The Agile Mindset: Top 10 Commandments for Growth
It is a common fact within any organization attempting to transform into agility that the first and most success-determining factor for this transformation is developing an agile mindset. Having an agile mindset should become the most prominent aspect of organizational culture, weaved amongst its inner fabric, shaping its core from strategies to practices to basic terminology.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, having an agile mindset might be confusing! What is the agile mindset? How does it differ from the fixed mindset? What should traditional leaders do to develop such a mindset, and what are the outcomes of this new mindset? There are too many questions. Let us uncover a few key points about this mindset.
What is An Agile Mindset
An agile mindset is about flexibility, growth, embracing change, learning from mistakes, and focusing on what matters first; the customer, the team, and the quality of the products or the services rendered. Leaders focus on creating value for the customers by providing the best services and products, quickly.
Teams are small and self-organized. Collaboration and communication within teams and across teams are crucial. A speedy and swift response to market conditions is a given.
Learning new skills is the name of the game. While there is a structure, and a framework, for teams to function within, there is room for changes and adjustments. Mistakes are considered lessons learned, and the focus is always on the solution.
If we were to define the agile mindset, then using the ICAgile definition sums it up best: “An agile mindset focuses on “being agile” as a foundation for success in “doing agile.” It is defined by the four values and described by the twelve principles of the Agile Manifesto and then manifested through an unlimited number of practices and different ways of working. The Agile Manifesto was a game-changer in software development at the time it was created in 2001. In subsequent years, practitioners across industries and disciplines have realized the importance of an agile mindset.
The Four Values Are:
1.Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
2.Working software over comprehensive documentation
3.Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
4.Responding to change versus following a plan
Another way of explaining the agile mindset is through the illustration below, which is adapted from Ahmed Sidky’s explanation of the concept.
How Does the Agile Mindset Differ from the Traditional Mindset
The traditional mindset is somewhat bureaucratic. Managers are set in their ways. They follow rigid and set – in-stone procedures and rules, have pre-defined roles, and operate through a multiple- layered structure with divisions and subdivisions. Their number one focus is to generate profits and achieve pre-agreed-upon targets. They seldom adapt to change and respond to market needs as swiftly as agile organizations because they follow a specific plan and reluctantly sway away from it.
Mahmoud Ghoz, VIDSCOLA’s Lead Agile Coach describes the traditional organization as a large truck trying to make a turn at high speed! It must take time to turn otherwise it might flip! Meanwhile, an agile organization is like a group of small racing cars, too fast and too close to the ground, so it is easy for them to turn at high speed!
How to Develop An Agile Mindset
If you have been used to the traditional ways of managing your organization, you might find developing an agile mindset a tough pill to swallow. However, this mindset might liberate you from the stresses of leading an organization through these unprecedented times. It is a process of embracing change in one’s ability to lead and interact with team members. It is a social and emotional change rather than a logical one. Below are a few points to consider:
1- Create a Safe Environment: Respecting different perspectives and encouraging diversity of thought helps everyone feel psychologically safe. You and your team need to easily share ideas, ask questions, take risks and make mistakes. This enables team members to consistently come up with innovative solutions, take responsibility
2- Support Continuous Collaboration: An agile mindset is all about collaboration and Knowledge sharing. Leaders should encourage everyone to willingly and freely collaborate and ensure teams are treated as a unit and rewarded for their teams’ efforts. Collaboration helps team members to feel included and therefore valued, which in turn fosters a harmonious environment that leads to an increase in productivity.
3- Improvement and Constant Learning Cycles: Leaders need to help their teams realize the importance of continuous training and development. They should consistently provide opportunities to cross-skill and up-skill the teams’ capabilities. Investing in your team helps with employee retention, and increases loyalty and productivity.
4- Effective and Regular Communication: To be able to collaborate, you must first communicate effectively and transparently with your team members and encourage them to do the same. Clear and transparent communication can be better achieved through face-to-face meetings. It helps the team members understand what needs to be done and focus on doing it rather than wasting time trying to figure out the intentions behind what was being said. Therefore, the aim is to support consistent and regular face-to-face meetings and decrease the reliance on electronic communication.
5- Develop An Ability to Adapt to Change: Change is an inevitable and often positive aspect of working with others, With an agile mindset, you realize that embracing change leads to new and exciting opportunities. Help your team to accept that change is a natural occurrence in today’s business world. Help them understand that there is always a positive perspective and outcome if we embrace and adapt to the change with an open mind and a welcoming attitude. By focusing on what can be controlled and making the best out of any situation, the teams will be able to thrive in changing circumstances and accept it as an exciting challenge to overcome and not a hindering factor.
6- Encourage Autonomy, Accountability, and Pride in Ownership: Practicing agile includes setting up your organizations as groups of selforganized teams to help them become autonomous. This autonomy comes with a lot of shared responsibility. It is imperative for you to overcome the need for a hierarchical structure and direct supervision. As a leader, you still need to hold your teams accountable for meeting the company goals and continuously and incrementally delivering valuable solutions. However, you will need to accept and encourage them to govern their daily work, cross-supervise each other, delegate responsibilities and define their schedules.
7- Embrace Mistakes and Learn from Failures: With an agile mindset, you accept that failure is a learning opportunity, and you need to make peace with the consequences. Develop with your team the ability to take risks and normalize failures, while shifting their emphasis on finding solutions. Taking risks may strengthen creativity, and lead to more innovative products and services. However, mistakes are inevitable in such an environment. Focusing on lessons learned will help decrease the percentage of failures in the future.
8- Focus on Delivering Value: Focusing on the value an organization provides to its customers is at the core of agility. Aim to zero in on what matters most for your customers. Try to apply this concept to the maximum by offering real value to your internal clients, too. As a leader, it is great to set an example by practicing the art of value offering in everything you do,
9- Focus on Quality and Speed: To get things done faster and better, encourage the teams to limit the amount of work that needs to be done by focusing on value-adding activities and eliminating those that do not add value to the product or service. As a leader, you should reinforce this concept by encouraging your team to challenge the work requests they receive based on the value that will be added before committing to the work.
10-Encourage Innovation: Agility is about responding quickly to the market and customer needs. This usually requires finding new ways of getting things done. By encouraging your employees to think differently and challenging them to come up with new ideas, you increase employee engagement and the quality of the products. You need to listen to the different ideas, consider each and treat them all with respect until you find the best idea to implement in a given situation
Why Should You Develop An Agile Mindset?
There are many benefits to becoming agile and many ways to achieve agility, from new values and principles to practices with supporting tools. However, developing an agile mindset is the linchpin to becoming agile. Perhaps, the main reason is the direct correlation between developing an agile mindset and creating a healthy work environment and a dedicated, efficient workforce.
There is no doubt that an organization is as successful as its team. Being agile means having creative, collaborative, and innovative teams working harmoniously towards common goals. They genuinely focus on common goals that directly lead to the success of the organization. Success becomes a team celebration, not a manager’s achievement. The goal becomes the customers’ satisfaction, not merely a bonus check.
If you have a dysfunctional workforce, your turnover rate will increase, your team will constantly be in a formation stage, and you will end up with poor products, and mediocre services. Autonomy, freedom, creativity, and innovation foster a healthy working environment in which people can thrive, leading their organizations to exceptional growth.
VIDSCOLA offers one on one coaching sessions for executives and team members.
Please reach out to us to find out how we can help you develop and
sustain an agile mindset. www.vidscola.com
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