Rising to the Agility Challenge: Values & Practices of Agile Leadership

KCE - 6th October 2016

Dragan Jojic

part of the BeLiminal network

Dragan@Capagility.comDragan@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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“Build your organization into an engine of possibility“

Dave Gray

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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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Aligned Autonomy

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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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Three gaps that cause ‘friction’

Knowledge gap

Effects gap

Alignment gap

Actions

Outcom

es

Plans

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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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Three Cs of success

• Commitment• Confidence• Communication

Tony Ball MBE

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Three gaps & three Cs – spooky!!!CommitmentConfidence

Communication?

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Actions

Three gaps & 4 Cs

Outcom

es CuriosityConfidence

Commitment

Communication

Plans

Clarity

Courage

Care

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Four Cs of Agile Leadership

CuriosityCourage

Care

Clarity

Actions

Outcom

es

Plans

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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

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Think big, start small, move fast

Thank you!

Rising to the Agility Challenge:Values & Practices of Agile Leadership

Questions / Comments?

Dragan@Capagility.comDragan@BeLiminal.com

@DrJojic