Growing yourself as a transformational leader - with annotations sept 2017
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In all of my years helping leaders grow their capacity to lead and manage in an agile environment, I've come to the conclusion: in order to lead an agile transformation, leaders and managers will need to transform themselves. This no-nonsense talk presents some perspectives on the role and the path of the Transformational Agile Leader. First, we inquire into what we mean by “transformation” (it probably doesn’t mean what you think it means). Then, we delve into the nature of the mindset shift necessary of the Transformational Agile Leader. When effective in this leadership role, the Agile Leader operates across three horizons of leadership: Personal-Leadership, Relationship-Leadership and Organization-Leadership. A walk-through of each of these horizons will take us into a final discussion about what takes to fully occupy this role of the Agile Leader, and the nature of the the internal OS 'upgrade' this requires.
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Growing yourself as a transformational leader - with annotations sept 2017
- 2. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute Topics • Today’s Market/Technology Environment • From Predict-&-Plan to Sense-&-Respond • From Delivery Agility to Organizational Agility • The Job of the Agile Leader • The Inner OS of the Agile Leader • What Does This Have To Do With Your Organization? • Discussion and Q&A
- 5. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute Predict-&-Plan • Everything is knowable ahead of time • Change is exceptional • Future is predictable • There is a linear, repeatable relationship between cause and effect Therefore…. • We plan up-front • We decide ahead of time • Big problems decompose into smaller, more manageable ones • Anything important can be objectively measured
- 6. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute • Relationship between cause and effect is there, but not everyone can see it • Requires high degrees of expertise and analysis • Multiple right answers • “Known unknowns” Adapted from "Cynefin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynefin (accessed October 4, 2011). Assumption: Work-world situations are inherently Complicated Machine Model of Organizations
- 10. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute Sense-&-Respond • We cannot predict the future • Things will change, often in unexpected (and sometimes unwelcome ways) • Cause-and-effect is either indeterminate or hard to see Therefore…. • We plan as we go • We decide quickly, with “just enough” information knowing we can adjust as we go • We emphasize rapid feedback and learning, so we can adjust • Create structures & processes that are emergent and adaptable
- 11. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute • Emphasis is on interactions among the parts • The history of the system effects current performance • Cause and effect can only be perceived in retrospect • Principles can be discerned, but they are dynamic Adapted from "Cynefin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynefin (accessed October 4, 2011). New Assumption: Work-world Situations Are Inherently Complex Photo provided under Creative Commons by wka A ‘Living Systems’ Model of Organization
- 13. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute Scrum Adopting a Sense-&-Respond Approach in Software Development
- 14. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute “Implement Scrum and all of the reasons that an organization has trouble delivering quality software on schedule are thrown up in your face, day after day, month after month - made obvious and critical by Scrum.” -- Ken Schwaber, Author and pioneer of Scrum But, here’s the rub….
- 20. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute organizational agility | ˈˌôrɡənəˈzāSHənl əˈjilədē | noun the ability inherent in organizational systems (business, technological and human) to accurately sense and rapidly respond to what is happening, in any moment, in order to shape an ever-changing, volatile and complex (VUCA) world toward the future to which its collective is committed. Bringing Sense-&-Respond capability to the level of the organization
- 23. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute Premise #1: In order to meet the inherent complexity of VUCA, we need to develop greater Sense-&-Respond capability. Premise #2: To grow sustainably high-performance team delivery agility, you need to cultivate the emergence of broad organizational agility. Premise #3: Leading such a transformational change requires a shift in leadership mindset: from Predict-&-Plan to Sense-&- Respond.
- 24. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute agile leadership| ˈajəl ˈlēdərˌSHip | noun the ability to catalyze the emergence of deep, sustainable sense and respond (agile) capability across organizational systems.
- 28. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute A Map of the Agile Leadership OS* * A 21st Century Sense-&-Respond Leadership operating system Three Horizons of Agile Leadership….
- 29. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute Organization-Leadership A Map of the Agile Leadership OS* Relationship-LeadershipPersonal-Leadership * A 21st Century Sense-&-Respond Leadership operating system • How I make sense of the world • How I make meaning from my experience • My level of self-awareness and self- management • My capacity to empathically see others as themselves Complexity of Sense-Making
- 30. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute Organization-Leadership A Map of the Agile Leadership OS* Relationship-LeadershipPersonal-Leadership * A 21st Century Sense-&-Respond Leadership operating system • How I make sense of the world • How I make meaning from my experience • My level of self-awareness and self- management • My capacity to empathically see others as themselves Complexity of Sense-Making • My ability to communicate empathically • My skillfulness in conversation • My ability and skill in collaboration • My ability to grow and develop others Complexity in Relationship
- 31. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute Organization-Leadership A Map of the Agile Leadership OS* Relationship-LeadershipPersonal-Leadership * A 21st Century Sense-&-Respond Leadership operating system • How I make sense of the world • How I make meaning from my experience • My level of self-awareness and self- management • My capacity to empathically see others as themselves Complexity of Sense-Making • My ability to communicate empathically • My skillfulness in conversation • My ability and skill in collaboration • My ability to grow and develop others Complexity in Relationship • My ability to orient communities around vision • My ability to see larger systemic dynamics, and help others see it • My ability to effect transformative change across complex systems • My ability help the org situate itself within a variety of contexts Complexity in Org’l Action
- 32. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute Organization-Leadership A Map of the Agile Leadership OS* Relationship-LeadershipPersonal-Leadership * A 21st Century Sense-&-Respond Leadership operating system Complexity of sense- making Complexity in relating Complexity in organizational action At the heart of it all (the OS ’kernel’) is your inner sense- making complexity.
- 43. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute * Based on the research of Susanne Cook-Greuter, Bill Torbert & Bill Joiner Leader as “Tactician” Key Assumption: The source of my sense of self as a leader comes from my expertise • My value as a leader is my ability to drill down and get things done • Group staff meetings don’t really get you that much. • Sometimes I wish I could just clone myself. • I try to use the usual techniques to get people engaged … forceful arguments, provocative questions, etc. • I focus on the most important things that are close to me • Feedback is fine, as long as they know what they’re talking about
- 44. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute * Based on the research of Susanne Cook-Greuter, Bill Torbert & Bill Joiner Leader as “Strategist” Key Assumption: The source of my sense of self as a leader comes from my ability to drive others toward my mission • My value as a leader is my ability to challenge and inspire others to go beyond what they think is possible. • I am energized by a vision and can enroll others in it • I see the bigger picture and try to help people see that same picture • I value the importance of relationships across functions • Feedback is good: it helps me get clearer on how I can improve http://www.glassceiling.com/the-self-confidence-conundrum/
- 45. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute * Based on the research of Susanne Cook-Greuter, Bill Torbert & Bill Joiner Leader as “Catalyst” Key Assumption: The source of my sense of self as a leader comes from a sense that we are together in an ever-evolving process • My value as a leader is my ability to help others grow into the fullest expression of themselves, and in so doing, catalyze congruent alignment with what is best for those we serve. • I am able to think holistically & strategically, even in the face of complexity and rapid change • My direct reports see that I can be influenced by them and its not just a game to get their buy-in. • Feedback is the only way I can learn about my impact on others. https://www.directionsmag.com/pressrelease/5510
- 47. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute Leader as Tactician: Across the Three Horizons Personal-Leadership Relationship-Leadership Organization-Leadership • Tactical, problem-oriented • Objective, measurable reality is what is true • Very centered & grounded in my own perspective • Identified with craft expertise • Self-awareness limited to what I think more than what I feel • I can easily take things rather personally • I get anxious when I am dealing with things I can’t understand or control • Relationships are primarily a means to an end • I know what is going on with the other person w/out having to ask • The purpose of communication is the exchange of information • I am responsible for motivating direct reports • Mentoring means teaching them things I think they need to know • I tend to focus on my immediate area of control • I prefer one-on-one meetings with my staff to team meetings • It’s hard to understand why people can’t apply what they have learned • ”Vision” is ok, but people should already know what we expect of them
- 48. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute Leader as Strategist: Across the Three Horizons Personal-Leadership Relationship-Leadership Organization-Leadership • Strategically focused • Reality has a lot of different pieces to it and can be hard to see • How I see things can be helped by hearing the perspectives of others • Identified with mission • Self-awareness includes an ability to reflect on my experience, though oftentimes after the fact • Relationships are key to achieving our mission • I know that I can’t know what is happening w/someone unless I ask • The purpose of communication is to align around mission • I am responsible for helping direct reports discover what motivates them • Mentoring means help others learn how to think to think for themselves • I tend to look out across a variety of functions across the org • Leadership team meetings are key to improving my initiatives • When people can think better for themselves, they become better partners in my mission • ”Vision” is key to helping us define our most important goals
- 49. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute Leader as Catalyst: Across the Three Horizons Personal-Leadership Relationship-Leadership Organization-Leadership • Focused on purpose • Reality is ever-evolving and ever-emerging • My perspective is ever- incomplete and can only be completed by considering other’s differing perspectives • Identified with myself not as a thing, but as a process • I am almost always aware of what is happening in me in real-time, and can usually manage my reactions • Relationships are key to shaping our reality • I assume that I can never really know another; as such, I most maintain curiosity • The purpose of communication is orienting ourselves around a view of reality • I am responsible for creating an environment in which direct reports develop/grow • I tend to see our organization as an ever- unfolding ecosystem • Meetings with my staff is where our best ideas emerge • People’s inner development is just as important as learning new skills/competencies • “Vision” is the cultural ‘ether’ which helps us be oriented toward congruent action
- 52. ©2017 Agile Leadership Institute Delivery Agility • Focus on Delivery process • Getting the team process right • Deal with impediments tactically Business Agility • Focus on strategies for business value & cross-org collaboration • Getting the the larger systems right • Deal with impediments strategically Organizational Agility • Focus on broader organizational, ecosystem transformation • Both human & operational agility • Impediments are key org’l feedback Increasing Complexity Stages of Agile Adoption Levels of Sense-making Agility Agile Leader as Tactician Agile Leader as Strategist Agile Leader as Catalyst