What is Mindful Agile Leadership? It’s the perfect balance of 3 essential elements: Agile Mindset; Mindfulness and Servant Leadership. These 3 pillars of mindful agile leadership are equally important. Just like the legs of a stool, they provide a stable base encompassing the qualities of all 3 elements. This enables leaders to build a truly agile culture and positive team environment and be a more effective and authentic agile leader.

1. Kathy G. Berkidge
kathy@mindatworkconsulting.com.au

2. What is Mindfulness?
Deliberate
attention
Being open
and present
– nothing else
Awareness
Without judgement
or perceptions

3. How?
Informal practice
 Just breathe
 Clear your mind
 Recall and focus
Formal practice
 Meditation

4. Let’s try it!
Sit comfortably
Rest hands on lap
Close eyes
Clear your mind
Focus on your breath
Don’t follow thoughts
If distracted or your mind wonders
– gently come back to the breath

5. Agile Mindset
attitude and approach to work
collaborative, adaptable, open to
change, value focused
continuous learning and growth.

6. Mindfulness
complete awareness
non-judgmental objectivity
deliberate observation
openness to whatever unfolds in
the present.

7. Servant Leadership
service to others
development of others
empowering teams
sharing power
enabling performance

8. Leadership Challenges
Our greatest glory is not in never
falling,
but in rising every time we fall.
Confucius

9. Stress Timeline
Before During After
Worrying
Anticipating
Dreading
Scenarios
Distracted
Thinking
Reactions
Distant
Replaying
Ruminating
Critising
Over
analysing
Stress Cycle

10. With Mindfulness
Stressless Timeline
With Mindfulness After
Optimism
Acceptance
Let go
No Stress Cycle
Before
Planning
Preparation
Peace of
mind
During
Presence
Response
Awareness

11. Communication
The major problem
with communication
is the illusion that it
has occurred.
Albert Einstein

12. Do we really listen?
• Listen for a chance to escape?
• Listen for a chance to talk?
• Listen to confirm existing view?
• Listen for particular information?
Or
• Listen to really understand
what is being said!

13. Mindful Communication
• Clear your mind
• Focus and concentrate
• Be aware of yourself
• Be aware of the other person
• Understand communication
styles
Be Present

14. Elements
of
Mindful
Success
Actions
lead to
success
Objectives drive attention
Attention
impacts
awareness
Awareness influences choices Choices determine right actions;
Objective
what you want to
achieve
Attention
what you notice
Mindfulness
how aware you are
Choice
how you
think and act
Action
what you do
Success
what you achieve

15. The
Mindful
Leader
Team & stakeholder interactions
– be present & listen fully
Problem resolution
– real empathy
Decision making
– clarity and learning
Meetings and workshops
– openness
Focus & flow
– get stuff done

16. Mindful
Agile
Applying
mindfulness to
the agile values

17. Mindful Agile Practices
• Focus
• Value delivery
• Awareness of work
• Awareness of team
Sprint
• Value focus
• Team goals
• Team Care
• Generosity
Sprint Plan
• Team cohesion
• Relationships
• Communication
• For the good of all
Stand-up
• Deep listening
• Safe to be wrong
• Acceptance
• Flexibility
Demo
• Open sharing
• Suspend judgement
• Humbleness
• Resilience
Retro
• Empathy
• Acceptance
• Drop opinions
• Open to learn
User Story

18. References
• Mindful Work – David Gelles
• Mindful Leadership (for dummies)
– Juliet Adams and Marina Grazier
• Mindfulness at Work – Dr Stephen McKenzie
• Leading Mindfully – Amanda Sinclair
• Mindset – Dr Carol Dweck
• greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness
• siyli.org – Search Inside Yourself Leadership
Institute
• mindful.org

19. Kathy G. Berkidge
kathy@mindatworkconsulting.com.au