Leading the Agile Transformation: A Novel About Leading Change in Work and Life

By Scott Dunn

This book is a fictional journey of a senior manager going through a major change in his organization. Sometimes he's leading; other times, he's reacting. In the worst-case scenario, he becomes a prisoner of the situation. He knows a lot, learns a lot, and discovers that there is still more to learn. This approach is called Agile-a project management approach that divides work into phases, highlighting collaboration and flexibility. Most books and training focus on the downside: "The process is simple but not easy." So that begs the question: "What makes Agile difficult to implement, and can I do anything about that?"

This story focuses on a traditional manager, often overlooked in the change effort, as he goes through the Agile process. There are key learnings that happen and an experienced guide who helps him on his journey.

Like many Agile change efforts I've seen, this one begins with a senior executive declaring the change and making it a mandate, but providing little to no guidance or support beyond the announcement. The designated point person tasked to lead this effort begins from a point of no knowledge or experience. He goes and gets help via a consultant. That guide, called an Agile Coach, provides help well beyond process and roles. The real help (and change) is in how the manager changes his mindset and approach and thus helps to lead a collective change in mindset and approach to how the company culture works.

I've trained thousand of Scrum Masters, Product Owners, projects managers, team members, managers and leadership. I've coached dozens of organizations and PMOs. Through my trainings and experiences, though, I found that something was missing: the raw honesty of insecurity, frustration, and fears I would hear during one-on-one discussions. This emotion that would erupt unexpectedly in a high-stakes meeting is what fueled my drive to connect with people more deeply and better understand their motivations, challenges, and decisions.

The unavoidable reality is that we are complex individuals who undoubtedly bring our personal lives (unknowingly or not) to the workplace, which directly affects team dynamics and outcomes. We cannot 100 percent compartmentalize our work and home life. Things bleed over from both areas. What's more important is that everything you do matters. Nothing should be casually dismissed as, "Oh, that's just who I am at work. It's not the real me." Ideally, there should be a behavioral congruency in all your roles.

Your life matters; the lives of your teammates matter. What I plan to convince you of in this book is that you make a significant impact on everyone around you. Whether that impact is positive or negative is up to you. The first step in this process is the belief that you can change things, beginning with how you show up, how you lead, how you listen, how you approach risk, and how you open up-in your personal life as well as at work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FL2GGK1N
• ISBN13: 9798288020261
• Release Date: July 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 164 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"