Video: Pete Behrens Presents 6 Lessons I Wish I Learned Sooner at Agile Austin
My Leadership Journey–Six Lessons I Wish I'd Learned Sooner
In this talk at Agile Austin's Evolving with Agility conference, Pete Behrens takes us back through his leadership journey—from a kindergartener challenging authority to a VP of engineering who didn't realize his heavy hand was stifling his team. What he discovered along the way changed everything about how he approaches leadership.
The Pattern That Changes Everything
Through stories of mentoring (badly), running a team intervention, and watching leaders struggle with direction and priorities, Pete reveals a powerful pattern: the biggest challenges leaders face aren't problems you can solve—they're tensions you can only manage.
Leadership Tensions You Can't Solve
- Expertise vs. Openness: You were hired for your experience, yet you're expected to stay open to everyone else's ideas. How do you honor both?
- Authority vs. Respect: Authority is given. Respect must be earned. Great leaders understand the difference—and know when they're leaning too heavily on their whistle.
- Planning vs. Adapting: This isn't an either/or switch. It's a dial that needs constant adjustment based on uncertainty.
- Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up: The answer isn't choosing a direction—it's creating what Pete calls "inside out" leadership through co-creation.
The Shift From Problems to Tensions
Pete shares why most leaders get stuck: they approach these challenges with a "duality mindset" (right or wrong, black or white, empower or control) when what's needed is an "and-based mindset" (quality and speed, autonomy and alignment, strategic and tactical).
The talk includes live demonstrations with audience volunteers, real organizational data showing tension in action, and practical insights on how to shift from problem-solving to tension management. If you've ever felt caught between competing demands or wondered why your expertise sometimes gets in the way, this perspective offers a fundamentally different way forward.
Watch the full session below:
Need support in managing your organization's tensions?
Every day, Agile Leadership Journey helps our clients improve business performance through developing leaders and aligning teams.
Our approach is about developing team cohesion and working together—a shared learning experience that reverberates throughout the organization long after our initial engagement ends!
