A company can’t will itself to be agile. Agility is an emergent property that appears when an organization has the right mindset, the right skills and the ability to multiply those skills through collaboration. (Marty Neumeier, The Designful Company, 2009, p.21) (http://www.martyneumeier.com/)
What are those skills?
The most important attitude and skill is servant leadership. What does Robert K. Greenleaf from the Center of Servant Leadership say?
Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world. A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top of the pyramid,” servant leadership is different. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible. (https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/)
My personal favorite skills are:
- value people more than process,
- appreciate everyone because they make things possible,
- share a vision and share knowledge,
- create, contribute and live trust also when failing,
- improve yourself to improve the team.
Next to these, the quality of curiosity is paramount. The joy to experiment, the joy to discover, to be irritated and to leave your treasured comfort zones is crucial in a fast moving environment.