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