I’m an Agile Storyteller. What’s that, you ask? It’s simple: I deliberately craft stories that inspire change, connect teams to Agile values, and bring our shared experiences to life. In this post, I’ll explore the value of storytelling in Agile and how it can inspire change, connect teams, and bring Agile principles to life.
The difference between storytelling and updates
Storytelling in Agile isn’t about updates, although they’re also very important to drive change. It’s about creating and executing a narrative that motivates, teaches, and brings people along on the journey. If you just do updates, you’re not a storyteller! My goal when telling a story is to make those “sitting on the fence” feel inspired and ready to embrace the transformation around them. When stories resonate, they ignite action.
Let’s dive into the benefits of Agile storytelling – with real examples to bring it to life.
1. Stories that inspire Agile journeys
Stories that inspire others on their Agile journey help embed/teach Agile principles, values, and practices.
Sharing success stories can spark real change. I once worked on a program that was rolling out Agile Ways of Working across an entire organization. The challenge? Some teams were already familiar with Agile, and a few were actively practicing it, but the majority of people had never even heard of it. How could we inspire adoption across such a wide spectrum of Agile maturity?
So I developed a series of tailored stories designed to resonate with teams at different stages of their Agile journey. One team had just started using Agile practices. Their story, titled “Kanban Revolutionized Our Lives!”, captured their enthusiasm and how strongly this new team felt about the impact of Kanban.
The team shared how Kanban organized their workflow, provided visibility, and made prioritization simpler and more effective. Sharing the specific benefits firsthand made Agile less intimidating, demystified the process, reduced resistance, and inspired other teams to give Agile a try.
This next story was designed to showcase the benefits of an Agile team setup and raise awareness about Agile across the organization. A team that was working with a client in the aerospace industry came to a complete standstill when COVID-19 hit because customer revenue disappeared.
But because they were set up as a Scrum team – a team that stays intact – they were able to pivot quickly to a new income-generating project. No one lost their job, and the team stayed together, navigating the change seamlessly.
This pivot story was featured on the company’s main homepage. It was a perfect example of how Agile ways of working bring real benefits: the flexibility to adapt, the ability to respond quickly to external challenges, and the resilience to keep moving forward. The story was widely shared and made it easy for colleagues to see why Agile is a game changer.
2. Stories that keep teams engaged and motivated
Stories that keep teams engaged and motivated reduce confusion and demotivation.
I joined a transformation program in financial services to bring storytelling into the mix. After two years of personnel changes, shifting plans, and delayed go-live dates, people were experiencing change fatigue. Many saw the transformation as a failure, and with a new go-live date approaching, key stakeholders weren’t engaging with the program team.
I launched a storytelling campaign to re-energize the organization and drive engagement. I started by interviewing three early adopters from teams that had already embraced the new ways of working. Their stories were about shifting mindsets, overcoming challenges, and seeing benefits in their work.
Next, I organized a company-wide town hall where the sponsors shared both the vision and the success stories. Through storytelling, with examples, they spoke about the importance of a flexible mindset, embracing change, and being comfortable with pivots.
The outcome? When I walked the corridors afterward, there was a noticeable boost in awareness, motivation, and energy. People were more aligned and ready to rally around the new go-live date. Storytelling didn’t just communicate the message – it created momentum when it was needed the most.
3. Stories that handle resistance
I once worked on a program at a fintech company where we hit a roadblock – established teams of developers just weren’t interested in training on a new tool. They preferred sticking with the old one, and as a result, the poor uptake really threw off the quality of data reporting.
To tackle this, I decided to focus on storytelling. I interviewed a senior leader who was also an early adopter of the new tool. He shared how it was a game-changer for him – getting detailed reports and critical insights in just one click.
We shared his story through the Lean Center of Excellence, and the response was immediate. The uptake of training went up immediately! It was a great example of how the right story can cut through resistance and drive real change.
Share your story
Stories can more easily spread both inside a company and outside of it.
We all know examples where companies have built their reputation by telling their Agile story! We will look at the power of storytelling as a persuasion tool in future articles.
Do you have a story that could inspire others? See my bio and get in touch with me if you’re interested in collaborating on an article that showcases how your team embodies Agile values and principles.
Stay tuned for more insights and inspiration in our interview series.
