Agile Leadership

What is the real meaning of Agile Leadership? Many have asked what is the role of agile leaders towards the team, especially knowing that agile slashes out the siloing in an organization. So, how does leadership run under Agile?

In an interview with the Pinnacle Mutual Consulting leader, Ola Tunde, with Dan Neumann in Agilethought, he expressed what true leadership means.

As their guest speaker of the podcast, Ola Tunde answered Dan’s question about what a leader is. 

Tunde immediately replied, “When you look at leadership, some people think just because someone is a manager makes them a leader. I beg to differ on that. Every manager is not a leader.”

Yes, Tunde is right. Not all leaders lead people; sometimes, they force people to do their job without considering what they need. The worst thing is that some managers threaten the lower ranks. It is not a new environment in the organization, and most employees have experienced this kind of treatment which stopped them from delivering their skills and creativity.

Leaders should lead people and allow their teams to grow as individuals in an organization to be agile and absorb agility. To learn more and develop their skills.

“A good leader knows, goes, and shows the way of an organization. It does not pull people but draws them,” Tunde added.

Dan also shared his thoughts and said, “if there is a vision and you have as a leader, nurtured people, you’ve shared the vision. You’re trying to nurture them to bring them along.”

On the other hand, some companies or organizations fire employees once they are not helpful enough or have found a person with better skills. Tunde addressed this concern, reminded them that “people are not resources,” and continuously inspired them to improve their organizational performance.

Tips for Effective Leadership

If you are an Agile leader or leader in an organization, several things will help you in becoming more transparent to your followers, such as,

• Set your organization’s vision
• Inspire your team’s commitment
• Build capacity

Setting the organization’s vision is creating a mission for the team and inspiring them to be committed to their roles and responsibilities, allowing them to develop, create ideas and learn how to be better than they are doing. 

Build a capacity within your organization to achieve success. Organizations won’t thrive without a good leader. Change the way you lead and notice the difference.