Good leadership versus agile leadership
We aimed to uncover the competences, capabilities, and capacities of an agile leader when developing these principles. The goal is to guide our user audience's thinking by assisting them in discussing what agile leadership means in the context of their organization. Many of our readers may believe that agile leadership is simply "excellent leadership" with the addition of "agile". Some believe this is not the case, and that agile leadership differs significantly from traditional leadership. The distinctions are in leadership style and readiness to grow capacity and capabilities in order to be more nimble. This also feels very different from leadership, when leaders are simply going through the motions of performing agile because of the constraints.
Agile leadership as a spectrum
An agile mindset does not see things in binary terms, such as agile or not. Agility is not an all or nothing trait, but rather a spectrum quality. The agile leader is one who adapts, although many good leaders in organizations do not. Some leaders have a command-and-control leadership style, but it does not mean they are bad leaders. However, due of their perspective, many of these leaders find it more difficult to adjust than others. Agile leadership evolves and improves with time. It is believed the concepts describe agile leadership to some extent.
The nine principles of agile leadership
Principle 1 - Actions speak louder than words
Agile leadership is about not only driving and promoting change, it is also about being the change. Those who lead by example and actively engage in their own development, inspire people. This is through action rather than words; as Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see”. Agile Leaders develop themselves to be humble and empathetic by demonstrating virtues such as compassion, kindness and care for their colleagues. Inspiring leaders work on themselves first before working on others.
Principle 2 - Improved quality of thinking leads to improved outcomes
Agile leaders value high quality thinking which will result in meaningful action. Agile leaders view problems from many different angles. They take input from those closest to the problem and this goes some way to ensuring that they are in touch with reality rather than relying solely on electronic information to inform their decision making. This also means allowing thinking time and focusing on the highest priorities at any given time.
Principle 3 - Organizations improve through effective feedback
Receiving feedback can often be perceived as a negative experience, so Agile Leaders lead the way by courageously soliciting meaningful, useful and timely feedback from peers and other colleagues. While requesting feedback is important, agile leaders take time to ensure that they are visibly responding to the suggestions made by their colleagues in order to close the feedback loop. Agile leaders model giving effective feedback that is open, honest and respectful.
Principle 4 - People require meaning and purpose to make work fulfilling
Agile leaders focus on building and sharing a common understanding and purpose. There is a vision of change that is meaningful and applicable to the organization. The work of the agile leader is to be aware of what is in the hearts and minds of their colleagues, and then to unify and align those values into inspired action.
Principle 5 - Emotion is a foundation to enhanced creativity and innovation
Agile leaders inspire others to bring their best selves to their work. They understand that emotion is an important part of the human experience, and when individuals work with their emotions, they achieve more of their potential. Innovation and creativity rely heavily on respect that the agile leader encourages by being accessible, open, honest and transparent whilst expecting the same from others.
Principle 6 - Leadership lives everywhere in the organization
Agile leadership should permeate all aspects of an organization or change initiative. Realizing the leadership potential of all its people helps accelerate the organization's ability to learn and adapt. The work of an agile leader is to develop depth in the organization's leadership capability by providing opportunities for their people to lead. Mentoring tomorrow’s leaders in the principles and practices of servant leadership sows the seeds for the agile culture to thrive.
Principle 7 - Leaders devolve appropriate power and authority
Agile leaders recognize that people work best when they are enabled, engaged and energized. Empowering individuals is a necessary skill of the agile leader as they balance the emerging needs and tensions of the organization. Agile leaders recognize that empowerment is not an “all or nothing” concept. Instead, it is a continuum of leadership behavior that responds to the current context for change.
Principle 8 - Collaborative communities achieve more than individuals
Agile leaders build communities based on high trust, respect and meaningful working relationships. Their role is to provide those communities with all that they need to operate efficiently but then to let them function autonomously within their boundaries. The Agile Leader understands that forgiveness, positivity, generosity and gratitude are important parts of a healthy working environment. The healthy functioning of the group together with the preservation of psychological safety, allows the agile leader to encourage learning and development whilst also balancing sustained output and performance for the benefit of the organization.
Principle 9 - Great ideas can come from anywhere in the organization
People who are close to a problem usually have the best ideas about how to solve it. Agile leaders allow themselves to be open to the influence and ideas of others, regardless of their status or position. To this end, the agile leader stops, listens and gives time to really hear the thoughts and ideas for improvement from their colleagues. Even if some ideas are not used, the agile leader encourages a continuous flow of creativity by helping people to understand which ideas were useful and which were not.
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