Humanizing Work

This week, we explore why quarterly planning so often breaks down & how to approach it differently in complex, multi-team environments. We'll share the 3 essentials of quarterly planning & how to turn it into an ongoing system for coordination & learning. buff.ly/fS1XUvR

Most of us know what it’s like to feel stuck in frustration w/a leader. The more it goes on, the more options seem to narrow. This week, Peter shares a story about choosing a small, almost shocking action instead—& what shifted because of it. Listen in! buff.ly/s5xQKZx

This #Thanksgiving week, join us to explore a deeper, research-backed practice called counterfactual gratitude. We share personal & work stories + questions from a new 23-question guide to increase appreciation, happiness, & connection. Check it out! 🍁buff.ly/4mSQRsx

Most agile practices have been widely adopted, but cross-functional team structures remain the exception. Many teams still depend on others to get work done, so this week, we're sharing 3 practical strategies to reduce the pain of cross-team dependencies. buff.ly/uPBWhkH

Your #backlog isn’t a museum or wish list—it’s a tool to focus the team. This week, learn how to drop the weight of old commitments, keep ideas without letting them run your life, and steer by purpose using a simple 3-zone system. buff.ly/3XUlH5Q

If your day gets hijacked by “quick requests,” this week's Show episode offers five practical, research-backed ways to say no without being a jerk. buff.ly/mvOsWRj #focus #Interruptions

To celebrate passing 200 episodes of the Humanizing Work Show, we’re bringing back one of our most popular episodes: Two Key Moves for Better Sprint Retrospectives. If your team’s retros have lost energy or impact, this one's for you! 🎧 Listen now → buff.ly/bjs63or

#Scrum & #Kanban shine in different contexts, but they aren’t rivals—they’re tools you can use & often combine for better focus & flow. This week, @rslawrence discusses how to combine them and shares 4 practical patterns you can use right away. buff.ly/qIQwqdZ

When leaders ask for more data, dashboards, reports, it’s often a signal of low trust. This week, we unpack why reporting rarely creates real confidence & share 3 practical steps to escape the status-report trap so your team can focus on work that matters. buff.ly/lvHNKll

Quick wins are a trap. They feel safe but can create nasty surprises later. This week we share why teams avoid core complexity, and how leaders can make it safe to work complexity first. buff.ly/ophIcvZ #leadership #complexity #workculture

This week on the Humanizing Work Show, we share a practical approach and tools to present to leaders so they say yes—whether you need budget, approval, or alignment. buff.ly/RidOthV #Leadership #Influence #PresentationSkills

Peter had a positive experience vibe coding a helper app for a NYTimes Word Game. Richard spotted the hidden risks. Check out this week's episode, and learn how to use #vibecoding to accelerate learning w/out mistaking a prototype for a product. buff.ly/MV58Vxq

Story points are 1 of the most widely used practices in agile development—& 1 of the most misunderstood. This week, we explain how #storypoints really work as a form of Reference Class Forecasting & how to use them to improve accuracy & alignment. buff.ly/Dc2fAu3

What if you could make reliable project forecasts w/out the hassle, stress, & false confidence of traditional estimation sessions? This week, we explore why estimating often fails & how forecasting, especially w/reference classes, leads to better decisions.buff.ly/UhRReTl

Feedback makes decisions better, but only if it stays in the zone of healthy debate. This week, we're sharing real stories of feedback gone wrong (including our own) & 3 practical strategies to turn conflict into progress. buff.ly/Ub8v0Bn #feedback #growthmindset

For many, PI Planning feels more like ritual than solution. It’s meant to align and coordinate, but often leads to fragile plans, missed complexity, resistance to change. This week, we trace #PIPlanning’s origin—and how the real lessons got lost. buff.ly/0WlrWzx

Forget kombucha & ping-pong. Perks don’t build #workplaceculture. Calm does. This week we share how one client ditched the "cool office” trend for a supportive environment—and why it leads to better productivity, sustainability, and employee fulfillment. buff.ly/cUmEkWK

Listen in this week for 3 key symptoms that indicate your retros aren't enough anymore. Learn how to spot the issues early, why retros alone can’t always fix them, and practical steps you can take right away to reset and reignite your team's effectiveness. buff.ly/4Vj7egp

🎬 Building Oscar-winning effects for Independence Day, shaping the Die Hard franchise, & building a company to help people focus better & work w/more ease. @stevenpuri’s work lives at the intersection of creativity & tech. Don’t miss this week's show ep! buff.ly/hZQp8QE

In a special rebroadcast of 1 of our most popular & insightful episodes, Mark Ethier, founder & former CEO of audio tech leader iZotope, shares how he turned love for music & tech into a company known for creativity, empowerment, & purpose. buff.ly/M4xtMfl?utm_so…