Leadership traits you need for a successful agile transformation
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Leadership traits you need for a successful agile transformation
Cara Benetti-Longhini
11th July, 2023
6 min read
Cara Benetti-Longhini
11th July, 2023
6 min read
Enterprise-wide agile transformation has to take place from the top down. And it's up to leadership to establish the tone, set an example, and be consistent and persistent in their approach to changing the organisation.
Agile transformation isn't easy, and it takes time. Having a clear, agile strategy is one way you can start on the right foot. But even the perfect plan, paired with support from experienced transformation consultants, will only hold up if an organisation's leaders change their mindset and become servant leaders. Our experience shows that leaders (including managers at every level) can be the biggest blockers to an agile transformation.
Often focused on achieving short-term results or fearful of relinquishing power, many people at the top often miss the whole point of agile and fail to realise its benefits—a lose-lose for them and the entire organisation.
A leader's job is to build and nurture the vision, mission, and purpose–clearly defining the 'why' for the organisation. Leaders act as the lighthouse: shining the way of where they want the organisation to go while letting their teams autonomously achieve that vision by working out the 'how'.
So what can you do?
In this blog, agile consultant and organisational psychologist Cara Benetti-Longhini explores characteristics you need to be the agile leader your people and organisation need.
Change your ways
While power is decentralised in an agile organisation, that doesn't mean you can pass the buck when things don't go to plan. This is one of the fastest ways to kill trust.
Agile transformation demands leaders who can take personal responsibility, reflect on what's gone wrong, find valuable learnings, and adapt. Being this way empowers your people to take calculated risks without fear of repercussions and take responsibility for their decisions.
One key to successful leadership is continuous personal change. Personal change is a reflection of our inner growth and empowerment.
Robert E. Quinn
organisational behaviour and human resource management expert
Get up and grow
Agile leaders are life-long learners who go out of their way to build their knowledge and put it into practice. And you should want that for everyone in your organisation too. By helping others develop professionally and personally, and providing the necessary space and resources for experimentation and innovation, you empower others to take responsibility and make decisions.
Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.
John F. Kennedy
former US president
Connect with colleagues
An agile leader needs emotional intelligence—to be empathetic towards others and truly listen to what they say. Your organisation is nothing without the people that make it what it is—your staff and customers. By better understanding them, you are understanding the beating heart of your business: what works, what doesn't, and what direction to steer the ship in next.
Being a good listener is absolutely critical to being a good leader."
Richard Branson
British entrepreneur
Take ownership
While power is decentralised in an agile organisation, that doesn't mean you can pass the buck when things don't go to plan. This is one of the fastest ways to kill trust.
Agile transformation demands leaders who can take personal responsibility, reflect on what's gone wrong, find valuable learnings and adapt. Being this way empowers your people to take calculated risks without fear of repercussions and take responsibility for their decisions too.
Leadership is not a position or a title; it's action and example.
Cory Booker
Cory Booker,
Stay humble, be open
It's easy to take all the credit when things are going great. But agile is a team sport. The wins are for everyone, not just the boss. Remain humble and show an interest in other people's contributions.
Remember, great ideas can come from anywhere—often the people closest to the problem—so stay open to what others say. Encourage creativity and frank discussion, and provide feedback so everyone can learn from your experience.
As we look ahead, leaders will be those who empower others.
Bill Gates
American business magnate and co-founder of Microsoft
The leader's guide to creating an agile enterprise
Changing your organisation's culture and mindset starts with you! Get this eBook to find out how to make it happen.
Be brave
Courage comes from leaning into the things that scare us. You don't need to be fearless, but you do need to face those risks head-on. Agile transformation in itself is a mammoth task. By embracing it whole-heartedly, it shows others you're willing to wade into murky waters together and run the risk that not everything will turn out ok.
Agile is about testing, learning, and iterating fast. This is how innovation happens and how you stay ahead of the competition. If you want your organisation to benefit from agility, you must be willing to try things, fail, find out what went wrong, and go again.
A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be.
Rosalynn Carter
former first lady of the United States
Trust others
Agile leaders provide their people with the resources they need to work efficiently and autonomously within accepted guardrails. You must trust the people you lead to make decisions aligned with the organisational goals you've set out. And you should develop their capacity to do the same by giving others opportunities to step up to the plate. They, in turn, will do this, too, supporting an agile culture to develop.
If you want to be great and successful, choose people who are great and successful and walk side by side with them.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
American writer and philosopher
Think big
With everyone else focused on the details, it's your job to understand the bigger picture and optimise the broader enterprise. Part of this is distilling your organisation's goals into a clear and compelling purpose for everyone to follow.
People need a common purpose to bring deeper meaning and fulfilment to their working lives. This shouldn't come solely from you—it should be drawn out from all levels of your organisation.
The first responsibility of the leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.
Max de Pree
American businessman and writer
Inspire through action
Your job isn't to motivate but to inspire change. The agile culture you're creating (and the processes and tools that support that culture) should enable people, and the enterprise, to thrive.
Adopting an agile mindset will still feel like a leap of faith, but if they can see you striving for it—how you behave, your actions, and your goals—they're much more likely to take that leap.
The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example.
John Wooden
Basketball coach and player
Be the change
It might sound simple, but changing the way you work—and think about work—is a big challenge, even more significant when you're the one setting the example for everyone else to follow.
Treat employees like they make a difference and they will.
Jim Goodnight
Co-founder and CEO of SAS UK
The five pillars of agile transformation strategy: the starting block for achieving enterprise agility
Learn how to determine your agile strategy and start putting it into place. A must-read for leaders desiring enterprise agility.
Don't let your transformation fall at the first hurdle. Our agile consulting services include agile mentoring, executive coaching, organisational design, and behaviour transformation consulting—empowering you to be the change your organisation and employees need to see.
Written by
Cara Benetti-Longhini
DevOps