Badass Agile

At a time of so much increased noise and anxiety, its time that we once again return to fundamentals as we help teams become more agile. So what could you reduce this week – in terms of frameworks, rules, and complexity?

Blockers that come up repeatedly are a symptom…even the most complex issue can be worked around or decomposed.somehow.  The problem occurs when nothing moves; creating delays and other diseases.

The right question is not “How can I be more confident, more leader-like, more influential…?”, but rather, “what beliefs and stories am I hanging on to that I should let go of?”

Can you let go of the need to perfect, to be right, to be accepted and wanted?  Can you let go of the need for certainty or an easy life?  What about your fears?

What about your need for approval?

If you’re trying to influence people and make change – you need to make sure your game is tight first.

What do I need to journal for? What does this have to do with agility?

One of the big byproducts of Agile thinking and doing is innovation – that requires massive creativity. It requires sharp thinking on demand.

Leadership, likewise requires deep reflection, and attention to daily lessons learned.

The qualities that we admire most in great thinkers and leaders is the ease with which they seem to have access to the best ideas and wisdom.  A journal makes that possible.

Let’s revisit this topic – one that so many of you have identified as among your favourite – and incorporate a journalling practice today.

So often, we look to gain influence over other people, or outside forces. We believe that studying and practicing certain scripts or techniques will create better results. Yet, how often do we look inward? The truth is, YOU are the only thing you can truly control or influence. To spend time trying to control that which you cannot control is to experience great anxiety and frustration. The outside world simply won’t bend to your will….or does it? If you focus on how you show up, how you react to events, how you serve, and more importantly…what you let go of and strip away, only then can things actually change.

Time to move on from this “Agile is a super-secret funky method for developers” thing we do. At this point, the fundamentals of Agility belong everywhere work happens. In every department, at every level…whether you’re dealing in products, projects or not.

As you know by know, I love old-school wisdom.  “Practice what you preach” being a great example.  If you expect your teams to behave with awareness, self-control, accountability, and growth mindsets, then you should start with you.  How do you react to challenges, feedback, change, or new ideas?  How you react is the most impactful teacher; providing a living example of how a leader should be.

I like universal, timeless wisdom.  One of the things I’ve come to learn is that often, we must be the opposite of what we want in order to get it.  So in order to make Agile bigger and better, we must focus on keeping it simpler.

Being a hero doesn’t mean going crazy with tools and processes – sometimes less is more.