Who is Carlo Kruger?

Here is what Sam has to say about Carlo:

I first met Carlo during an interview! Carlo was interviewing me and subtly let me know that the job would not suit me, but that I should meet his wife Karen. A few years later we did meet, and the rest is history. Carlo is a great judge of character.

What is something people usually don’t know about you but has influenced you in who you are?

I took time off to work in a professional kitchen as a cook. It was incredibly hard, poorly paid work but I loved doing it. It taught me some very valuable lessons about trust and teamwork.

What would have become of you, if you were not doing the job you do today?

Hmm - my career “progression” has been a strange one from Risk management to cook to project manager to ScrumMaster to Agile coach. I suspect my next challenge will probably be to become a developer. I like working in the software domain, and it’s hard to imagine doing that now without doing it using some form of Agile or Lean to manage it.

What is your biggest challenge and why is it a good thing for you?

I’m a fairly extreme introvert. This makes it hard for me to meet and interact with people, especially ones I do not know. As a consultant and a manager that has proved to be a significant challenge to remain authentic but also interact freely and openly with others. It has meant that I have become very good at being aware of and managing my energy levels so that I can balance my work and home life and still have space for friends.

What drives you?

I’ve been accused of being a hedonist (which I don’t dispute). So I feel I need to be having fun for an activity to have value. The only counter to this is that I also value loyalty, and when I’ve made a commitment to for example a team I’m leading, I’ll sooner burnout than let them down.

What is your biggest achievement?

Starting my own consulting business during the recent world economic melt down. And surviving long enough on my own to join up with Peter and Marius in ScrumSense.

Is there a piece of music that has a special meaning for you?

Music plays a very important role in my life. I’ve been a singer, guitarist, producer and DJ. The music that is important and which has meaning to me changes slowly over time. The one track which seems to stick however is “Adnan’s” by Orbital on their album “In Sides”. I can’t explain it except to say that there is a melodic line in there that seems to pull directly at my heart somehow.

What is the last book you have read?

I wish I could say that I was reading important books at the moment, but really I have been reading mostly pulp for the last 6 months or so. Before that, I went through a stage of reading lots of agile/lean/product development/business books. But my most recent book was a hard military sci-fi: “Terms of Enlistment” by Marko Kloos

What question do you think we should also ask and what is the answer?

What was your agile “moment of enlightenment”?

I think mine came in my CSM with Boris Glöger. I came to his class in my arrogance believing I was there to get a certification and instead I got a challenge. Karen Greaves (my wife) was also in that class, as was her business partner, Sam Laing. I think there was something about that class that set all 3 of us on this path.

Whom do you think we should ask next in South Africa?

Austin Fagan - he arrived from London during the biggest growth spurt in agile in SA, and I think would offer a unique latecomers perspective.

Whom do you think we should ask next, not in South Africa?

I think Boris Glöger, while not actually a local has had the most impact in South Africa and it would be interesting to have him reflect on that. He was really the “Johnny Appleseed” of agile in South Africa.

How would you define your relation to the South African Agile community?

Like an old girlfriend I parted with on friendly terms, but don’t really see very often any more. I was part of the early days of the community and while I value the time and learning I got out of it, I think it’s on a new and different trajectory with a different group of people.

Cape Town, April 2013

Fondness and admiration I guess. Based on what I have seen in New Zealand, South Africa has been ahead of the curve in its agile adoption. I also think there is a strong community (given how it has continued to flourish even after the original crew of committee members have moved on). I will however kick anyone in the shins who uses the word “post-agile” in a non-ironic way ;)

New Zealand, November 2020

How to connect with Carlo

Twitter: @ironicbuddha

Linked In: za.linkedin.com/in/carlokruger