Let’s look back over the past 2 1/2 years. Publicly, we’ve spoken a lot. We’ve made predictions and promises. 

But there is preaching….and then there’s practice. 

We chastise companies for their failure to pivot. We lament their inability to get it. But when do we hold ourselves accountable? When do we take the lead and create results? We’ve spent two years in a flashpoint for change. We use the words “epic proportions” often. (This was a social and health crisis at a scale we haven’t seen in over a century). This was a perfect time for us to lend our skills. We could’ve taught the world something. 

We boast so-called superpowers of value prioritization, mindset transformation, lean change. How did we raise our voices in a way that they could be heard? Many among us advertise our social goodness. I see plenty on social media talking about the change that you want to see. I see very few people demonstrating that change. Again, our old friend courage – or lack of it – makes an appearance.  

We admonish our readers that things should be better. We have the tools to make things happen. When how come nothing changed? It raises the question of what all this Agile stuff is for. It’s 2022, and I’m getting bored of making better software. I’ve long since proclaimed that this is the end of Agile. Even the originators disavow themselves of what it has become. Agile is now a buzzword for the analyst hoping for the next big thing in productivity. 

It could have been – and should be – so much more. What better time to prove our supernatural skills? When better to put our fancy talk to the test? We needed to step up, and we didn’t. Posting your views on LinkedIn does nothing. Sermonizing in online forums does nothing. We missed our moment.  

But it’s not too late. 

Couldn’t we still use our voices to leverage this great reset? Could we choose to deploy our tools and gifts? Could we influence those with the title and desire to benefit all humanity? 

Before you comment “but that’s not what Scrum and Agile are designed for”, let me say – I agree with you. 
 

And that’s the whole problem. Increasingly, we deny our destiny. We shrug off our duty and instead, we follow the herd. We do what we’re told. We tell strong voices to stay in their place. We believe in our limitless potential. But only in theory, not in practice. 

Could we still summon an ounce of extra courage? To lead others through change, to benefit our health and well-being instead of the bottom line? Try to find someone in your organization who enjoys a balanced life. You’ll find many who think that it doesn’t matter. Balance always takes a backseat to profitability. Someone has to speak up at the town halls and the board meetings. Someone has to disrupt the status quo. 

Otherwise, humans, resilient as we are, will find a way to bear the new normal. We’ll accept our orders, and march back to the office, thinking we’re much safer than we were two years ago. But we will fail each other if we don’t stop to question why. 

What if we stumbled on something that was better than what we had before? Maybe we’ve been marching along to tradition and comfort for the past century. Maybe George Carlin was right… maybe we do still have owners. We’ve just accepted a new more palatable kind of servitude. People say this is revolution. Is it really? Is this the best we can do? Is this what greatness looks like? 
 

You decide.