Inclusive Agile

“When the person who can choke you with The Force™ from across the room is watching, no one wants to look like a good target.”
That moment in a retrospective when the atmosphere shifts from casual honesty to careful performance? It’s not your imagination—and it’s not necessarily the team’s fault.

In his latest piece, Brett Barker slices through the illusion of psychological safety in many retrospectives and delivers a hard truth:

If the manager is in the room, it’s not really a retrospective. It's a status update with better branding.

This isn’t about villainizing leaders. It’s about understanding how power (even well-meaning power) distorts feedback.

As Brett puts it, when jobs are tied to survival, candor becomes a luxury most folks can’t afford.

- Want better retros?
- Want actual improvement?

Start by asking: Who in this room feels safe enough to be honest?

Read the full (and frankly hilarious) take here:
https://www.inclusiveagile.io/blog/get-managers-out-of-retro

Tired of silence in retros? Build a feedback culture where candor feels safe and support is real.
→ Let’s train your team. https://forms.clickup.com/9009024412/f/8cfnkcw-13911/LM0IYJYB642Q4XD1RG?Source=PSF%20linkedIN

Image Description: Three cartoon foxes hold a retrospective. They write sticky notes for “What went well?”, “What poorly?”, and “Improvements” on a board. Through a window, a yellow fox in a tie watches, hinting at a manager’s presence disrupting psychological safety.

Did you know: Trans and nonbinary people are up to six times more likely to be autistic.

Just as many autistic people are trans, the reverse is also true. These identities often go hand-in-hand and yet, society continues to treat both as outliers.

(link to study showing this here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9014767/ #:~:text=Warrier%20et%20al.,and%20sex%20assigned%20at%20birth).)

Our Coaching for Change campaign exists because our systems weren’t built to support and recognize the challenges and strengths that these populations experience.

We want to make a real difference with paid internships, coaching, and training trans autistic humans already in our community.

It has never been more important to put your money where your heart is.

We invite you to show up with us!

You can repost, show up, and stay educated (and you should!).

But the real work, **job training, mentorship, mental health support** takes more than vibes. Build the world you say you want

Inclusion isn’t just an idea, it’s an investment.

Free actions matter: listening, amplifying, making space.

But let’s be real, systems run on money.

Companies can’t hire, train, or support without it.

If we don’t fund inclusive orgs, we risk losing them.

This is how we build the world we say we want: with values, voices, and yes, dollars.

Let’s show the world that we are more than the rhetoric..

Even $10 can support someone on the margins finding their way in. Visibility is a start, but opportunity is the goal.



Donate here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/fundraising/coaching-for-change-supporting-autistic-trans-job-seekers





Image Description: Three anthropomorphic foxes stand proudly in front of a large trans pride flag, their paws raised together to hold a glowing lightbulb above them. The shared gesture symbolizes collective insight and mutual support. This vibrant image celebrates the power of community and collaboration to spark change through inclusive coaching and internships.