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Organisational Agility has become a necessity because of the global pandemic, it has forced many organisations to respond with unprecedented rapidity. The situation is also demonstrating that Institutional Agility entails far more than a smattering of Agile teams throughout the business. Agility of course isn’t new. But to be effective at Agile, you must take a new approach to leadership. Being a great leader in general isn't enough. New talents and techniques are required for Agile Leadership.
Recently, Korn Ferry published an article about attributes the Agile Leader share - those mindsets are the foundation of your capacity to grow as an organisation leader. An Agile mindset gives you the ability to pivot between perform and transform capabilities, to meet the demands of today’s operations, and make sure the organisation’s agenda is relevant for the future. By recalibrating the lens through which you see, understand, and experience the world, you can overturn entrenched beliefs and assumptions, and look beyond the siloes of a business function or role.
That means, everyone with an agile mentality can participate and with tremendous power comes a great deal of responsibility. Every leader at every level of the organization, bears this obligation because an agile attitude can act as a force multiplier, boosting and energising others' performance. Individual leaders will find it empowering as well. It gives you complete control over your personal development and growth. You have influence over how you present yourself, and you can see the results when you do things differently.
Moreover, there are five distinctive mindset shifts needed to become an Agile Leader. Some of these fundamental beliefs may come naturally, and others may require more conscious behavioural shifts.
Purpose - Agile leaders must be purpose-driven and have a strong vision of what they believe in. This is what allows you to perform as well as transform. As an enterprise team, leaders with a shared sense of purpose are far more powerful.
Courage across and beyond - You may challenge assumptions and address problems and opportunities if you have the bravery to step up and push yourself beyond of your comfort zone - even if your viewpoints are unpopular, challenging, or outside your immediate control.
Awareness of self and impact - This can be a game-changer, because many prospective leaders are held back by their beliefs about themselves and their capacity to contribute, not by a lack of abilities. What are the roadblocks you've erected to your own success, and how can you shift the narrative?
Inclusion that multiplies - Executives must understand that inclusion has a positive multiplier effect, meaning that the more you listen to all the perspectives in the room, the better the impact on the entire organization will be. This is critical if you want to encourage other leaders to have confidence in their own abilities.
Integrative thinking - Because it's human tendency to reduce complex difficulties inside a linear process, the final piece of the puzzle is often the most difficult. The reality is that we live in a world that is constantly changing - we operate in dynamic ecosystems where challenges will continue to grow, and competitors may need to work together. Leaders who are adaptable can resolve tensions in a variety of ways. And breaking down established boundaries and hierarchies can be the ultimate silo-breaker.
These five distinctive mindset shifts are essential for becoming an organisational leader who can both perform and transform an agile organisation. Ultimately, the perspective you bring to every relationship is within your control. Including with yourself – with an agile mentality you can test assumptions about yourself, and pivot and grow in ways you never thought.
While there are numerous aspects that influence whether an Agile transformation succeeds or fails, Agile leaders are a critical component. These new Agile Leaders, on the other hand, are in the unique position of being "stuck in the middle," as they are under pressure to provide considerable new support to people working above and below them. Many of the Agile Leaders have worked as supervisors, managers, or mentors in the past.
And yes, it is true that these new Agile Leaders must be prepared to lead others in their new way of working, they also require guidance and care as they go through their own personal transformations as their organisation embraces this new Agile transformation. They will require coaching tailored to their new roles and responsibilities, as well as new metrics and reporting that are relevant to their new roles and responsibilities, and techniques for leading their teams through the organisational changes. Each of these skills will be critical to the success of their teams.
According to the results of the research from IMD, Agile Leaders H.A.V.E.
Humble
Adaptable
Visionary
Engaged
Combining these must-have competencies with agile behaviours has a dramatic amplifying impact for Agile Leaders, allowing them to deal with today's changing organisational settings much more effectively.
Hyperawareness, Informed Decision Making, and Fast Execution were recognised as three critical qualities that distinguished Agile Leaders from Non-Agile Leaders in the study.
·Hyperawareness - are focused on detecting new digital opportunities or challenges to their competitors. They are engaged, seeking new ideas and adapting in response, but they are also conscious of the need to provide direction through a strong vision, as change threatens to overwhelm a linear plan.
Informed decision making - comprises making evidence-based judgments based on accessible data. Leaders must engage to accomplish this; they must identify and use the best data sources, apply suitable analytics, and then decide. Leaders must rely on their expertise and intuition to go forward when faced with scant or even contradictory evidence.
Fast Execution - necessitates a leader's willingness to move swiftly, typically prioritising speed over excellence. In a highly disrupted environment, the effectiveness of hyperawareness and informed decision making is severely decreased if the business is unable to move quickly.
Leaders must adopt an Agile Leadership strategy in today's dynamic and uncertain corporate context, which has been changed by digital disruption. When these agile behaviours are combined with must-have competencies, Agile Leaders are substantially better prepared to deal with today's disruptive organisation’s situation.
By now, you already know that Agile Leaders are responsible for empowering teams to work independently, while providing strategic direction. But what does this look like in action? And how are you going to implement it within your organisation?
Stay tuned for our next blog in this series, where we’ll discuss culture and principles of Agile to help you become a successful Agile Leader in your organisation.
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