Wiring the Winning Organization – An Interview with Gene Kim

By Steve Mayner

At the 2024 SAFe Summit Berlin earlier this year, I had the opportunity to chat with our keynote speaker and globally recognized author Gene Kim about his latest book Wiring the Winning Organization. We’re excited to announce the release of the video recording of our conversation, available here. Our discussion shines a spotlight on the concepts in his book that align perfectly with the principles and practices of SAFe.

Gene and I have been friends since we connected at a small gathering in Washington, D.C., in 2013. I had accepted an invitation to attend this event to learn about his seminal book The Phoenix Project, which had just been released. In the years that followed, he has invited me to speak at his conferences and to be part of the forum of thought leaders that publish research each year in the newly renamed Enterprise Technology Leadership Journal. Many in our SAFe community have also appeared on Gene’s stage, including none other than our founder and creator of SAFe, Dean Leffingwell!

What I have appreciated so much about Gene in all of these years is his insatiable and genuine curiosity fueled by his love of learning. In the years I was working on my doctorate, whenever Gene would pass through D.C. on another trip to the far reaches, he would text me to see if we could catch up. He would always start the conversation with, “So tell me what you’re learning!?” It’s such a joy to have people in your life who desire to grow and learn alongside you!

I hope you enjoy this video of our conversation and approach it with that same sense of curiosity. Listen for things that resonate with your own experiences, and hopefully you will take away at least one thing (hopefully more!) that will help you contribute to your own ‘winning organization’ … with the help of SAFe!

— Dr. Steve