Let me share something that’s been on my heart lately – the challenges I see organizations face with their people. Through my journey coaching teams across different companies, I’ve witnessed both the struggles and triumphs in building strong, engaged teams.
I see three core challenges that touch the heart of every organization I work with:
- Keeping our best people
- Helping teams find purpose in their work
- Growing skills to meet tomorrow’s needs
Let me share what I’ve seen in the trenches.
When People Leave: The Cost of Broken Connections
Numbers tell us replacing someone costs up to twice their salary. But what breaks my heart isn’t the cost – it’s the lost relationships, the broken team dynamics, the missing pieces in our organizational fabric.
Let me share a story. I worked with a tech company losing people to competitors. But when we brought in Scrum practices – giving teams more voice through sprint reviews and retrospectives – something beautiful happened. People stayed. They felt heard. They found purpose. Within six months, 30% fewer people left.
Finding Purpose in Our Work
Something that troubles me deeply – only 36% of people feel engaged at work. I saw this firsthand at a retail chain where frontline workers felt disconnected from their purpose. But when we started daily scrums (stand-ups) and sprint planning, teams reconnected with their mission. They saw how their work touched customers’ lives and engagement grew by 40%.
Growing Together in a Changing World
Here’s what keeps me up at night – 87% of leaders worry their teams won’t have tomorrow’s skills. I remember a manufacturing client struggling with this. We turned their challenges into opportunities through agile learning. Within a year, 60% of their people mastered new skills in data and automation.
A Path Forward
Through my experience as a coach, I’ve found these practices help teams thrive:
- Start by understanding where you are
- Begin small with Scrum practices
- Make learning part of daily work
- Trust teams to find their way
- Keep communication channels open
- Watch, learn, and adjust
I believe in the power of agile practices to transform not just how we work, but how we grow together. I’ve seen it create spaces where people want to stay, where they find meaning in their work, where they grow into their potential.
This journey never ends. Each organization faces unique challenges. But when we focus on people first – on building connections, fostering growth, creating purpose – everything else follows.
What challenges do you see in your organization? How might we help your teams find their path to growth and purpose?
