The Humanizing Work Show

Quarterly planning often starts with good intentions and ends in frustration. Teams leave planning sessions with detailed plans and optimistic commitments, only to watch reality undo them weeks later.

In this episode of The Humanizing Work Show, Peter Green and Richard Lawrence explore why most quarterly planning breaks down—and what actually makes it work in complex, multi-team environments.

They introduce The Three Essentials of Quarterly Planning:
Shared understanding across teams
Meaningful quarterly goals and commitments
A sustainable rhythm for learning and delivery

Drawing on Cynefin, CAPED, Scrum, and research like the Progress Principle, this conversation offers practical guidance for leaders, product teams, and agile practitioners who want quarterly planning to feel grounded, realistic, and energizing—whether you’re using SAFe or not.

If you’re responsible for quarterly planning and want fewer surprises, better coordination, and goals that actually guide decisions, this episode is for you.

Episode page:
https://www.humanizingwork.com/quarterly-planning-done-right/

Most of us know the feeling of being frustrated with a leader who micro-manages, goes silent, or keeps changing expectations. It’s easy to get stuck replaying every misstep and planning some kind of confrontation.

In this episode, Peter shares a recent experience where he hit that point with a leader on a community project. None of the obvious options seemed likely to help. During a moment of prayer and meditation, a different idea surfaced—reach out, share a meal, and learn who this person really was.

The shift that followed changed the whole situation.
This story isn’t about ignoring harm or letting poor leadership slide. It’s about recognizing when the real tension lives in our own thoughts and expectations, and how a small, human act can open a better way forward.

Episode page with resources:
https://www.humanizingwork.com/the-surprising-move-that-ended-my-leadership-frustration

Have a challenge at work or an episode idea? Email us at mailbag@humanizingwork.com
Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/humanizingwork

Most gratitude practices focus on making a list. In this conversation, we explore a deeper, more effective approach. It’s called counterfactual gratitude, a research-backed practice where you reflect on the good things in your life that almost didn’t happen.

We walk through how this method works, why it has stronger emotional impact than standard gratitude lists, and how it improves connection with others. We also answer several counterfactual questions from a 23-question guide and share stories about turning points, near misses, support from unexpected places, and difficulties that became doorways to something better.

If you want a gratitude practice that leads to real insight and more meaningful conversations, this episode will help you try it yourself.

Get the 23 Counterfactual Gratitude Questions PDF, links to resources mentioned in the episode, and the full transcript on the episode page:
https://www.humanizingwork.com/deepening-your-gratitude-practice-with-counterfactual-questions

Most teams start big initiatives with a slice that’s too big, too obvious, or too fuzzy to deliver anything useful. Feature Mining gives you a simple, reliable way to find the smart first slice of a big complex idea. It helps you uncover the real sources of complexity, align stakeholders early, and design first steps that create value, reduce risk, and generate real learning.

In this episode, Peter Green and Richard Lawrence explain how Feature Mining works, where it came from, and why it’s so effective in complex environments. You’ll hear a real retail example, the step-by-step process, and the core benefits teams see when they use this approach well.

You can learn Feature Mining in depth as part of our 80/20 Product Backlog Refinement online course, or join us live in our CSPO, A-CSPO, or CAPED workshops, where Feature Mining is a core practice for shaping big initiatives.

Episode page: https://www.humanizingwork.com/feature-mining-overview-finding-the-first-slice-in-complexity
Share a challenge or episode idea: mailbag@humanizingwork.com
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/humanizingwork

Most agile practices have become widely adopted—but cross-functional team structures remain the exception. Despite clear benefits like faster learning, shorter time to market, and simpler coordination, many teams still depend on others to get work done.

In this episode, Peter Green and Richard Lawrence share three practical strategies to reduce the pain of cross-team dependencies and make work flow better right where you are. You’ll learn how to spot where complexity really lives, use the CAPED model to collaborate across teams, define clear interfaces, and make the flow of value visible to build a case for change.

Full episode page, transcript, and resources:
https://www.humanizingwork.com/reduce-the-pain-of-cross-team-dependencies/