The greatest threat to organizational sustainability in the 21st century is digital disruption. The single most effective antidote is agile. Even though the Manifesto for Agile Software Development was created by 17 software developers over 20 years ago, the truth is that Agile is (really) not about technology. It’s about people ‘uncovering better ways of doing things and helping others to do it’. And this is even more true in the Age of AI.

At its core, Agile is about human behavior and how we interact with each other, and it demands new engagement and operating models. Unfortunately, most organizations are NOT designed for optimizing human potential; rather, they’re designed for maximizing productivity and profits.

Agile is a fundamentally different way of working, thinking and being. Because it is contrary to traditional management practices, it demands a new culture, language, and mindset. Yet, most people have not fully grasped how digital disruption has changed EVERYTHING: what, where, when, why, and how we play and who we play with or for. Because everything has changed, everything must change. Including you.

This session introduces the agile mindset and essential principles for people and organizations to master to thrive in the world of digital disruption and in the Age of AI. It also addresses the critical considerations for transforming cultures and designing new eco-systems to rapidly adapt to constant change, which may be the single greatest competitive advantage in the 21st century.

To thrive in a world of digital disruption and continuous change, we must become agile, we must embrace change, we must continue to develop better ways to deliver valuable software products and help others to do it. Because Modern Business Demands Modern Ways of Working. Modern business demands fundamentally different ways of working, thinking, and being. Modern business demands that we reimagine leadership, management, education, information technology, and agile. Modern business demands that we reimagine everything to outcompete and thrive in the age of AI.

Everything must change. Including YOU.

Heidi is an accomplished Board member, Board advisor, and C-suite executive who advises and leads businesses on AI, digital transformation, and enterprise agility. She currently serves on the Boards of Directors of CPrime, Inc. and the Community Financial Credit Union. A life-long learner with insatiable curiosity, she’s achieved extraordinary results and transformational outcomes in five different business models in complex, regulated environments.

Heidi speaks and writes frequently on the topics of leadership, AI, agile, and people. In addition to her TED Talk, ‘Everything Must Change. Including You’, she is a highly sought after speaker on the topic of Re-Imagining Management in the Age of AI. Recent speaking engagements include the Global Peter Drucker Forum, World Management Agility Forum, Agile2024, XP2024, and the Global Agility and Innovation Summit.

A published author, she recently contributed the chapter, ‘People Are the Core of Sustainable Innovation’ for the book, “Driving Sustainable Innovation: How to Do Well While Doing Good.” She has authored several articles and edited numerous books, including writing the introduction to “Wild West to Agile: Adventures in Software Development Evolutions and Revolutions” and the foreword to “EDGE: Value-Driven Digital Transformation.”

Heidi has been at the forefront of championing and mentoring women in leadership and technology throughout her career and speaks frequently on DEIB, LGBTQ in Tech, and women in STEM. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Michigan Council for Women in Technology. She fervently believes that people are more important than technology and that modern business demands modern ways of working.