When the room is too small for the conversation

Happy Monday everyone,

I was speaking at Agile Cambridge last week and I’ve reflected on it over the weekend. The conference itself was buzzing — apparently the highest attendance in years, which is curious given how often we hear the tired old line that “Agile is dead.” If this is death, it looked pretty lively to me. Corridors full, conversations spilling over into seminar rooms, people comparing notes on how they’re still trying to do meaningful work in systems that don’t always make that easy.

When it came to my own talk, I was simultaneously delighted and a little saddened by it.

The room was too small. Literally. More people wanted to come in than could actually fit, and some had to be turned away. I stood at the front with this odd mix of gratitude (thank you for caring enough to show up) and sadness (why so many of you relate to the pain of being bent out of shape by the very organisations you’re trying to serve).

The talk was on Calm REBEL Leadership. The message seemed to hit home — that slow drift from your values, that quiet questioning of your own judgment, that sense of giving too much and becoming invisible in the process. So many people nodded, not because it was inspiring but because it was familiar. That’s validating, of course, but it’s also a little heartbreaking. Which is why I wrote the book in the first place: to offer not just a diagnosis, but a way back to leading like yourself.

A lot of people have asked me whether the talk was recorded. It wasn’t. I think that’s only fair to those who paid and travelled to attend (people came from Portugal, China and the US!) — presence should matter.

But, if you’d like to catch me live, I’ll be speaking at Ripples Bristol next month (is it a conference or is it a dodgy nightclub?!). Seriously though it used to be called Agile in the City and it’s another lovely event in another lovely venue, and there are still a few tickets left.

There are some pretty cool speakers (Linda Rising and Jim Benson anyone?) and I really think we need to keep events like this going. Not just to keep up with what’s going on elsewhere and learn from their successes and mistakes but to build and stay in touch with our tribes.

If you want to come, use the code GEOFF10 for a discount. The organisers will also be giving away some copies of my books — the old ones and the new one and we can do the whole selfie/ussie (see Ted Lasso if you don’t know what that means) thing. Or just grab a coffee.

Sometimes I think these conversations about leadership and authenticity are a bit like those rooms that overflow at conferences. The appetite is always bigger than the space provided. Maybe that’s the real sign that agile — or at least people who care about doing work with integrity — isn’t going anywhere.

Hope to see you in Bristol

And in the meantime…Stay calm…Stay rebellious

P.S. The book is now live on Amazon as well as my (new) website so grab yourself a copy or gift one to somebody you think needs it.

P.P.S. If you are on Instagram then give my new @CalmREBELs account a follow if you are so inclined.