Changing is also just a game
Els Verkaik
But who sets the rules of the game and who holds the cards?
When it comes to change, it is by no means a given that everyone will participate. Change agents find this difficult, or at least a challenge. But how bad is it really if not everyone participates?
Suppose we were to view change as a game for a change. A game we can enjoy, together with others. One we can laugh about a little. One that makes us playful and allows us to approach it in a relaxed way.
Would more people be willing to play along then?
The moment we start viewing change as a game, a few interesting questions and insights emerge.
Am I willing to play the game?
Perhaps the most important question. When would you be willing to play the game? Do you just go for it, or do you set specific conditions?
And what might be holding you back from participating? Perhaps you would like to, but lack the time, knowledge, confidence, or support.
What happens if I don’t play?
Is participation optional? Are there consequences? Or are we saying that something needs to change, while old behavior remains perfectly possible in the meantime?
Perhaps the rules are unclear. Perhaps the playing field is set up in such a way that the desired behavior actually becomes difficult.
What’s in it for me to participate?
Change is often explained in terms of the organization’s interests. But why should you make the move? What is in it for you?
Does there have to be something to gain or win? Or do you actually want to get rid of something? Will your work become easier, more interesting, or better? Will you learn something? Will you gain more autonomy or influence?
Do I know the rules of the game?
What is expected of me? What changes in my behavior? What can I decide for myself? Where is my room for maneuver?
Who actually determines the playing field?
People are not pawns that you can move around on a chessboard. The desired movement does not occur when people merely learn to play a new game neatly. It occurs when people also gain influence over how the game is played.
From object of change to agile partner
Especially on our journey towards greater agility, we need people who do not merely play a prescribed game, but can act independently, learn, and adapt the game when the situation calls for it.
So, if you, as a change agent, want people to truly participate, make them co-players . Give them insight into the goal. Make the rules of the game clear. Provide space to ask questions and experiment. Let them experience the results. And, where possible, give them influence on the playing field and the rules.
Then the role of the change agent also changes. Not the one who shouts: “These are the new rules. Good luck with them.” But the one who helps create an environment in which people can, want to, and dare to play along.
How can you make change more fun?
A good game has something that many change programs lack: curiosity, interaction, choice, experimentation, feedback, challenge, and fun. Why shouldn’t we make more use of that when implementing change?
Not because every change has to be one big party. But because the way we change can make a world of difference.
A checklist for your next change
- What is the game we play together?
- Is it clear to everyone why this game is worthwhile?
- Does everyone know the rules of the game?
- What are the benefits of participating?
- What makes it difficult to play with?
- Can we remove those obstacles?
- How much influence do people have on the playing field and the rules of the game?
- Who do we need to play the game together?
And perhaps the most exciting question:
If you weren’t forced to, would you actually feel like participating?
If the answer is no , the problem might not lie with the players. Perhaps we should take a look at the game then.
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Agile Connect Event – August 27, 2026: Interactive Inspiration!
Els Verkaik
Thursday, August 27, it’s time for our next Connect Event! From 3:00 to 5:00 PM, we’ll be hosting another Agile Connect Event – fully online, interactive, and inspiring.
Whether you’re in the middle of a transformation or simply curious about how other organizations are becoming more agile, this event is the perfect place to exchange experiences, ask questions, and help each other move forward.
What can you expect?
During this interactive event, you can:
- Bring your own challenges or topics for discussion – completely optional!
- Help others with their challenges – your experience matters.
- Discover new perspectives and practical solutions.
- Connect with professionals from other organizations who, just like you, are working to create change.
Whether you’re a certified Agile Champion or simply someone who helps create movement within your team or organization, you’re very welcome to join us. And feel free to bring a colleague – the more perspectives, the richer the conversation.
Want to join?
Send a message to info@amigos.nu
Let’s help and inspire each other. See you on August 27!
.
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How adaptable am I, really?
Els Verkaik
Not just at work, but also when I’m travelling. Am I willing to let go of my original plan when circumstances change? Or do I stick to what I had planned in advance?
During our trip through the Pyrenees, we found ourselves in exactly that situation. We had planned to spend a day in Pau. The itinerary was set. We had just crossed the mountain pass from Spain into France in our camper van and were looking forward to visiting the “Versailles of the South.”
But reality had other plans. It was the first day of a heatwave that would eventually last a week. The forecast for Pau: 41°C (106°F). We looked at each other and asked ourselves one simple question:
Do we follow the plan, or do we follow the circumstances?
We chose the latter and turned around, heading back into the cool mountain air. A little later, we found ourselves aboard the Petit Train d’Artouste. At more than 2,000 metres above sea level, a fresh breeze swept across the mountain lake. Suddenly, the heat felt very far away. At the end of the afternoon, we realised there wasn’t a campsite nearby. Years ago, that might have felt like a problem. This time, it simply became part of the adventure.
We drove back towards Spain, climbed to the Col du Portalet, and found a quiet place to spend the night in a parking area just beyond the pass. As the sun slowly disappeared behind the mountains, cows with gently ringing bells wandered past our camper. Before us stretched a view that no campsite could ever have matched. That night, we slept soundly in the cool mountain air. And then it hit me. Adaptability isn’t about sticking to your plan. It’s about trusting that sometimes a different path turns out to be even more beautiful than the one you originally mapped out.
Maybe that’s true not only when we travel. Maybe it’s true at work. And perhaps it’s true for life itself.
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Change also brings opportunities
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 “Change Also Brings Opportunities.”
Discover New Possibilities
Change often triggers resistance because it challenges us to let go of what feels familiar.
But what if we approached change as an opportunity — a chance to discover and add something new?
The exercise “Change Also Brings Opportunities” offers a playful and interactive way to explore this idea. By asking team members to make three small changes to their appearance — three times in a row — it becomes clear that change doesn’t just mean losing something, but also creating or adding something new.
This fun activity demonstrates that change isn’t only necessary; it can also be enjoyable and full of surprises. It’s a wonderful metaphor for change within teams and organizations: sometimes you discover far more possibilities than you first imagined.
The Exercise: Change also brings opportunities
- Ask team members to pair up and stand facing each other. Look at each other for a moment, then turn around so you’re standing back to back.
- Each person changes three things about their appearance. Wait until the signal is given, then turn around at the same time.
- Tell your partner what you notice has changed about their appearance.
- Repeat the exercise twice more. Each time, participants must change three different things about themselves. You’ll notice it gets harder with each round — until people realize they can also remove or add things (for example, take off a watch, add a post-it, or borrow a colleague’s glasses).
- During the reflection, ask what insights this exercise brought up. Usually, people realize they can change much more than they thought. Point out that change isn’t just about loss — it’s also about adding new elements, opportunities, and perspectives.
- Observe what happens next: right before and during the reflection, many participants start putting everything back the way it was. You can share this observation with the group — it shows how strong our tendency is to return to the old state. But why should we? Change can actually be fun! Invite people to keep their new look as it is for a while — which often leads to some good laughter!
After completing the exercise, it becomes clear that change has much more to offer than we often realize.
The laughter and lighthearted moments during the activity reveal an important lesson: you can change more than you think, and it doesn’t have to be complicated or heavy. Adding new elements — instead of just removing old ones — opens the door to fresh possibilities and opportunities.
You may notice that many people quickly try to undo their changes afterward. This shows our natural tendency to return to what’s familiar. But why not embrace the new instead? Change can be refreshing — even fun!
Let this exercise be an invitation to look beyond what you might lose and focus on what you can gain through change. Who knows — it might just be the beginning of something even better.
Source: Expedition Agility
By: Els Verkaik, Edwin Clerkx & Jeroen Venneman
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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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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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