THE MINDSET OF AN AGILE LEADER

by Christopher M. Avery, Senior Consultant, Cutter Consortium

What if there were a deceptively simple way of thinking that (1) was a perfect fit for agile environments, (2) naturally supported and leveraged the complex adaptive nature of the human mind and personal development, (3) was independent of personality and personal style, and (4) could be learned, propagated, and even spread contagiously throughout a team or organization? Would you want to know about it? Would you pursue that mindset for yourself and your organization?

Such a mindset does exist. It is the mindset of personal responsibility and problem ownership.

Personal responsibility -- taking ownership for one's actions, outcomes, opportunities, and problems -- is one of those few essential attributes executives desire most in employees yet seem to find in scarce supply. And it's not just executives who would like to see more of it in others. The frustration of relying on coworkers who avoid taking personal responsibility is experienced by anyone who shares responsibility with others to get things done and whose paycheck ultimately depends on the ability to create a productive relationship with those people.

So why do executives -- and the rest of us -- desire personal responsibility and yet not find it? It could be the complex nature of organized work. In work, some efforts succeed, others fail, conditions change, and unplanned opportunities, gaps, and problems appear. That is, things change. Instead of stepping in to own the problems and seal the gaps, employees too often pass the buck for mistakes, blame others for failures they had a hand in producing, and make excuses that let themselves off the hook for poor performance. And given the recent revelations of dishonorable corporate conduct and social irresponsibility, it appears the failure to take personal responsibility extends to the executive suite as well.

In generally futile attempts to engender greater personal responsibility, managers tinker with foundational elements (purpose, vision, mission, and values), organizational structures, compensation systems, and performance management tools. These attempts usually fall short of creating true problem ownership because they don't address the fundamental human experiences, thought processes, and interactions that lead to personal responsibility.

Agile environments require the people working in them to collaborate, iterate, and adapt in pursuit of a final product that does exactly what the customer expects. Furthermore, agile environments are designed to expect problems and to thrive on unplanned opportunities. Because of the central role of change in agile environments, they offer the ideal petri dish for testing, developing, and refining a leadership mindset of personal responsibility and problem ownership in life at work.

-- Christopher M. Avery, Senior Consultant, Cutter Consortium