Navigating the Agile Leadership Rollercoaster
What does agile leadership mean to you? For some, it’s about being able to adapt quickly to changing circumstances. For others, it’s about fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration. And for me, it’s a wild ride through the ups and downs of leading in a fast-paced, ever-changing world.
Imagine yourself at the helm of a team, cruising along smoothly when suddenly, a curveball comes hurtling your way. In retail that was often a new competitor opening on your doorstep, for others, it’s the small matter of a global pandemic throwing a wrench into your plans! The one that sticks out for me recently though is the reality one Sunday Morning that I needed a new Chief Constable, and I needed one quickly. For everyone though, it’s in moments like these that agile leadership truly shines.
Agile leadership, or on occasion, crisis management, is all about being nimble, adaptable, and ready to pivot at a moment’s notice. It’s like being a trapeze artist, gracefully swinging from one challenge to the next without missing a beat. Sure, it can be a bit nerve-wracking at times, but it’s also incredibly exciting and often rewarding.
It’s not easy to get right, when there’s lots of moving parts you need to think differently. This realisation brings you to one of the key principles of agile leadership. The ability to embrace change and uncertainty. Instead of clinging to rigid plans and structures, agile leaders are flexible and open-minded. They’re willing to try new things, fail fast, get back up, learn from your mistakes, and move on.
She really wasn’t a Mule!
Over the years I’ve worked with loads of people who are resistant to change, and I now see it as a personal challenge to find out what it would take to get them to embrace it. I remember well one lady who was so stuck in her ways it hurt. Every time I suggested a new approach or strategy, she would dig in her heels and push back. It was like trying to steer a stubborn mule. (She was lovely to be fair and definitely not a mule, but the analogy was the best I had!) But with a little patience and a lot of persuasion, I was able to help her see the benefits of embracing change and taking risks. She didn’t want to move desks was one excuse she came up with until we figured out that the plant she nurtured on her filing cabinet everyday would thrive next to the window in front of her new desk. She didn’t want to learn a new system until I showed her how it could save her almost two hours a day and she could spend that extra time speaking to customers which was something she loved and then the Biggy, she didn’t want the extra responsibility that would come with the change. She thought she had me there as she knew I wasn’t one for putting square pegs in round holes but when we talked it through, she was already doing most of the new job anyway and all she’d really be doing was taking a new title and banking the pay rise!
All of the above btw I actually got her to highlight for herself by carefully guiding her in that direction. This is another essential aspect of agile leadership, collaboration. Instead of hoarding power and making all the decisions themselves, agile leaders empower their teams to take ownership and contribute their ideas. It’s like conducting a symphony orchestra, with each team member playing their part to create a harmonious melody.
Lucky Seven
The teams I’ve worked at the head of have faced some pretty huge challenges down the years. New store openings with massive amounts of unforeseen problems, Election campaigns against fierce and established opposition plus a police force that was so bad it haemorrhaged Chief Constables more often than this Government did Prime Ministers. I’ll never forget the time when my team was faced with a seemingly insurmountable challenge. We’d been out to try and find the forces seventh Chief Constable in seven years. It had proved enormously difficult, and I didn’t appoint the first time as I didn’t think either candidate was right for the role, so I’d had to go back out again to try and convince the right applicants that Cleveland was the best place for them. We got our experienced individual in the end, and we were all patting ourselves on the back when the meteor landed! He couldn’t take the job as he’d be massively out of pocket by taking the promotion due to the tax implications of his fleet vehicle and the commuting costs he’d incur. I was devastated but instead of trying to tackle it alone, we came together, brainstormed ideas, and worked collaboratively to find a solution. It was messy, it was chaotic, and we had to explore well outside of the box but in the end, we emerged stronger and more united than ever before with a solution that kept everyone on track and in pocket plus the tax man was happy.
Strap yourselves in
For me, agile leadership is not just a set of skills or strategies like so many others we rely on; it’s a mindset, a way of approaching leadership that embraces change, uncertainty, and collaboration. It’s about being willing to take risks, make mistakes, and learn from them. It’s different for everybody but it can be like riding a rollercoaster – scary, thrilling, a lot of wondering if you’ve done the right thing but it is ultimately rewarding.
So, fellow leaders, I challenge you to embrace the agile leadership mindset. Strap yourself in, hold on tight, and get ready for the ride of your life. Because in the fast-paced world we live in, agile leadership is not just a nice-to-have – it’s a necessity. Let’s navigate the twists and turns together and emerge stronger, more resilient, and ready to take on whatever comes our way.
