Recap Agile Connect Event – February 26, 2026
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Last Thursday, we hosted another online Agile Connect event. It was great to exchange experiences with different champion groups and organizations about both successes and challenges. Each time, it’s inspiring to learn from one another and engage in meaningful conversations about continuous improvement.
Couldn’t join this time? No worries, the next edition will take place on May 21! You can already register via:
https://amigos.nu/event/online-agile-connect-event-21-mei/
By participating in this regular cadence, you give yourself and your organization a recurring boost in continuous improvement.
This edition was extra special because several participants joined for the first time. I continue to be amazed at how many practical ideas are shared in such a short amount of time, ideas that participants can immediately apply in their own practice. It was also great to see the book : Expedition Agility, with its islands, ballast, treasures, and message-in-a-bottle metaphors, being used during the event to introduce ideas. There were many clear connections to topics participants had previously encountered in the champion program.
The book has been part of the champion program since 2025, so participants who joined before then may not yet know it from the program. Events like these show how the champion community stays up to date with new developments, including the availability of practical information on the renewed AMIGOS website:
On the website, events are now even more visible, making it easy to register for future gatherings, and there’s more than just the Connect events and trainings.
So keep an eye on the website, subscribe to the newsletter, and if you have ideas for organizing something together, let us know.
See you next time (again) at a Connect event! Don’t forget that as a champion, you’re welcome to bring a guest. And if you’d like to join but are not yet part of the community, feel free to contact us to explore how you can get involved. An ideal moment to join the community is the start of the upcoming champion program in April. There are still a few spots available. Do you know someone for whom this would be a great fit? Let them or us know!
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Agile Connect Event – 26 February 2026: Join the conversation, share your insights!
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It’s time once again to come together and talk about Agile in practice. On Thursday 26 February, from 15:00 to 17:00, we are hosting a new Agile Connect Event — fully online, interactive and inspiring.
Whether you are right in the middle of a transformation or simply curious about how other organizations are becoming more responsive, this event is the 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 questions or statements to the table (no obligation!).
- Support others with their challenges — your experience matters.
- Discover new perspectives and practical solutions.
- Meet professionals from other organizations who, just like you, are working on change.
Whether you are a certified Agile Champion, or simply someone who creates momentum within your team or organization — you are very welcome. And feel free to bring a colleague; the more perspectives we have, the richer the conversation becomes.
Sign up
Here is the registration link:
https://amigos.nu/event/online-agile-connect-event-26-februari/
Let’s support and inspire each other.
See you on 26 February!
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Change capability as an internal skill
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Many organizations have been on a journey for quite some time to become more responsive, predictable and value-driven. Significant investments have often been made in change capability. However, that capability still tends to focus primarily on doing agile: frameworks, rituals and roles, and too little on being agile: mindset, behaviour and ownership.
In a mature transformation, capacity shifts from change specialists to change skills within the organization itself. Within the teams doing the work, as well as within (management) teams that provide direction. Responsiveness then stops being an externally introduced way of working and becomes an internal capability.
A simple yet sharp check of this maturity is the question, or rather, the experiment: how does the work progress when the specialists are not there? If everything comes to a standstill, dependency still exists. That insight provides valuable input for the next grow impulse.
By gradually reducing the involvement of specialists, it becomes clear what the learning journey should truly focus on. Not continuing to do the work for others, but transferring knowledge and strengthening ownership.
This requires a fundamental shift in role: from coach to capability builder.
That is exactly what the Champion Program is designed for. It develops people within the organization into carriers of change, champions who do not apply agility, but embody it. This is how sustainable change capability emerges, from within.
In April, a new programme will start. For more information, see: https://amigos.nu/en/learn/trainings/agile-champion-program/
It is also possible to design a tailored program within your organization.
We would be happy to explore the possibilities with you.
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Moving forward together: Towards a responsive 2026
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On the final day of the year, it feels natural to pause for a moment.
To look back at what has been, to be grateful for what has emerged, and to look ahead to what may come.
To all our friends of change:
we already wish you a prosperous, healthy, and responsive 2026.
Looking back on a great 2025
For us, 2025 is a year we look back on with pride.
- Our book Expedition Agility (Expeditie Wendbaarheid) was included on the longlist for Management Book of the Year — a special recognition of the mindset and ideas we are shaping together with many others.
- We organized four successful Agile Connect Events, focused on connection, inspiration, and learning.
- And once again, we had the pleasure of welcoming two new groups of Agile Champions into our growing community of change-makers.
Every encounter, every conversation, and every step forward reinforces our belief: true agility is created together.
Looking ahead to 2026
In 2026, we will continue to build this movement.
- Agile Connect Events are already on the agenda.
👉 You can register now via:
https://amigos.nu/event/online-agile-connect-event-26-februari/ - And of course, new editions of the Agile Champion Program will start — for everyone who doesn’t just want to understand change, but also wants to lead it.
👉 View the planned programs here:
https://amigos.nu/leren/trainingen/agile-champion-programma/
New year’s resolutions? Embrace change
The start of a new year often comes with good intentions. In our view, they don’t have to be big or complicated.
- Embrace change
- Plan your participation in an Agile Connect Event
- Register for the Agile Champion Program — or recommend it to another friend of change
(If you act quickly, you can still start in January.)
Moving forward together: towards a responsive 2026
Together, we create impact. Step by step. Person by person.
Thank you for everything we were able to build together in 2025.
We look forward to connecting with you again in 2026.
Warm regards,
Your friends of change
Els, Edwin & Jeroen
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Change also brings opportunities
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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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Will 2026 be the year of impact? Become an Agile Champion!
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Agility is more important than ever, just look at the rapid developments and opportunities emerging around AI. For organizations to be successful today and in the future, an agile way of working is essential. Not just within certain teams or domains, but across the entire organization. True resilience and responsiveness must flow through the whole value chain and innovation system.
An agile way of working is more than implementing a framework. Real, effective agility requires a balance between the structure within organizations and the underlying culture. The balance between the upstream and the undercurrent.
Agile Champions are the driving force behind this continuously accelerating responsiveness.
In January 2026, a new group will start the Agile Champion Program, a 6-day learning journey for anyone who wants to strengthen agility, collaboration and the power of change within their organization.
Over the past years, hundreds of Agile Champions have completed this program. Many of them are now active in new organizations, organizations where we again see strong interest in developing internal change capability, breaking through stalled transformations, creating focus, accelerating progress, and embedding continuous improvement.
That’s why we are making a broad invitation.
1️⃣ Do you know someone, or are you working somewhere, where the Agile Champion Program might be relevant?
A new edition starts on January 16th.
The program is practical, inspiring and designed to empower people who want to carry and accelerate meaningful change.
Whether you are interested yourself or know someone in your organization or network: we’d love to hear from you. Sharing this information is greatly appreciated.
👉 More information:
https://amigos.nu/en/learn/trainings/agile-champion-program/
2️⃣ Looking for broader support in organizational transformation?
In addition to the Agile Champion Program, we also support organizations with:
- change and transformation initiatives,
- team development,
- and fully customized internal learning programs.
Together with organizations, we build sustainable growth and future-ready teams.
If you have questions, see opportunities, or would like to connect us to someone within your organization, we’re happy to explore the possibilities.
Together, we make agility human, achievable and inspiring.
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Recap: Agile Champions Connect – an afternoon full of energy, inspiration, and connection
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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 frustration to action
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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
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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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From an Agile way of working to true agility
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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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