Do We Want An Agile Culture? Agile Leadership

Scope:

This article presents a quick look at how one can determine if leaders of an organisation really want to Be Agile. Leaders can be the Heads of Departments or Leaders of Teams, or in this case Scrum Masters who lead the facilitation and coaching of the Team.

Problem:

So, if as an Agile Coach you have been asked in to discuss Agile Adoption with the Scrum Masters of a large department of a company.  But how do you know if they really want to Be Agile?
Or is this just another tick box for senior management? Cloud, DevOps, Agile Methodology, Open Source etc.

Idea:

I recently attended the CAL1 [1] course by Michael Sahota [2]. If you have not been on this course you really should go, it was amazing and insightful. On this course Michael provided a Play-Book For Inviting Growth.

I adapted this play-book for determining if the leaders (in this case Scrum Masters) of an organisation really wanted to have an Agile Culture like so:

Culture Play-Book

My simplified version of the play book flow is as follows:

1. Do you want to Grow your organisation and teams?
2. If so, why do you want to Grow it?  (Profits? Market share? Innovation? Best place to work?)
3. Michael states to drop the word Agile as it has too many connotations (I am not so sure).
4. Raise awareness Externally and Internally of the change coming. Coach the teams.
5. Do you want to change Culture? If not then Tactical or Strategic is whats left.
6. If you want Culture change you should orient towards a known Model (Teal, SDi, Sahota's model or for Scrum Master, Scrum of course!)
7. Leaders must Go First on this journey or no one else will. 

Number three may seem controversial but is Agile really the Goal? I still have my doubts.

Michael  says ince we determine that the Goal is not Agile but another leadership reason then we can focus back on the real Goal. This leads us to an diagram from Michael on what is your focus for change?

What Is Your Focus? Micheal Sahota [3]

As we can see from the diagram Tactical and Strategic benefits are at the top, but it is Culture which has the break through results. And Michael's model of what Culture looks like:

Culture Model Micheal Sahota [4]

Finally Leaders must go first. And as we are all leaders in one shape or another we all learned a lot by being one of the first people to go on the CAL1 in the UK.

Here are some photos of my class that learned so much by going first!

Micheal Sahota trains the CAL1

Group Discussion on Culture

The Agile Hand of Stop Talking!

Micheal takes us on another journey of learning!

Which Metrics Work? Go on the CAL1 and find out!

UK Class of Feb 2017 

References:

[1] CAL1: https://www.scrumalliance.org/certifications/practitioners/agile-leadership/certified-agile-leadership-program
[2] Michael Sahota: http://agilitrix.com/moreagilitrix/
[3] What Is Your Focus?: http://agilitrix.com/2012/11/tactics-strategy-culture/

[4] Culture Model: http://agilitrix.com/culture/

Speakers what to do at Conference? - Regional Scrum Gathering Porto

Scope:

This article presents a quick lightening view of what to do when attending a Conference as a Speaker. In this case the Regional Scrum Gathering Porto December 2016 (also known as Agile Connect) [1].

Problem:

When you get asked to present as we did last December, do you as some, cruise by, do your talk and then leave. Like the Panda do you eat shoots and leaves.

Or do you …..

Solution:

My co-speaker Chris and myself were invited to deliver a talk on Coaching Scrum teams [2]. While we had been selected for the Saturday, I decided to take personal time off work and arrive early to experience the Conference for the full three days.

This decision proved to be of awesome value. Not only did I get to meet many great new friends, but I also got to experience the wonderful city of Porto which is truly beautiful.

Porto

Porto Station

Then there was the presentation itself. It went really well and we had great feedback. Of course it does not always go this way. I believe this was down to the support of the organisers of the event. They truly looked after us. Great Scrum Masters all of them.

Speaking in Porto

Flaming food in Porto at the Speakers Dinner

The experience showed me that a speaking event is more than just the conference, it is the community, it is the speakers, it is the organisers, it is the people that makes it worth going too. Whatever reason you go to a conference, make sure you talk to the people. As they are the conference.

Chances are they will have the Agile mindset and you will learn great things as I did.

Agile Link: 

Being part of the Agile International community.

References:

[1] Regional Scrum Gathering Porto December 2016: https://www.scrumalliance.org/courses-events/events/regional-scrum-gatherings/2016/regional-scrum-gathering-portugal-2016

[2] Coaching Scrum Teams on Vertical Story Slicing Micro-services: https://www.agileconnect.org/conference-2016/talks/coaching-scrum-teams-on-vertical-story-slicing-micro-services/