Agile Leadership – A Quick View on Agile Theory and Practice

Agile leadership is characterized by the capacity to adapt swiftly to changing conditions, to enable teams to operate both independently and jointly, and to promote an environment that values experimentation and creativity. It is a leadership approach that values openness, criticism, and success after failure.

In an agile leadership approach, leaders prioritise giving teams vision and direction, facilitating decision-making, and assisting in their ongoing improvement. They place a high value on cooperation and communication, and they are ready to change course, when necessary, in response to team members’ and clients’ input.

Agile leaders are known for their humane, democratic, and inclusive approach to leadership. They understand the importance of creating an environment where individuals feel empowered to take ownership of their work and collaborate with others in a self-organizing manner. By doing so, agile leaders create a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and adaptability.

Agile leadership is a people-centric approach to leadership that prioritizes building strong relationships, empowering teams, and fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.

Before you can implement agile transformation across your workforce, you have to identify the qualities that define an agile leader.

Traditionally, leadership candidates have been selected because they’re high performers in their roles. But high performers in other positions don’t necessarily possess the qualities you need in an agile leader. Instead, seek to identify leadership candidates who are capable of adapting quickly to change, display curiosity, are open to innovation, and can communicate effectively with their teams.