What do you do if you want to transition from traditional leadership to Agile leadership?

Building a Shared Vision and Purpose! 1. Clearly Define the Vision 2. Communicate Consistently and Foster Open Communication 4. Involve the Team 5. Set Common Goals 6. Celebrate Milestones 7. Provide Training and Support

1. Transition from a directive leadership style to a more facilitative and servant-leadership approach. Your role is to empower and support your team, remove barriers, and offer guidance when necessary, instead of micromanaging or imposing tasks. 2. Acquaint yourself with Agile's core principles and values, such as collaboration, self-organization, continuous improvement, and customer focus. Recognize how these principles contrast with traditional command-and-control leadership methods. 3. Agile leadership demands flexibility and the capacity to adapt to changing situations and feedback. Remain open to modifying plans, priorities, and methods in response to new insights and the needs of customers or stakeholders.

Transitioning from traditional leadership to agile leadership requires a shift in mindset and practices. For leadership and coming from a project manager perspective, it’s important to encourage collaboration, empower your teams, foster innovation, and prioritize adaptability. Also, encourage open communication, promote continuous learning, and value feedback to create a culture of agility and resilience.

Understand Agile Principles: Educate yourself on the principles and values of Agile methodologies, such as the Agile Manifesto, Scrum, Kanban, and Lean. Recognize the shift in mindset from traditional top-down management to collaborative, adaptive leadership. Seek Training and Certification: Consider enrolling in Agile leadership training courses or obtaining Agile certifications such as Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) to gain a deeper understanding of Agile practices and methodologies. Lead by Example: Embrace Agile principles in your own work and interactions with your team. Encourage transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement by modeling Agile behaviours

To grasp Agile, you must dive into its foundational principles and practices. Begin with the Agile Manifesto, which will ground your approach in its values and concepts. Understanding frameworks like Scrum and Kanban is vital—they provide the structures that support Agile's flexible nature. Learn about iterative development, and how it fosters continuous delivery and improvement. Embrace the importance of collaboration and customer feedback, as they are crucial for the iterative cycle that defines Agile. This knowledge is indispensable for applying Agile principles effectively and guiding your team through its adoption.

Study Agile Frameworks: Familiarize yourself with popular Agile frameworks such as Scrum, Kanban, and Lean. Understand their principles, practices, and how they differ from traditional project management approaches. Take Agile Training Courses: Enroll in Agile training courses offered by reputable organizations or certified trainers. Courses such as Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM), or Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) provide comprehensive education on Agile principles and practices. Read Books and Articles: Explore books, articles, and blogs written by Agile experts to deepen your understanding of Agile concepts and leadership principles.

Before taking that leap it's important to learn about Agile in it's entirety. What is it about? How can it help me to achieve my goals? How can I become more successful as a leader? Once you familiarize yourself with the principles of Agile, the transition will be way easier.

Transitioning to Agile leadership requires adopting a mindset focused on adaptability and continuous improvement. one should start by promoting open communication and collaboration within your team, encouraging innovation, and being receptive to changes. Lead by example by demonstrating flexibility in your decision-making processes, and prioritize the development of your team's skills and competencies. Success in Agile leadership comes from valuing people over processes and fostering a culture of trust, accountability, and empowerment!

1. First learn what are we trying to accomplish with the move. 2. How fast can we adapt to this change. 3. How does the backlog look like 4. How should the team structure look like

With numerous ambitious projects to be finalised in very short timeframes, we see the best results when the leadership team removes obstacles and empowers people to take risks and act independently on our shared vision. This vision paves the way for our teams to make decisions and take ownership within the clear goals and constraints provided. To further encourage our team and build momentum, we target quick wins – then celebrate and reward each success as we progress. Building on those positive results allows us to tackle more complex and difficult challenges to achieve even the most ambitious goals, such as integrating state-of-the-art hardware in a matter of only a few months after it has been made available.

There is good leadership and bad leadership. Leadership is as old as time, and the fundamentals have been the same throughout eternity - Lead with a purpose - Truly care for your teams - Walk the talk - Lead from the front - Listen to your team.. and many more. These are all characteristics of good leadership. Good leadership is what we need, and not these labels of traditional or Agile leadership

In the Agile realm, leadership transforms into a support system. It's about clearing the path for your team, ensuring they have what they need, and trusting them to navigate the details. Encourage autonomy and endorse their decision-making capabilities. Your role is to facilitate discussion, collaboration, and problem-solving, stepping in only when necessary to keep the momentum going. This approach not only boosts team morale but also drives efficiency and innovation.

Identify Agile Opportunities: Look for teams or projects within your organization that are already using Agile methodologies or are in the process of adopting Agile practices. Explore opportunities to join these teams or contribute to Agile initiatives. Express Interest: Express your interest in transitioning to an Agile leadership role to your manager or HR department. Highlight your willingness to learn and adapt to Agile principles and your commitment to driving organizational agility. Gain Experience: If possible, start by taking on smaller Agile-related responsibilities within your current role to gain hands-on experience.

Transitioning to Agile leadership from a traditional stance demands a profound shift in roles, aligning more with facilitation and empowerment than command and control. In my experience, fostering a culture where team autonomy and decision-making are encouraged has been key. You should start small: empower teams with decision-making on projects, encourage cross-functionality, and be open to learning from failures. This not only nurtures innovation but also enhances team morale and agility!

Encourage Open Communication: Foster an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas, concerns, and feedback openly. Encourage regular communication through meetings, stand-ups, and other collaborative forums. Empower Teams: Empower teams to self-organize and make decisions autonomously. Provide them with the resources, support, and autonomy they need to tackle challenges and achieve their goals. Promote Cross-Functional Collaboration: Break down silos between departments and encourage cross-functional collaboration. Foster a culture where team members from different disciplines work together towards common objectives.

In the dynamic realm of the automotive industry, the notion of ‘finalised’ vehicle development is obsolete. Vehicles evolve post-sale through continuous software enhancements, adding new capabilities and refining existing ones. Collaboration is not optional – it’s a prerequisite for success. Cultivating a culture of cross-functional collaboration – demolishing silos and weaving together diverse disciplines – empowers us to undertake monumental tasks, such as crafting our proprietary operating system, MB.OS. Moreover, the existing expertise and TEAMWORK within our organisation were instrumental in seamlessly integrating 3,000 new developers into our ranks.

Promoting collaboration within Agile teams is essential and requires active effort. Start by structuring opportunities for interaction, such as co-creation sessions or joint problem-solving exercises. Ensure that information flows freely between team members, with tools and practices that support transparency and communication. Encourage team members to share knowledge and skills, which can lead to a more cohesive and versatile team. Regularly reinforce the collective vision and objectives to ensure that every team member is aligned and working together effectively towards a common purpose.

At Mercedes-Benz, we recognise that transformation comes from collaboration. Achieving real change requires building a team dedicated to change, overcoming any resistance along the way. Our journey begins with articulating a strategic vision that is not only clear and compelling but also technically grounded. In the face of a VUCA world, we lean into the Agile ethos, fostering an environment that promotes courage, trust and respect. As an Agile leader, my role is to support the team and enable them to set new benchmarks in the tech industry. I invite fellow tech enthusiasts to share their insights on fostering empowerment and navigating change in large-scale tech environments. Let’s discuss and build on these ideas together.

Clarify Goals and Objectives: Clearly communicate the team's goals, objectives, and overall vision. Ensure that everyone understands the purpose of their work and how it contributes to the broader organizational goals. Provide Autonomy: Trust your team members to make decisions and take responsibility for their work. Empower them to self-organize, set their own priorities, and determine the best way to achieve their goals. Encourage Collaboration: Foster a collaborative environment where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas, feedback, and concerns. Encourage open communication and create opportunities for brainstorming and problem-solving as a team.

With over 5 years steering teams towards Agile mastery, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of shifting from traditional to Agile leadership 🔄. The pivot involves more than adopting new methodologies; it's about fostering an environment where empowerment and collaboration are the norms, not exceptions. Agile leadership thrives on servant leadership principles, where the leader's role shifts from commanding to supporting. By embracing transparency, encouraging continuous feedback, and celebrating innovation, leaders can unlock the true potential of their teams. The future of leadership is not in directing, but in empowering. Let's navigate this shift together, with agility at our helm. ⛵

Transitioning to Agile leadership involves educating yourself on Agile principles, leading by example, empowering teams, fostering collaboration, embracing change, removing barriers, providing support, measuring progress, and adapting iteratively. By embodying Agile values and practices, you can empower your team to deliver value more efficiently and effectively.

It’s very important for the team to have high morale and consistency in working on deliverables. Team should feel empowered to bring the problems, solutions and the unique ideas for the project improvement irrespective of their role in the team. When each of the team member understand their role and its significance to feel the accountability of the work then automatically team feel empowered which lead to the project success and should acknowledge their contribution for the rewarding performance.

Regular retrospectives can also help teams reflect on what went well and what can be improved, fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptation.

There is nothing called "Traditional Leadership", probably there is nothing called "Agile Leadership" either. By virtue, "Leadership" is Agile. If someone is not agile in their thoughts, way of working, understanding business, response to the market, understanding people, then that person isn't a good leader to begin with. So, be agile and choose to be a leader.

To transition from traditional to Agile leadership: Learn: Dive into Agile books, online courses, and get certifications 📚. Network: Join Agile communities and meetups 🤝. Reflect: Regularly assess your leadership style and adapt 🤔. Mentorship: Seek guidance from experienced Agile leaders 👥. Apply: Start integrating Agile practices in your current role 🛠️. Feedback: Encourage and act on team feedback 👂💬. Update: Stay informed on Agile trends and techniques 📈. Continuous learning and adaptation are key 🔑🌱.

There are many books, trainings, and coaches on this. Meanwhile, we also should not be bounded by 'agile methodology' in order to be agile. 😉 To make it simple, how about beginning with listening more and trying to understand the sometimes very different languages from the business side (e.g., engineers, developers, scientists...) in the team? Many often see the technological changes or daily operations directly and have good practical ideas and the abilities to solve problems that may keep managers up in the night. Listen to them, understand them, discuss with them, and give them the voice and freedom to execute the proposal when it comes to great ideas! 👍