Embracing an Agile Mindset

FountainBlue’s May 6 Front Line Managers Online program was on the topic of ‘Embracing an Agile Mindset’. Please join me in thanking our panelists. Below are notes from the conversation. 

Our esteemed panelists concur that change is an inevitable part of life. They have each navigated much change:

• in their own career paths, going from one role/function/organization/industry to another
• in their personal lives through major life events
• in their day-to-day lives at work, working with a diverse range of stakeholders

All this change has been amplified with the pandemic, and will continue to impact us all as the future remains uncharted and unclear. But fear not, they have some best practices and resources to share:

Be willing to lead the change.

• Be open minded, and invite others who are not-like-you to the table, to support the inevitable decision-making/problem-solving/strategic planning/sustainable execution and other challenges in front of us.
• Ask the ‘why’ question around change before you talk about the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of change.
• Create psychological safety so that everyone feels empowered to participate in the change management process.
• Accept what you must accept, and adapt where you must adapt, but keep centered on your core values and on your strategic goals as a leader, as an individual, as a team, as an organization.
• Listen patiently and deeply from a wide range of stakeholders about the need for a change before moving to the planning and execution of a change.

Build an Engaged Network and Ecosystem

• Build an ecosystem of trust, working with trusted parties to plan and execute on the goals for a change.
• Be cognizant of the motivations of your team, and work with them to ensure they are empowered and engaged.
• Build a culture and network where learning opportunities are celebrated, where collaboration and divergent thinking are encouraged and rewarded.

Grow Momentum Behind the Change

• Be mindfully focused on the goals and objectives and ensure alignment with the values of the organization and project.
• Override resistance to change with quick wins, win-win negotiations, strategic conversations focused on goals, and building relationships of trust.
• Break down complex solutions into manageable achievable pieces and reasonable timelines.

Deliver Results with the Changes

• Follow an efficient process for agilely managing change, but don’t let that process lead the change itself, as the focus should remain on the change objectives. 
• Ensure that the data clearly reflects the need for change, and what success looks like in numbers.
• With that said, look not just at the quantitative data, but also at the qualitative data which indicates the need for change.

Strategically Manage the Changes

• Consider these frameworks and vectors when managing change:
  • the speed of change/execution
  • the amount of receptivity to the change
  • the level of detailed response to the change
  • the level of openness to type of change
  • the level of involvement in the change
  • the derivative impacts of a change
  • the complexity of a change
• Provide POSITIVE, CONSTRUCTIVE, AND ONGOING feedback to help everyone feel more comfortable with change. See example below.

With that said, you can’t be all-in for any one person all the time, but if you could be all-in with some of your key people most of the time, it could make a huge impact for you both!

The bottom line is that we must all embrace changes, especially now. If we’re open and positive and proactive, we would all more successfully manage through the changes.

Advertisement