Michael Sahota discusses the key elements of successful agile transformation, emphasizing that true success is rooted in culture and mindset rather than just practices. He outlines ten navigation secrets for leaders, including the importance of clarifying purpose and increasing awareness of both organizational and global contexts. The document underscores that agile is a means to achieve organizational goals, rather than an end goal itself.

1. @MichaelSahota
10 Secrets of Agile Transformation

2. Michael Sahota
~20 Years IT
~15 Years Agile
STRATEGIC
PLAY®
!
!
Toronto Canada
~5 Years Culture
& Leadership

3. @MichaelSahota
Setting the Stage: Signs That Agile
Transformation is in Trouble

4. Poll: Agile Success?
What level of success have you seen with Agile in
your career? (1..5)

6. Weaponizing Agile: The Whip
http://agilitrix.com/2014/06/stop-using-agile-as-a-whip-and-shield/

7. Weaponizing Agile: The Shield

8. “The typical approach used to
initiate Agile is inconsistent with
Agile goals of empowerment and
engagement.” - Michael Sahota
http://agilitrix.com/2014/09/stop-agile-initiatives/

9. Sources: Mul>ple Workshops with 100’s of par>cipants; 2015 Version One Survey
Agile Success is Limited by Culture

11. Agile Mindset
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tza/3214197147
Doing
Agile
Being
Agile
Agile Practices

12. I D I%2 D
J ECD B D
J, 3D B
J 3 D
J 3D B 3D D
J D E EC 3B
Most Value Comes from Mindset/Culture, not Practices
J D D 3 3 3 AB B D C
J AB C D
J B 3C B E D D
J AB E3 D
J0 E 0 C

13. Poll: Agile Mindset?
Where is the focus of your current Agile initiative?
1 = Practices
2 =
3 = Balanced
4 =
5 = Mindset & Organizational Culture

15. Option 1: Incrementally Adopt Agile
Practices that fit Culture
Example: Introducing automated testing to
reduce regression test costs and time.
Find the practice
(puzzle piece)
that fits your
problem.

16. Option 2: Organizational
Transformation
Urgency: “75% of a
company’s management is
honestly convinced that
business as usual is totally
unacceptable.”
- John Kotter

17. Agile Transformation
“In my 25 years, I don't have any
stories of a large-scale Agile
Transformation” - Alistair Cockburn
http://agilitrix.com/2011/02/agile-failures/

18. Read More in
my Free Book.
http://agilitrix.com/2012/08/infographics-for-adoption-and-transformation-survival-guide/

19. @MichaelSahota
Navigation Secret #1: Clarify Purpose
by asking “Why?”

21. Why: A Quality Product
Why: Collaboration
Ask: Why Agile Initiative?
Workshop: http://agilitrix.com/2014/06/agile-is-not-the-goal-workshop/

22. Want High
Quality Products

23. Want
Shared
Ownership

24. Financial Security

25. @MichaelSahota
Navigation Secret #2: Focus on Org
Goals, not “Agile”

26. Agile about Teams, not Orgs

27. “Agile is about teams.
Transformation is about the
whole organization.
Agile Transformation is a
contradiction in terms.”
- Michael Sahota, Organizational
Growth Guide
27

28. Agile Initiative
Some Other Initiative

29. “Now that we agree what is important,
we can see that Agile is not a goal.
We are not seeking to Do Agile or Be
Agile.
Sure, we will likely use Agile as a
means to our end since it is really
useful.”
- Michael Sahota, Organizational
Growth Guide

30. @MichaelSahota
Navigation Secret #3: Increase
Safety for Leaders

31. Humility & Compassion
Thich Nhat Hanh

32. @MichaelSahota
Navigation Secret #4: Increase
Awareness of Organizational Context

33. “Kinda like the
Lego I’m just
putting stuff
together and
trying to do my
best.”

34.
“We see what’s
going on but
don’t have the
the authority or
power to change
anything.”

35. Value Stream Map

37. Poll: Awareness &
Acknowledgement
What is the level of Awareness &
Acknowledgement of the Current Organizational
State? (1 ..5) (5 = High)

39. @MichaelSahota
Navigation Secret #5: Increase
Awareness of Global Context

40. People’s Talents are Wasted

41. Return on Assets is Falling
Deloitte Shift 2011 Index

42. Millennials Demand Change
Millennials (also known as Generation Y) are the demographic cohort following
Generation X. Birth years ranging from the early 1980s to around 2000.

44. Change Your Culture or Die
http://agilitrix.com/2012/10/change-your-culture-or-die/

45. Poll: Urgency of Change
What is the level of Urgency around the need for
your organization to change to survive?
(1 ..5) (5 = High)

47. @MichaelSahota
Navigation Secret #6: Clarify Focus
of Initiative

48. ASK: Where is Our Focus?

50. @MichaelSahota
Navigation Secret #7: Honour
Leader’s Freedom to Choose

51. Let Go of
What You
Want
http://agilitrix.com/2014/09/letting-go-of-agile-culture/

52. Freedom to Choose
http://agilitrix.com/2011/03/red-pill-blue-pill/

53. @MichaelSahota
Navigation Secret #8: Build a Shared
Understanding of What Culture Is

54. Sahota Culture Model

55. @MichaelSahota
Navigation Secret #9: Clarify
Leader’s Role in Transformation

56. Observation: Consciousness of the
Leader is the Limit (for Agile)

57. Current Organization Behaviour is a
result of Current Leadership Behaviour

58. New Organizational Behaviour
Requires New Leadership Behaviour

59. http://agilitrix.com/2016/08/organization-follows-leadership/

60. Leaders
Go First

61. @MichaelSahota
Navigation Secret #10: YOU Are the
Limit for Transformation

62. Start with Yourself

64. Poll: My Role as a Leader
How focused are you on your own personal
growth and development?
(1 ..5) (5 = High)

66. @MichaelSahota
Bonus Navigation Secret: Growth Can
Start Anywhere

67. Create A Culture Bubble

68. @MichaelSahota
Where to Learn More

69. Sept. 12/13 – Toronto, Canada
http://agilitrix.com/agile/certified-agile-leadership-training
Sept. 22/23 – Chicago, USA
http://agileleadershipchicago.com

70. Questions?
•Certified Agile Leadership Training
•Guiding Organizational Growth
•Guiding Executives & Agile Coaches
agilitrix.com
michael.sahota@agilitrix.com
416.999.3297

71. Maria Matarelli
•Agile Training and Coaching
•Agile Outside of IT
•Guiding Teams toward Agility
maria@formulaink.com
309.678.8368