From frustration to action
agile
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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Change starts with belief in your influence
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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 ‘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!
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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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The Best Change Agent is a Power-Calimero
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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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