Badass Agile

We are here to build an elite tribe of leaders. People who advance the cause of agile by bringing excellence to their practice. By bringing those leadership skills that allow you to make a difference. And people who advance the cause of leadership by rising their people up improve our collective leadership game.

This journey starts with a decision to be badass. The Decision To lead.. In a way, you “answer the call”.

We need people who are 1) willing to do the hard work of doing what they say they will do, 2) prepared to share their wisdom with others, 3) willing to not only teach but nurture and develop talent in others….But most importantly, we need people who are willing to lean into the fight.

This is hard work. This is sacrifice. This is constant, lifelong learning. And demand for this skill set will never disappear. This is not like learning a new computer skill, new process, or new methodology.

The need for great leadership will never die. And the skills required will never change. There are no shortcuts. There is no instant fix. If you start today you will be one day ahead of anyone who starts tomorrow. And years ahead of people who decide to wait. People who haven’t yet heard the call.

When you make the decision to lead, you’re making the decision to not just be an active member of the team, to be an incredibly hard worker, but instead to be willing to go first. You’ll often be required to put yourself before others, you will often be required to stand in front of your team in harms way.

You’ll be required to hold yourself to a higher standard than everyone else-all eyes will be on you.

But if you’re ready for the challenge. If you’re not only willing to be different, but if you feel it burning in your soul to be exceptional, to effect real change in your world, then you have already answered the question. You have already put your hand up.

Congratulations, and welcome to this very elite club. You are now a member. You may be imperfect, like all of us, but you are growing. You are now a leader.

Stay badass.

Before you get too far into the weekly lessons and practices, I want to give you an overview of the the ‘syllabus’ at a high level so you know what to expect, and where to start if you’re new.

The concept behind Badass Agile is that the techniques that make you a great Agile team member also make you a great leader, and vice-versa. By strengthening your Agile/Scrum technique you will be learning and practicing the fundamentals of leadership in general, and by strengthening your leadership skill you will strengthen your team, product and Agile practice.

It starts with the Decision to Lead, which is covered in Episode 4. After that, you need to orient yourself in the main principles of excellence and greatness, while forging a vision for your future – and that of your team. In this way, you know what targets you’re shooting for.

Once oriented, you can then begin to integrate new ways of thinking and doing that bring about greatness. These are the mindsets and habits of the greatest leaders in every arena – business, innovation, arts, athletics, and even the military. You’ll learn, one by one, how to gain mastery over yourself and your environment by studying and then practicing these traits.

We will continually go back and deepen our understanding and our practice as we go – there will always be fresh, new content and ideas. We will also learn how to expand those excellence habits outside the Agile sphere and into the landscape of the rest of your life. Finally, we will also be learning how to create tribes – people who are willing to follow your lead – so that they are happy, fulfilled, and effective. My hope is that you will be able to pass along these excellence habits and make badasses out of your teams as well!