When Sabrina joined catworkx in 2018, she was one of three people doing everything from making coffee to writing invoices. Today, she manages global partnerships for a 260+ person company across multiple time zones. But here's the twist: there was no playbook for building partner management from scratch.

In this episode, discover:

• How to categorize and filter hundreds of vendor requests using revenue, installs, and Forge strategy
• The art of managing relationships when your colleague is in Brazil and you're in Germany
• Why introverts need special meeting strategies (and how to implement them)
• The challenge of giving away responsibilities as your company scales
• How "trash TV" became an unexpected stress management tool
• Building bridges between business units in a global organization

Perfect for: Partner managers, growing companies, anyone navigating the Atlassian ecosystem, or professionals managing vendor relationships

Guest: Sabrina, Global Partner Manager at catworkxHost: Björn Falke

Topics: Partner management, vendor relationships, Atlassian ecosystem, team scaling, global collaboration, meeting culture

What happens when you abandon all meetings and go fully asynchronous? Kit Friend, Global Change Maker of the Year and Atlassian Champion, reveals the surprising results of his radical experiments at Accenture.

In this episode, discover:

• Why LEGO blocks might be the best meeting tool you've never tried
• The lonely truth about async collaboration (and how to fix it)
• How to make AI meaningful for 800,000 employees
• The "toilet architecture" principle of office design
• Why measuring "fun" beats traditional KPIs

Kit shares candid insights from managing global teams across impossible time zones, the unexpected power of visual collaboration, and why Gen Z might be better equipped for the AI revolution than we think.

Perfect for leaders, agile practitioners, and anyone tired of soul-crushing meetings.

Guest: Kit Friend, Global Atlassian Partnership Lead at AccentureHost: BjörnTopics: Future of Work, Team Collaboration, AI Transformation, LEGO Serious Play

📍 TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Intro: The Award-Winning Rebel03:54 Community Over Commands11:20 The Async Scrum Experiment15:28 Why Loom Can't Replace Human Connection18:26 The Toilet Architecture Principle30:36 Killing Meeting Preparation37:13 Change Management at Scale59:17 LEGO Serious Play Deep Dive1:03:40 Gen Z vs Millennials in the Workplace1:16:00 The Four-Day Work Week Reality1:26:31 Making AI Meaningful1:32:53 Fun as the Ultimate KPI

🔥 KEY INSIGHTS:✅ The exact async workflow replacing daily standups✅ How LEGO blocks unlock introverted brilliance✅ Why preparation might be ruining your meetings✅ The surprising way to make AI adoption stick✅ What "toilet architecture" teaches us about collaboration

📚 RESOURCES:

• LEGO Serious Play (Open Source): [link]
• Book: "Rebel Ideas" by Matthew Syed
• Book: "Coaching Agile Teams" by Lyssa Adkins
• Tool: Napkin.ai
• Atlassian Team 25 Recordings

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🎯 ABOUT THIS EPISODE:From HipChat to AI-powered workspaces, Kit's journey showcases what happens when you prioritize human connection over rigid processes. Whether you're managing a team of 5 or 50,000, this conversation will challenge everything you think you know about collaboration.

Join Björn Döhler in conversation with Katharina Alt, Head of Atlassian Services at Seibert, as they explore the challenges of leading distributed teams across multiple countries while navigating the rapidly evolving Atlassian ecosystem.

In this episode, discover:

• How Seibert transformed from 110 to 500 employees across Germany, Austria, Denmark, France, and the US
• Strategies for managing distributed teams without a playbook
• Why meeting people in person still matters in a remote world
• Navigating cultural differences in business communication (and why Germans are "too direct")
• The shift from technical consulting to business process management
• How AI is revolutionizing cross-cultural communication
• Building relationships through Loom videos and async communication
• Lessons learned from merging with four Atlassian partners
• Why the increasing complexity of Atlassian tools creates new opportunities
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From managing 100+ daily chat messages to integrating teams across different cultures, Katharina shares practical insights on thriving in constant change. Learn how Seibert adapted as Atlassian evolved from a "cozy" company to a global enterprise, and why there's no one-size-fits-all playbook for distributed teams.

Perfect for: Team leaders, solution partners, and anyone navigating organizational growth and digital transformation.

Summary

In this episode, Björn and Julie discuss the strategic shift of Elements towards ITSM, the challenges of focusing on a single vertical, and the impact of acquisitions in the Atlassian ecosystem. They explore the importance of customer feedback, co-creation, and the evolving pricing strategies in the marketplace. Julie shares insights on maintaining a human-sized company culture while navigating the complexities of growth and differentiation in a competitive landscape. The conversation concludes with a look at Elements' future goals and the significance of building deep connections with customers.

Sponsored by NASA - Not Another Standup App https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1231965/nasa-scrum-standup-for-jira-sprint-planning-retrospective

Takeaways

• Elements is focusing on ITSM to differentiate in the marketplace.
• The decision to specialize was driven by a desire to innovate and add value.
• Maintaining a small company culture is essential for team dynamics.
• Customer feedback is crucial for product development and improvement.
• Co-creation with customers leads to better product outcomes.
• Navigating acquisitions in the ecosystem presents both challenges and opportunities.
• Meeting structures should facilitate active listening and engagement.
• Differentiation in a mature ecosystem requires continuous evolution.
• Pricing strategies are becoming more complex with new models.
• Building deep relationships with a few customers can yield better insights.

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the BYOD Podcast

00:00 Exploring Agile Methodologies

00:50 Introduction and Background

03:44 Elements' Strategic Shift to ITSM

06:49 The Decision to Focus on ITSM

09:42 Navigating Acquisitions in the Ecosystem

12:43 Separation from Valiantis

15:51 Elements' Company Structure and Culture

18:36 Co-CEO Dynamics and Responsibilities

21:13 Meeting Structures and Agile Practices

33:33 Effective Meeting Preparation

39:41 Active Listening in Meetings

43:14 Structuring Weekly Meetings for Success

47:51 The Role of Management in Meetings

53:50 The Importance of Differentiation

01:04:22 Navigating Pricing Complexity in the Ecosystem

01:11:48 Evolving Pricing Models in Software Licensing

01:16:07 Navigating Atlassian's Marketplace Changes

01:19:57 Focusing on Core Competencies

01:22:30 Balancing Innovation and Established Products

01:30:50 Optimizing Cloud Revenue Strategies

01:41:08 The Future of App Differentiation with Forge

01:43:21 Aiming for ITSM Leadership

Guest: Andreas, Co-founder of Yasoon

Host: Björn Döhler

In this episode of the BYOD (Bring Your Own Dedication) podcast, Björn sits down with Andreas from Yasoon to explore the story behind building high-quality software integrations between Microsoft and Atlassian products. From the accidental beginnings of their first Jira Outlook add-in to becoming a solution provider in the Atlassian ecosystem, Andreas reflects on the power of dedication, transparency, and continuous improvement.

They dive deep into team culture, onboarding, product evolution, and the trade-offs between speed and quality in modern software development. Andreas shares thoughts on refactoring, AI’s role in coding, and why mediocrity in tech should never be the norm.

If you’re passionate about Agile methodologies, team collaboration, product quality, or building in the Atlassian Marketplace, this one’s for you.

Top Takeaways:

• Yasoon grew organically with a developer-first mindset.

• Company culture favors transparency and development over hard sales.

• AI is helpful, but not a replacement for human creativity.

• Refactoring isn’t optional — it’s key to sustainable progress.

• Dedication to excellence sets products apart in a competitive market.

In this episode of the BYOD Podcast, host Björn sits down with Hubert, the founder and CEO of AppForge, to explore the Atlassian ecosystem, the evolution of Agile tools, and the future of AI integration in Jira. Hubert shares his unplanned yet rewarding journey into the Atlassian marketplace, discussing the power of community engagement, the challenges of transitioning to cloud, and strategic pricing in the ecosystem.

They dive into the creation of Doctor for Jira, how AI-driven assistants are shaping Agile workflows, and the unique hurdles of developing on Forge. The conversation also touches on remote work dynamics, social interaction in distributed teams, and best practices for engineering teams.

If you’re an app vendor, Agile enthusiast, or just curious about Atlassian’s direction, this episode is packed with insights on how to build successful apps, navigate the marketplace, and leverage AI for better project management.

🎧 Tune in now to stay ahead in the world of Agile and Atlassian innovation!

In this episode of BYOD (Bring Your Own Direction), Björn sits down with Marion from SoftComply to uncover the real challenges and innovations in compliance for startups. From navigating regulations in AI-powered healthcare to the myth of multitasking, Marion shares insights on making compliance efficient, strategic, and even exciting. They explore deregulation trends, risk management in software development, and why understanding the ‘why’ behind compliance is a game-changer. Plus, hear firsthand how SoftComply is helping companies move fast while staying compliant.

✅ The rise of AI – risks & opportunities

✅ Why compliance isn’t just bureaucracy—it’s a competitive advantage

✅ How startups can automate compliance and innovate faster

✅ The truth about multitasking (spoiler: it’s a myth!)

✅ Remote teamwork, meeting culture, and the power of collaboration

🎙️ “Deregulation now is a huge topic.”

🎙️ “I think multitasking is a complete myth.”

🎙️ “Start with the why, why bother?”

Join us for a special session of the BYOD Podcast, where we sit down with the one and only Fun Man Andy to unpack the latest Atlassian ecosystem updates, event strategies, and the fine line between diligence and discipline in business.👀 What to expect:

✅ Insights from Atlas Camp – what’s shaking up the Atlassian ecosystem

✅ Event strategy 101 – how to make conferences work for your business

✅ The power of diligence vs. discipline in work and life

✅ Behind-the-scenes of Fun Inc’s Consulting-as-a-Product model

#BYODPodcast #Atlassian #Diligence #Discipline #Agile #AtlassianMarketplace #FunManAndy