The Question That Opened the Talk
How does a company with high turnover actually learn?
I started my talk by throwing this question at the audience—not just rhetorically, but as a real invitation to think together. Learning is slow, often painful, and undeniably human. Yet we act like we can replace people like we replace printers, expecting the new ones to just “plug in and go.” But knowledge, team dynamics, and motivation don’t work that way.
We often romanticize Generation Y’s mobility, branding it as freedom. But freedom doesn’t always translate into depth, mastery, or continuity. How can a professional—or a company—achieve their full potential without time, friction, and the kind of iteration that only comes from stability?
Context: Why I Proposed This Talk
In my first few years working in tech, I bounced between companies that were as unstable as the market itself. Some had onboarding processes. Most didn’t. You learned by sinking. Or by staying up until 2AM reverse-engineering undocumented flows.
When I moved to Porto Alegre to join Dell’s Services team, I found a different rhythm—spaces of mentorship, interest in long-term development, and structured learning. That contrast made me reflect deeply on what makes someone stay and grow. And more importantly, how the company itself grows when that happens.
Agile Brazil 2011 was the perfect place to unpack that question with peers across industries. My lightning talk was a mix of provocations, shared stories, and a practical challenge to rethink the systems we’ve built.
Culture: From X to Y to Z
We often dismiss generational differences as buzzwords, but they manifest in every meeting, deadline, and resignation letter. Baby Boomers looked for stability. Gen X pursued balance. Gen Y? They’re hunting for meaning and instant impact.
In the presentation, I asked:
- Are we just voice recorders?
- Are we really thinking?
- Do we treat onboarding as a download or as a dialogue?
The truth is, teaching and learning require time. Time requires trust. And trust is built when a company invests in a learning culture—not just perks and ping-pong.
People: Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose
Inspired by Dan Pink’s framework, I asked participants to reflect:
- What gets you out of bed in the morning?
- What keeps you coming back to this job?
- Is it autonomy? Mastery? A greater purpose?
When people feel they’re growing, they stay. But growth isn’t just a ladder—it’s a web of relationships. The genius who shows you shortcuts. The boss who gives you room to fail and learn. The peer who respects your input, even when you’re new.
Companies must build around people. Not processes. Because every tool, every KPI, every feedback loop—only exists because there’s a person using it.
Learning Through Doing
A key reference I shared was the study that says:
- We remember 10% of what we read.
- 20% of what we hear.
- 30% of what we see.
- 90% of what we say and do.
That’s why we need more than manuals. We need shadowing, brown bags, pair programming, mob reviews, and yes, space to make mistakes. Learning isn’t passive. It’s active. And we need to maximize shared experience to retain both knowledge and people.
If you want someone to grow into a senior,
don't just give them a wiki.
Give them a problem to solve together with someone else.
Tools: Brownbags, Volunteering, Social Events
Not everything is solved with a new onboarding flow. I highlighted some low-cost, high-impact practices:
- Brownbags: informal lunch talks where devs share tools or ideas. Great for showcasing hidden talents and cross-team inspiration.
- Volunteering events: build empathy, not just brand equity. When developers plant trees together or build donation platforms, they connect beyond Slack channels.
- Social meetups: foster personal affinities that lead to professional trust. People stick around when they feel seen and heard beyond Jira tickets.
Each of these leans into a different motivation: recognition, connection, contribution. None of them require a new HR budget. Just intent.
What We Did in the Talk
I didn’t want to “teach.” I wanted us to co-create. So we used flip charts, post-its, and a series of Socratic questions. We debated what keeps us in a job and what drives us away. We built a list of rituals and tools that helped each of us learn in the past. We challenged assumptions—mine included.
By the end, we had real insights to take home:
- If you want learning, stop overloading new hires.
- If you want retention, make feedback a rhythm, not a reaction.
- If you want culture, it starts with what you reward and what you tolerate.
Final Reflections
The talk ended with a quote I had scribbled weeks earlier:
“Each team is only as successful as the learning of its quietest member.”
I believe that deeply. In high-turnover environments, it’s tempting to standardize everything, to pretend we can make people replaceable. But that’s not Agile. That’s Taylorism in agile clothing.
Agile thrives in learning cultures. Cultures that treat each person as a contributor to collective intelligence. And that’s only possible when we build systems for people, not roles.
Thanks to everyone who joined that session. And if you’re reading this after the fact, my hope is simple: that you ask the question I asked on stage.
How does your company learn?
And even more important:
What are you doing to make it learn better?