Here's the question...

Today, I am going to be bravely honest: it has been a too long since I took the time to invest in myself with some reading and reflection time.  Yes, I know... Shame on me!  Everyone can, and should, take time to improve.  

I was recently reading an article by a guy named Richard Dolman called The “Agile C-Suite” and Its Role in Growing an Adaptive, Resilient Organization.  In it he talks about the fact that to truly transform to a more agile (think a truly customer focused and adaptive) organization - Sr. Leaders must not only change their way of doing but also their way of thinking.  Here is a paragraph from the article that particularly resonated with me.

I don’t think that executive leaders don’t “grasp” agility as a mindset, but that they often treat it as something that needs to be implemented. It’s thought of as transactional. As such, too much emphasis goes into doing agile and little into ‘being agile’ or thinking about what agility means across the organization. Leaders commonly think it’s something for the teams to do. Accepting it as a mindset that has to be internalized is much less straightforward.  There can be a lot of anxiety and discomfort when it comes to thinking differently, versus just doing something differently. 

He backs this thought up with a quote from management thought leader, Steve Denning, 

"One of the most difficult things for the C-suite to grasp about agility is that it involves a different way of thinking as much as a different way of doing.”

I think what Richard is trying to say is for everyone (even for leaders) transforming to a state of agility, while rewarding, can be extremely challenging. To be clear, when I say "state of agility" I mean truly embracing the shared values and principles and moving beyond one of the agile frameworks like Scrum or Kanban.  More simply put, being agile instead of just doing Agile!  Even the most agile-minded of us can run into organizational, cultural and even personal roadblocks.  For those who don't yet understand that the shift in the way we think is more important than the shift in the way we do things - it can be almost impossible to create an environment where the organization can actually become Agile!

I can speak from personal experience.  It is so easy to fall back into old habits, behaviors and thought patterns that reinforce the status quo, rather than continue forward toward a vision that can sometimes feel so far away.  Daily pressures and deliverables from work, a constant barrage of unsettling news, personal life events, both good and not-so-good, uncertainty with our economy and employment situations... I could go on and on.  It all impacts each and every one of us, no matter where we sit within our organization.  Quite frankly - sometimes it feels like too much.  Honestly, there are days I wonder, "Why bother?  Why not just keep my head down, do what feels safe for me or for my team?"  At this point in the article I'm thinking, "Thanks Richard - this has been a real pick-me-up.  Appreciate the article so far!!!  Sheesh!"

As I kept reading, Richard starts to talk about resilience, and of course - one of our shared values and principles caught my eye...

“We value Responding to Change over following the Plan” – Agile Manifesto

There are two ways an organization (and Coach Dan will add, individuals) can choose to respond to change: 

1. Resist – Attempting to prevent external influence, building boundaries, and control systems 
2. Adapt – Generating the appropriate response required for balance, emphasizing distributed decision-making, and self-organization where needed  

Let's unpack that a little bit...

 

Robust organizations resist.  They are oak trees, mighty and strong.  Their instinct is to withstand the change happening around them.  They stand firm and weather storms.  They may shuffle things around to strengthen their armor - but they don't really change - they survive.  They often come through big changes battered and sometimes broken.

Resilient organizations adapt.  They are flexible and (dare I say) agile.  Their instinct is to embrace the change happening around them.  They see change as an opportunity to also improve, to become more effective, efficient and engaged.  They lean into changes, and reimagine how they can become more valuable, not by doubling down, but by allowing the disruption to truly transform them.  Ultimately these organizations often come out stronger than before.

 

The same can be said for individuals.  It doesn't matter if we are a Sr. Leader, Manager or Team Member - our first instinct when we hear about a change is very often, "What does this mean to me?  How can I protect myself or my team?"  Not going to lie - I do it.  How does this news impact my plans?  Where do I fit in this?  Maybe I should just duck my head down into the gopher hole?  It's instinct, and it's OK.  What really counts is what comes next.  Am I going to be robust, or am I going to be resilient?  Am I going to dig in and double down or am I going to use this change as an opportunity to adjust, and move closer to our vision?  Am I going to play along or am I going to invest in learning, growing, and adapting? That's where those values and principles come in. 

It's times like now when it becomes really apparent how much we (as an organization and as individuals) ( really embrace those values and principles.  Truly embracing them doesn't mean we don't have those first "what about me" thoughts pop into our head.  They do truly guide what happens next - we can't control the trigger, however we can control our response!  Living those values and principles means we look for ways to adapt.  Adapting means we recognize when we are trying to resist and challenge ourselves to double down on being open minded and curious about how we can make meaningful change.  It means sometimes making decisions as Team Members, and leaders for that matter, that may in fact make our personal futures feel even less certain, but take us one step closer toward our shared vision of being a truly customer focused, resilient, agile organization.

 

So here's the question... In uncertain times, are you leaning on the values and principles to help you adapt, or are you letting uncertainty or fear drive you to resist and say 'not now, not during times like these'? 

Are you powering through your inner voices to see the immense opportunity we have for transformation?  Are you making decisions each day to help you, your team, your business partners come out of this more effective, efficient and engaged - or is your mindset to merely survive?  Are you going to duck and cover, and hope for the best, or are you going to embrace the change, adjust the plan, find strength in collaborating differently, and help us all become more resilient?  Are you waiting to see what box lands on what org chart before you make any changes, or are you actively challenging yourself, and each other to take one step closer to being agile?

The only one who can answer this question is you.  Journeys, especially during rough times, take courage - heck, challenging the status quo in the best of times can as well.  COVID-19 has shown our organization that we can do some amazing things when we come together.  How we get through the next challenge together (and the next, and the next) really depends on how we answer this question.

We ALL win together.