophy
Here’s how you can implement The Value Trophy workshop:
- Organize the Workshop
- The workshop is hosted by and for the teams, with at least 25 participants for optimal engagement.
- Plan Presentation Slots
- Arrange five 10-minute time slots where teams can showcase the value they’ve delivered.
- This could include experiments they’ve run, new or improved features, successes achieved, or even mistakes made—value can come from many places!
- Keep it Short and Engaging
- Limit team presentations to 10 minutes to match the average attention span for a presentation. Use music or sound cues to mark the end of each slot.
- Encourage Interaction
- Teams should use interactive formats like questions, statements, or other engaging methods to foster discussion. Keep it dynamic, fun, and impactful.
- Let the Audience Choose
- If you’re running parallel sessions, let the audience move to the session that interests them most.
- Vote for the Winner
- At the end, participants vote on which team delivered the most value and why. The team with the most votes wins The Value Trophy.
- Reflect Together
- Conclude with a group reflection on what was learned during the session.
Results that Matter
At the end of the session, it becomes clear that value is not just about what you’ve done but the impact you’ve created. Teams shift from task completion to focusing on delivering meaningful results.
This exercise brings a playful and competitive edge to reviews and demos, giving teams a chance to reflect on what truly matters: the value added for customers and the organization. By voting and reflecting as a group, you create an environment where successes and lessons are openly shared. Winning the trophy becomes more than just recognition—it’s a motivator for teams to continuously improve and deliver impactful work.
Source: Expedition Agility
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Vul je e-mailadres in en ontvang 1x per maand een update in je mail met alle blogs die geplaatst zijn op onze site.
New Agile Champion Program starting in May!
Els Verkaik
Are you ready to join, or do you know someone who might be interested? Spread the word! 💬
Make an Impact and Inspire Others! 🚀
Do you want to make your organization a little better every day?
Would you like to learn how to drive change and bring others along on the journey?
Then our Agile Champion Program is exactly what you’re looking for!
During this 6-day program, you’ll learn:
✨ How to foster agility in your organization.
✨ How to use practical tools to drive change.
✨ How to inspire others and take steps together toward a better organization.
The program is packed with practical knowledge, inspiring insights, and plenty of hands-on activities! 🎯
👉 Sign up now for the May 2025 group in Utrecht by emailing info@amigos.nu
More info: Agile Champion Program – Amigos
Ontvang onze updates
Vul je e-mailadres in en ontvang 1x per maand een update in je mail met alle blogs die geplaatst zijn op onze site.
Invitation Agile Connect event 30 Januari
Els Verkaik
It’s Almost Time! 🚀
Our next Agile Connect Event is happening on Thursday, January 30th, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. This online event offers an exciting opportunity to engage in lively discussions and share ideas about Agile in practice.
Join the Conversation! 💬
During this interactive event, everyone will have the chance to bring up challenges or propose discussion topics. Not feeling like contributing this time? That’s perfectly fine too! Feel free to join in to help others with their challenges or simply gain inspiration from the group.
Together, we’ll inspire one another, uncover fresh insights, and learn from each other’s experiences.
Why Join? 🌟
This event provides:
✨ Inspiration from the experiences and perspectives of others.
✨ Opportunities to discover new ideas and solutions for your own challenges.
✨ A chance to connect with professionals from other organizations who are also working to make their organizations more agile, step by step.
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