Leadership: Is Authority in Your Way?

As I created that quote, I wasn’t sure that I really liked it all that much.  Felt kind of judgy… maybe a little controversial… I actually “focus grouped” it out to a couple of coaches and other folks to get their opinion and the ensuing discussions were actually pretty interesting and valuable – so I’ll run with it – and maybe expand a bit – so here it goes.

If you, as a leader, have to exercise direct authority (tell someone to do something) you've either:

• not created a clear vision of where your organization needs to go,
• not developed your people’s skills to the point where they can execute, or
• not created an environment where your people are empowered to get there.

Our agile values and principles are pretty clear about what we believe in, and how we view leadership.  Leaders are there to lead.  They are there to put in place a vision for how the organization needs to be.  They are there to continually grow and challenge their organization to be as effective, efficient and engaged in service to their customer.  They create an environment of empowerment, where different ideas and contrary opinions are safe (dare I say, encouraged) to express and are incorporated as feedback.  They are there to ensure that the right people can do the right things in a way that delivers value to their customers.
Let’s be honest - doing what's right for the clients and shareholders... living our shared values and principles... MIGHT feel like it interjects uncertainty into our personal futures.  
Our values are clear - customer comes first.  Period.  Yes, we may work in a regulated environment.  Yes, we must manage risk.  Yes, there are a LOT of roadblocks that we have built up over the years that really impede our ability to truly BE agile.  

As leaders - it is our job (all of us) to call out where we are not living up to our shared values and principles.  Where we are not valuing individuals and interactions over process and tools.  Where we are not valuing customer-focused collaboration over silos and hierarchy.  Where we are not relentlessly improving the end-to-end status quo.

We can all be leaders, regardless if we have authority or not.

Those of us who are leaders without authority - what are you doing to use your voice? 

• Have you had the courage to experiment?  
• Have you engaged in conversations with your partners on how WE can deliver value to our customers faster end-to-end?  
• Have you looked outside of your swim lane and asked - "How can we as partners be more effective and efficient, together?"

Those of us who are leaders and have authority - what are YOU doing today, to help your team focus on their customer, their team's shared outcomes, and how they are working together, today?

• What are you doing to build up, skill up and empower your team members to truly tackle the end-to-end challenges that we as an organization face? 
• What are you doing to reach out across silos and hierarchy to work with your partners to implement meaningful change? 
• Are you partnering to re-imagine how we deliver value, or are you simply relabeling - because that feels less risky to you? 
• What are you doing to encourage your team members to truly experiment with their partners to be - as a whole - more be effective, efficient and engaged as we strive to improve products and services that our users and customers rely on?
• Are you listening to your team members and partners and empowering them to make change or are you exercising your authority to protect what's yours?

If we want to truly transform. If we want to live up to our values and principles, then everything must change.  The way we view "our" work can't just be what "my department, my team" does any more.  It may mean that we are structured very differently than we are today.  It certainly means that we need to construct our teams differently. 

Everything that we've built (organizational structures, processes, etc.) has been to optimize and reinforce how it was yesterday.  Are you going to lead us toward a vision - toward tomorrow - or are you going to use your authority to reinforce and protect how it is today?

We ALL win together.