Recap: Agile Champions Connect – an afternoon full of energy, inspiration, and connection
Jeroen Venneman
On November 6, we hosted our annual in-person Agile Champions Connect — the event where Agile professionals come together to share knowledge, inspire one another, and celebrate the strength of our community. This year was no exception. With a wonderful mix of insights, practical stories, and personal experiences, it became an afternoon that will resonate for a long time.
A programme full of valuable sessions
We had the honour of welcoming several fantastic speakers, each offering their own unique perspective on change, collaboration, and growth within organisations:
- Erik Cremers – Business & Information Consultant at APG
Erik introduced us to the world of multi-team dynamics, the topic of his recently completed PhD. His insights into collaboration at scale inspired many to rethink how we can help teams thrive in complex environments. - Mark Heistek – Agile/DevOps Transformation Coach at Port of Antwerp-Bruges
Mark openly shared both the challenges and successes of the transformation within a large IT organisation. His experiences strengthening collaboration between business and IT offered fresh perspectives on sustainable change. - Karin van Ooijen – Transformation Coach at Allianz Direct
Karin invited us to explore how to inspire teams toward self-organisation, even within a Laloux Orange organisation. A session that was both thought-provoking and surprisingly relatable.
And of course, our Amigos Jeroen, Edwin, and Els, who brought great energy to the room:
- Jeroen Venneman – Transformation Consultant
Jeroen kicked off the event with an interactive opening and facilitated the programme all the way to the networking drinks. - Edwin Clerkx – Agile Coach
Edwin gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the Agile transformation at Brabant Water and, through a hands-on challenge, showed how powerful learning-by-doing can be. - Els Verkaik – Agile Coach at Schiphol Group
Els took us into the subcultures within organisations and helped us discover how to spark change, even when people say: “Things are fine the way they are.”
Why Agile Champions Connect?
With Agile Champions Connect, our goal is to strengthen the Agile Champions community. This annual in-person event offers an inspiring and energising afternoon in which we:
- share knowledge
- discover new insights
- exchange experiences with other Agile professionals
- build new connections that extend beyond the event itself
In addition to the annual in-person event, we also host three online Connect sessions per year. Together, they create a continuous heartbeat that keeps learning, growth, and connection alive.
For everyone who wants to make a difference
The Connect event is not only for Agile Champions who have followed the Amigos training.
We actively encourage Champions to bring other friends of change. After all, learning together becomes even more powerful when you bring your own environment along for the journey.
Would you like to become an Agile Champion yourself? You can! More information is available here:
👉 https://amigos.nu/leren/trainingen/agile-champion-programma/
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From an Agile way of working to true agility
Jeroen Venneman
Why this journey?
In recent years, many organizations have started working with agile methods. Teams work in sprints, use rituals and tools, and are supported by agile coaches. This has brought a lot – but true enterprise agility often remains out of reach.
Agility means more than just agile practices. It’s about direction, ownership, value, and leadership – together forming the foundation for sustainable change capacity.
At Amigos, we see that this is exactly where many organizations struggle. That’s why, over the past weeks, we’ve shared a series of posts on the key themes organizations encounter on the journey from an Agile way of working to true agility. In this blog, we bring those insights together.
1: Focus and strategy
“Alignment without direction is like sprinting in the fog.”
Teams work hard and deliver, but without clear strategic goals, there is no cohesion. Agility without focus leads to chaos and high coordination costs.
The key: a compass with clear, connected goals – from top to team.
2: Community and ownership
“Everyone improves something. But together we don’t get better.”
Organizations often buzz with improvement initiatives, but fragmentation is a constant risk. Connected ownership is essential.
The key: Champions ensure improvement initiatives reinforce each other and build communities that sustain improvement over time.
3: Value and ROI
“The investment in change becomes the pain itself.”
Change is too often seen as a cost, because results remain invisible.
The key: make results tangible. Not just output, but outcome: which obstacles have been removed and what that delivered, what value (and at what speed) has been delivered for customers and the organization, what trends are visible in delivering value, and what progress is being made toward strategic goals.
4: Embedding and leadership
“Agility stands or falls with leadership.”
Agile coaches have helped organizations take their first steps. But sustainable agility requires embedding in the line.
The key: leadership – both formal and personal. Champions take ownership, set the example, and anchor continuous improvement into the culture.
What connects these themes?
✨ Agile Champions.
Agile Champions are people who are intrinsically motivated, who take ownership, connect and inspire others, and embed sustainable change capacity.
They ensure that an agile way of working is not the end point, but a breakthrough towards an organization that continuously learns, improves, and delivers value.
The Agile Champion Program
With the Agile Champion Program, you’ll learn how to strengthen ownership, model exemplary behavior, and embed sustainable change capacity.
Whether you join individually or bring the program in-house, you’ll take a concrete step toward lasting agility.
The Champion community
Alongside the program, we organize a Connect event four times a year – open to anyone who wants to stay inspired. The next one takes place on November 6th.
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Energy through expeditions: The inspiring journey of “Expedition Agility”
Jeroen Venneman
Expeditions don’t just result in stories — they offer powerful experiences and new discoveries. These stories inspire, taking you along for the ride so you don’t just hear about the adventure — you feel it. They can be a powerful catalyst for action and the spark that ignites new expeditions.
We’d love to take you along on the journey of our book, “Expedition Agility”. After its launch, we received the incredible honor of being nominated for Management Book of the Year 2025. We made it onto the longlist and were invited to the Management Book Gala on April 18 — a special moment to celebrate together.
Taking time to reflect on your achievements and celebrate success is important. It recharges your energy — especially when you’ve exceeded your goals. For us, the nomination was an unexpected surprise — a real gift.
Have you taken the time to reflect on the goals you’ve achieved or even surpassed? Have you celebrated those successes and drawn energy from them?
The energy we received as Amigos was used to integrate our book into the Agile Champion Program. This program supports organizations on their journey toward greater responsiveness. Such a journey needs people who not only understand change, but are equipped to champion and reinforce it within their organization.
The Agile Champion Program provides the knowledge, skills, and mindset needed to take on that role. It contributes to a growing community of friends of change. Integrating our book into the program has significantly enhanced it. It has become the foundation upon which the entire program is built. Participants not only learn from the book — they use it as a platform to grow their own development.
The first reactions to the enhanced program have been positive, and a new group will start in September. In addition to the six-day Agile Champion Program, we also developed a workshop based on the book that delivers value within an hour. We’ve already delivered this workshop at several events — including the “Kijkje in de Keuken” event hosted by Drive at the Municipality of Rotterdam on May 8.
In the “Expedition Agility” workshop, the book serves as a foundation to help participants break through specific transformation roadblocks. In a short amount of time, they experience the power of the book and use its insights to develop valuable advice for overcoming obstacles.
In short, the journey of our book “Expedition Agility” has brought us not only beautiful stories, but also new discoveries and fresh expeditions — like the enhanced Agile Champion Program and the Expedition Agility workshop.
So, what expedition can you share with your team to generate energy and spark your next adventure?
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Expedition agility: Listen to our podcast and get inspired!
Jeroen Venneman
As a complement to our book, Expedition Agility, we launched a podcast series, “De Overhoring”, in January 2024 in collaboration with publisher OMJS. In this series, Job Christians (founder and director of OMJS) and authors Els Verkaik, Jeroen Venneman, and Edwin Clerkx take you through the insights and practical stories from the book Expedition Agility.
The podcast explores the six islands from the book that are essential for agility—both for you as an individual and for your team and organization (the podcasts are in Dutch only):
In this first episode, we discuss the essence of the book and what agility means for organizations in today’s rapidly changing world.
This episode dives into the theme of agility: how to stay adaptive in a fast-paced world and approach change in an agile way—going from A to B in the “b way.”
In this episode, we focus on mindset: how to develop personal agility and create a culture of agility together..
This episode covers inspiration: how to engage people in the expedition toward agility by creating an enticing destination that encourages them to leave the safe harbour.
This episode highlights growth: how to foster agile individuals, teams, and leaders by embracing continuous learning, prioritizing workplace happiness, and boosting engagement.
This episode focuses on the organization: how to transform bulky organizations (like oil tankers) into lightweight, agile ships with simple structures and governance. In short, it’s about de-organizing to become more agile.
- Expeditie wendbaarheid – Sustain
In this episode, we explore sustainability: how to build a network of “friends of change” who use their collective power to drive continuous improvement, learning, and discovery. Keep sailing, keep discovering!
Each episode offers concrete insights and practical tools that you can apply immediately. Discover how you, your team, and your organization can stay agile and navigate the challenges of tomorrow!
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