Uncomfortable Truths About The Agile Industry’s Focus on Vanity vs Outcomes

Episode OverviewIn this special crossover episode of Mastering Agility and Scaling w/ Agility, Yuval Yeret joins Jim Sammons and Rick Visotcky to confront the uncomfortable truths about the agile industry. Together, they explore why so much agile work has drifted into activity for activity’s sake and how coaches, trainers, and leaders can realign their work to drive meaningful outcomes. The conversation strikes a balance between candor and pragmatism, reflecting on the courage required to challenge the status quo while acknowledging the human realities of making a living. If you’re grappling with agile theater and wondering how to bring more integrity to your practice, this discussion is a timely call to action.Highlight Quotes / Concepts* The tension between certification-driven training and real transformation* The impact of commoditization on agile roles and courage* How financial independence or reputation can enable principled interventions* The idea of “forever employable” as a foundation for sustainable courageChapters(00:00) Introduction and Speaker IntroductionsMeet Yuval, Jim, and Rick, and hear about their backgrounds in agile training and coaching.(01:55) Discussing Outcomes in Agile TrainingExploring the irony of teaching outcome-focused techniques in a fundamentally output-driven training industry.(05:07) Challenges in Agile Training and ConsultingYuval shares why current success metrics—certifications, butts in seats—are broken, and what it could look like to hold trainers accountable for real impact.(10:17) The Reality of Agile Roles and Industry IssuesJim and Rick reflect on why the agile staffing and consulting ecosystem struggles to focus on value, not vanity metrics.(13:41) Balancing Principles and PracticalityA candid conversation about the personal and systemic conflicts between paying bills and doing the right thing.(23:10) Courage and Safety in Agile CoachingDiscussing Maslow’s hierarchy, courage, and why psychological safety is foundational to speaking truth to power.(37:47) Conclusion and Future TopicsA look ahead to exploring what it really means to “put your own mask on first” in an agile career.Notable Quotes“We are guaranteeing the wrong things. We’re focused on vanity metrics. What would it look like if we started to focus on outcomes?”— Yuval Yeret“There’s no courage in safety. If you’re already safe, what do you need the courage for?”— Rich Visotcky“The unemployment line is full of people with strong principles and values.”— Jim Sammons“Forever employable is something that is a good outcome for agileists to strive for—because that’s the only way they can be real agileists.”— Yuval YeretGuest Links and Resources* Mastering Agility Podcast* Jim Sammons on LinkedIn* Rich Visotcky on LinkedIn* Forever Employable by Jeff Gothelf* Sense and Respond training partnersCall to ActionSuggested Experiment: Reflect on your own engagements: Are you measuring success by activity or by evidence of meaningful change? Try defining a “no-OKR”—an explicit non-goal—for your next engagement to clarify focus and reduce vanity work.🌟 Yuval wants to help you scale your organization without falling into the process theater trap. Start with his free email course: Scaling w/ Agility Crash Course🔗 Follow Yuval on LinkedIn This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yuvalyeret.substack.com