5-minute read
Quick summary: How intentional development of Agile leaders provides the driving force behind the journey towards Agile transformation
Do a Google search for “Agile transformation” and you’ll end up with just shy of 140 million results. If you flip through some of those pages, you’ll uncover a host of useful insights about Agile principles, the inner workings of cross-functional teams, and the different approaches to scaling up to the organizational level.
To quote Jerry Seinfeld, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that …”
However, there’s one aspect of Agile transformation that all too many conversations miss: the leadership dimension. Organizations that strive towards Agile success need leaders who can build and nurture an environment grounded in Agile principles, while continuing to honor the non-hierarchical nature of Agile and respecting individual teams’ autonomy. These leaders give team-led initiatives the supportive environment they need to rise up through the ranks and flourish. When all leaders from top to bottom are in alignment, Agile transformation has a clear path to achieve its full potential.
In this article, we’ll explore the cultural link between leadership and Agile transformation, the essential traits of successful Agile leaders, and proven best practices for cultivating Agile leadership in any organization.
Organizations that strive towards Agile success need leaders who can build an environment grounded in Agile principles while honoring the non-hierarchical nature of Agile and respecting individual teams’ autonomy.
How leaders drive Agile culture
Simon Sinek once wrote, “A boss has the title. A leader has the people.” In an organization aiming towards Agile transformation, leaders play an essential role as cultural guides and role models. When we think of culture, it’s tempting to focus on rank-and-file employees: their mindsets, their attitudes, their expectations. But culture doesn’t stop at the C-suite door. If an organization is to succeed in building an Agile culture, leaders must walk the walk—all day, every day. From leaving “command and control” practices behind and embracing collaborative approaches to modeling innovative thinking and flexibility, the day-to-day practices of leaders light the way for the rest of the business in the journey towards its Agile objectives.6 traits of successful Agile leaders
While every leader is unique in their approach to inspiring Agile transformation, we’ve identified six traits that are essential to the mission.
1. Insatiable learning
Leaders engage in the ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge and growth, encouraging and supporting the same in others.
2. Authenticity
Leaders must model desired professional and ethical behaviors, acting with honesty, integrity, and transparency, being true to themselves and their beliefs.
3. Emotional competence
Leaders identify and manage their own emotions and those of others through self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.
4. Courage
Essential for guiding organizations through the rapidly changing dynamics of the Agile journey, courage involves embracing vulnerability, taking appropriate risks, and engaging in difficult but necessary conversations to challenge the status quo.
5. Growing others
Leaders provide personal, professional, and technical guidance and resources to employees, enabling them to assume increasing levels of responsibility and decision-making.
6. Decentralized decision-making
Leaders play a key role in moving the authority for decisions to where the information is, preparing teams to make decentralized decisions by investing in their technical competence and providing organizational clarity with decision guardrails.
Best practices for cultivating Agile leadership
Great Agile leadership doesn’t just happen. Organizations aiming to cultivate Agile leaders can tap into proven best practices to build an environment where Agile mindsets become woven into the full slate of leadership practices.
Organize and reorganize around value
It is crucial to align organizational structures around the flow of value to the customer. This means forming cross-functional teams around product lines or services that are directly connected to customer needs. Reorganizing around value helps to minimize handoffs and delays, streamlining the process.
Identify and reduce long queues and excess Work in Process (WIP)
This Lean Agile principle emphasizes limiting WIP to improve flow and reduce cycle times. Applying WIP limits at the team and program levels ensures that existing work is completed before new work is started, reducing the buildup of unfinished work that can cloud visibility and hamper progress.
Continually focus on eliminating bottlenecks and delays
Continuously identify and address any bottlenecks in the production process that prevent a smooth flow of work. Techniques such as value stream mapping and Inspect and Adapt events in the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) are used to find and eliminate these issues systematically.
Eliminate demotivating policies and procedures
Foster a culture that encourages constant feedback and adaptation, which includes revising or removing policies and procedures that hinder worker motivation and productivity. Enhance engagement and motivation by promoting decentralizing decision-making to empower individuals closest to the work.
Inspire and motivate others
Emphasize servant-leadership, focusing on empowering teams and fostering an environment of trust and respect. Leaders are expected to inspire by setting a vision and motivating through leading by example.
Create a culture of relentless improvement
Continuous improvement, a cornerstone for Agile Leadership, involves regularly examining processes, seeking feedback from all stakeholders, and constantly striving for better ways of working.
Provide the space for teams to innovate
Innovation is critical in maintaining a competitive advantage. Innovation and Planning iterations provide teams with dedicated time to explore new ideas, and encouraging experimentation is a means of achieving operational excellence.
Nurture an environment where Agile mindsets become woven into the full slate of leadership practices.
Leading the charge, driving the change
As more organizations recognize and begin pursuing the benefits of Agile transformation, the vital role of leadership cannot be ignored. Without true Agile leadership, progress towards the business’ Agile goals runs the risk of stalling just short of the finish line, regardless of the amount of time and resources devoted to the initiative. When leaders at all levels are demonstrating commitment to Agile principles and practices on a daily basis, they provide a beacon to guide the rest of the organization in the journey towards its vision.
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