I mentioned in an abbreviated July roundup that Sharon and I had already spend a couple of weeks with our daughter at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, with few more days still to go. Thank you to all who reached out! I’m pleased to report that Florence came home on Friday, three weeks to the day after admission. Now, and with the hospital’s full support, we have a previously-planned long weekend away coming up, facilitated by the wonderful Make-A-Wish Foundation who are kindly providing ambulance transport and some equipment. Things feel a lot less fraught than they did, but I don’t expect to make much progress on anything work-related before mid next week at the earliest. And that’s ok!

Meanwhile:

Another 5-star review for WholeheartedTraining starts up again at the end of SeptemberAlso a busy conference seasonAnother 5-star review for Wholehearted

This from Jasenka Rapajic:

Finally, a book that brings the experiential reality of tech and business to the forefront of leadership thinking. Wholehearted highlights the critical role of interdependencies between people, processes, and technology – key drivers of organisational outcomes often overlooked by mainstream leadership when faced with complexity.

What sets this book apart is Mike’s ability to expose the limitations of generic organisational models – and the technologies that support them – which fail to reflect the real-life complexity of specific organisations. It shows how such models often compress rich, lived experiences into narrow frameworks, stripping away their relevance and effectiveness.

This is a rare and valuable insight into the heart of business – one that supports the creation of adaptive organisations and leadership practices. It provides a practical foundation for fostering innovation that is aligned with the actual needs of the organisation.

The book doesn’t just address surface-level symptoms of dysfunction; it guides the reader toward understanding and resolving deeper, systemic issues. In doing so, it calls for a more sustainable and humane approach to business – especially relevant in the digital age, where adaptation to real-world complexity, service delivery, and tech support are becoming inseparably linked.

You’ll find Jasenka’s review on Amazon here. You can find Wholehearted: Engaging with Complexity in the Deliberately Adaptive Organisation (April 2025) in both print and Kindle editions on amazon.co.uk, amazon.com, amazon.de and other Amazon sites around the world. The e-book is also available on LeanPub, Kobo, Apple Books, and Google Play Books. Enjoy! Be like Jasenka! Leave a review!

Training starts up again at the end of September

Online, Copenhagen, Pune, and Bengaluru:

30 September to 18 November, online, cohort-based – 8 weekly sessions, 2 hours each:
Leading in the Knowledge Economy (LIKE) – Autumn 2025 cohort 3-4 November, Copenhagen, Denmark:
Leading in the Knowledge Economy (LIKE) – Copenhagen 30 November to 01 December, Pune, India:
Leading with Outcomes: Train-the-Trainer / Facilitator (TTT/F) – Pune 3-4 December, Bengaluru, India:
Leading in the Knowledge Economy (LIKE) – Bengaluru

Book-wise, LIKE (online, Copenhagen, and Bengaluru) corresponds to Wholehearted – i.e. it is a deep dive into the Deliberately Adaptive Organisation. TTT/F (Pune) corresponds to Agendashift and Organizing Conversations, focusing on participatory, generative, and outcome-oriented change.

For the online and Copenhagen training, ping me if you need a discount code. All the usual reasons (gov, educational, non-profit, etc) apply, and the more the merrier.

Also a busy conference season

Beginning in just three weeks:

3-4 September, Milton Keynes, UK:
SysPrac25 11 September, online, 18:15 BST, 19:15 CEST, 1.15pm EDT:
Agile Northants: Introducing the Deliberately Adaptive Organisation with Mike Burrows 5-7 November, Malmö, Sweden:
Øredev 2025 5-6 December, Bengaluru, India:
Kanban India 2025

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