Agile Is Not For Every Leader
I don't believe Agile is dead. Here's why:
There are companies out there, who thrive because they have embraced it.
It's not because they wrote down stickies on a wall faster than the competition.
It's because they have got it.
They understood it's about human values and how people embed those values in their everyday interactions.
They have increased profitability, gained market share, boosted customer satisfaction, and reduced churn. They have traced back those results to the fact that they dared to work in a different way.
Lucky me, I have helped courageous leaders achieve that.
They have done it.
They prioritised the right product over the pet project. They addressed problems as they emerged, rather than avoid them. They took the time to stop, celebrated together, asked "how might we improve," and made sure to test their improvement hypothesis.
They did all of that in a slow yet consistent way. Again, they have got it.
So, yeah, Agile is not dead.
It's not just for everyone (and not for every leader).
I'm not able to win an Ironman Triathlon race. But that doesn't negate the fact there are many athletes who can.
Alberto
PS: The best part? You don't need to call things Agile if you don't want to. It's a means to an end after all. Context is king and I bet some of your best experiences have been short of agile-industry-lingo, am I right? Feel free to hit reply to drop me a line.
