values and practices of agile leadership
TRANSCRIPT
Rising to the Agility Challenge: Values & Practices of Agile Leadership
KCE - 6th October 2016
Dragan Jojic
part of the BeLiminal network
[email protected]@BeLiminal.com@DrJojic
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• K a i z en
Reflection and adaptation“Hansei is really much deeper than reflection.
It is really being honest about your own weaknesses.”Jeffery Liker
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Where does this talk come from?
• My article published in InfoQ in February 2016
• That often referenced Swedish streaming service
• Following a link from a tweet to a blog to a book
• A chance meeting with a popular public speaker at an event many years ago
• Feedback from my Agile on the Beach 2016 talk
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Let’s start with a story…
“Any obstacles arise due to the low professionalism of people…Account Managers and Project Managers are often the weakest link in the chain […] rather than a driving force of the project”
“…several planning techniques can minimize the obstacles / challenges”
The assumption: We can plan for what we don’t know
“Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future”Neils Bohr
"The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected“
Robert Frost
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Balancing alignment with autonomy
“Loosely coupled, tightly aligned”
Spotify
Autonomy(what to do & how)
Alignment(what to achieve &
why)
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The Agility ChallengeEverybody in the ‘agile enterprise’:• Knows what they need to achieve and
why• Can decide by themselves how best to do
it• Genuinely cares that it gets done
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In the meantime on Planet Earth…
“…getting simple things to happen is very difficult and getting difficult things to happen is impossible”
Carl von Clausewitz
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Actions
The usual approach: more detail/control
Outcom
esKnowledge
gapmore detailed
info
Effects gap
more detailed controls
Alignment gapmore detailed instructions
Plans
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Actions
The alternative: ‘directed opportunism’
Outcom
esKnowledge
gaplimit direction to defining intent
Effects gap
give freedom to adjust
actions in line with intent
Alignment gapcommunicate intent & allow ‘each level’
to define how they will achieve it
Plans
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Segue to leadership
“Agile makes organisations work; Leadership makes Agile work”
Michael Short & Guy McDonnell
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But what kind of leadership?
Leadership at all levels in the organisation
“Leadership is about taking initiative and influencing those around you”
John Kotter
“…being a leader from the position you are in”David Marquet
“We can’t just have one leader, we need a team of leaders”Gareth Southgate
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Actions
Three gaps & 4 Cs
Outcom
es CuriosityConfidence
Commitment
Communication
Plans
Clarity
Courage
Care
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1. Curiosity
Actions
Outcom
es CuriosityCourage
Care
Clarity
Plans
How do we identify what we need to knowand speed up learning?
Practices• Look out for signals, patterns and
opportunities What should we do?• Recognise existing delivery capability
What can we do?• Explore options (value & ‘last responsible
moment’) What options do we have?• Assess achievements against desired
outcomes Have we achieved what we set out to achieve?
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Actions
Outcom
es Curiosity
Care
Clarity
Plans
Courage
2. Clarity
Practices• “Do less” – convert ‘push’ to ‘pull’: what is
possible with the means we have at our disposal?
• Clarify desired outcomes (‘what’ and ‘why’)• Set constraints: e.g. articulate norms / delineate
authority• Identify useful metrics that show we are/aren’t
successful• Keep it all visible (work, process, progress,
outcomes)
How do we build ‘shared understanding’?
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Actions
Outcom
es Curiosity
Care
Clarity
Plans
Courage
3. Courage
Practices• Take responsibility (or step back and let
go)• Seek advice: Is it good enough for
now? Is it safe enough to try?
• Run experiments, learn from failure, pivot“When you lose, don’t lose the lesson”
• Speak your mind, challenge from the heart
How do we amplify reflection and adaptation?
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Actions
Outcom
es Curiosity
Care
Clarity
Plans
Courage
4. Care
Practices• Try to be useful, not to be right• Contribute
– Seek help: show you’re not perfect– Offer help: teach, mentor & coach
• Recognise contributions• Show respect for differences
How do we best help one another?
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Actions
Outcom
es Curiosity
Care
Clarity
Plans
Courage
Four Cs of Agile LeadershipWhat am I missing?
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Where next?• Keep using, reflecting and adapting
• Are these leadership values or my personal ones?
• ‘Leadership’ or ‘Citizenship’?
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References• Jeffery Liker, “The Toyota Way” (McGraw-Hill, 2004)• Ralph Topping (LinkedIn, 2 October 2016) https://www.linkedin.com/nhome/updates?
activity=6188324931734900736• Dave Gray, “Experimentation Is The New Planning” (FastCompany.com, 2012)• Henrik Kniberg, “Spotify – the unproject culture”, Crisp blog at http://blog.crisp.se/• Stephen Bungay, “The Art of Action” (Nicholas Brealey, 2011)• John Kotter, “Leadership Tip: It's How You Act, Not Your Position” (Forbes, 6 June 2012)
http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkotter/2012/06/06/leadership-tip-its-about-how-you-act-not-your-position/?feed=rss_home#3829a1293e8c
• David Marquet, “Turn the Ship Around!” (Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2012)• Olav Maassen, Chris Matts & Chris Geary, “Commitment” (Hathaway te Brake
Publications, 2013)• Jim Highsmith, “Do Less” (http://jimhighsmith.com/, 22 November 2010)• Dalai Lama, “Dalai Lama’s 18 Rules for Living” (http://highexistence.com/rules-for-
living/)• Chris Collison & Geoff Parcell, “Learning to Fly” (Capstone Publishing, 2001)• Dragan Jojic, “The Agility Challenge” (InfoQ, February 2016)
htpps://www.infoq.com/articles/agility-challenge
Rising to the Agility Challenge:Values & Practices of Agile Leadership
Questions / Comments?
[email protected]@BeLiminal.com
@DrJojic