Agility, A Requirement for Tomorrow’s Leaders

By A. Abeku Haywood-Dadzie

Today's leaders cannot afford to exhibit the persona of the old cyborg terminator [T-800], instead, they must display the trait of the newly improved, more advanced android terminator, with liquid metal shapeshifting features [T-1000]

Leaders everywhere are confronted with extraordinary rates of change in today's volatile, unpredictable, complex, and ambiguous [VUCA] environment. They're up against a plethora of new challenges, each of which is constructed differently than the one they previously overcame. They can no longer rely on approaches that have previously worked, or even those that are now working. To succeed in today's environment, they must learn to manage the future now by scanning their environment continually and training their team to deal with tomorrow's difficulties today.

The world has turned into a global village with no limits or borders. Technology advancements have smashed and shattered previously existing geographical borders, bringing people together like never before and making the world smaller and more accessible every day. Today, we live in a globally interconnected ecosystem in which what happens on one side of the world has a ripple impact on the other. A world in which technological advancements are expanding at a geometric progression, but our ability to grasp and critically evaluate their influence on us is increasing at an arithmetic progression.

In today's environment, the increasing uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity in decision-making require a new leadership quality that will enable the leader to give solid leadership in an unsteady world. It also demands leadership agility, or the leader's capacity to move into action, make judgments, and execute with pinpoint precision in a highly competitive and harsh environment. The uncertainty in today's environment demands leadership agility.

"The ability to take effective action in a complicated, complex, and rapidly changing situation is defined as leadership agility." It's the capacity to "anticipate and respond to rapidly changing conditions." Leadership agility is no longer an optional ability but a necessary skill for every serious leader.

Agile leaders have demonstrated that they recognise that we live in a time of constant change. The Center for Agile Leadership, for example, claims that "agile leaders are inclusive, democratic, and exhibit a greater openness to ideas and innovations." With a passion for learning, a focus on developing people, and a strong ability to define and communicate a desired vision, they possess all of the tools necessary to successfully inspire others and become an agent for change within any organization.

It's proven that agile leaders appreciate the fact that we live in an era of permanent change. According to the Center for Agile Leadership, "Agile leaders are inclusive, democratic, and exhibit a greater openness to ideas and innovations." With a passion for learning, a focus on developing people, and a strong ability to define and communicate a desired vision, they possess all of the tools necessary to successfully inspire others and become an agent for change within any organization.

Today's agile leaders must be well-equipped to make the transition from operating as a cruise ship to operating like a battleship. The adage or cliche that "a large ship takes a long time to turn around" can no longer be applied to big organisations and the capacity of their leadership anymore. Today's leader must operate like a cruise ship fitted with onboard systems that will equip it to handle the kind of quick-change associated with battleships, they must be able to maneuver like a battleship and still guarantee its passenger's the comfort they require.

Furthermore, today's leaders must be a prototype of that battleship. They must have the mindset that every second of manoeuvrability can make a difference. Like sailors on battleships, leaders must be ready for a fast turnaround and the logistics of the ship must be built or designed to accommodate every eventuality. Agile organisations, by design, require agile leaders.

One of my fondest memories of the Gulf War, "operation Desert Storm," was the agility of the "Allied Forces". Growing up during that period, I remember I was always glued to the TV waiting to see Norman Schwarzkopf Jr.'s media briefing. Despite my inability to comprehend what was going on, I listened intently to the general's briefing each time.

Another thing that piqued my interest was the B-52 Stratofortresis, "an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber, developed with the potential of carrying up to 70,000 pounds. It was incredible to see how the jet does aerial refuelling to keep it aloft longer and reduce landings. Again, I was also captivated by the "aircraft carriers"; warships that serve as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft; as well as "VTOL aircraft," which can take off, hover, and land vertically.

Today's leaders must be as agile as this aircraft, capable of aerial refuelling. If they wish to succeed, they must be able to take off, hover, and land vertically like the VTOL aircraft, "

We live in a world where change is steadily increasing, "where the future is less predictable, where the options increase exponentially, and the way we think about these options has undoubtedly changed." We live in a world where leaders must make decisions while in flight, processing massive amounts of interconnected data.

These challenges have resulted in a shift in the rules of engagement, which the leader must be fully aware of in order to continue to succeed. It also means that, while being agile, leaders must guarantee that their organisation stays committed to its strategic objectives despite the challenges of navigating unfamiliar and uncharted waters.

It's been said that leadership agility isn't just about reacting quickly to change; it's about being able to take consistent, effective action in the face of accelerated change and increasing complexity, and getting it right. This requires the leader to strike a balance between speed and agility.

It has once again been demonstrated that the fastest animal on land relies on more than just speed to survive. Cheetahs can slam on the brakes and turn rapidly in order to be successful in their pursuits when in flight. According to new research by Professor Alan M. Wilson, For the cheetah, "The hunt is much more about maneuvering, about acceleration, about ducking and diving to capture the prey."

It's no longer about innovation; it's about intuition, the desire to get more done with less and execute with precision in uncertain settings

I'd like to know how agile you are...