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The COVID-19 pandemic caused massive disruptions to businesses worldwide, marking a fundamental change in the way many businesses operated. When put in a situation of adapt or die, some businesses were able to not only survive but thrive, while others shut their doors for good.

The organizations which shifted quickly and were able to rapidly iterate their business models were able to grow, while competitors who lagged behind saw their market share shrinking due to their inability to adapt to the uncertainty and complexity of rapidly changing markets.

Those that thrived were Agile-enabled businesses. As its name suggests, Agile is an evolving methodology that can serve businesses in all niches. Here’s how they won big:

–        Embracing uncertainty — businesses that embraced the uncertainty and risk of a rapidly shifting environment were able to commit themselves to continuously iterating and evolving themselves together with market and pandemic conditions.

–        Focusing on customers — quickly receiving as much feedback as possible and swiftly turning it into new products or product updates.

–        Being flexible — changing project requirements, expectations, or processes (even if it was late in development) to keep consumer benefits front and center.

–        Ensuring consistent quality — never sacrificing quality in the name of speed or efficiency, since providing high quality goods retains consumer loyalty.

–        Putting people first — the pandemic disrupted not only businesses but the personal lives of every organizational employee.  Companies that were able to empathize with and prioritize the needs of their employees were able to cultivate an environment rich in openness, engagement, and trust.

With these and other Agile principles in place, Agile organizations were in a unique position when the pandemic sent shockwaves through businesses around the globe. Processes were disrupted, supply lines faced shortages and roadblocks, and employees and employers alike had to worry about rapidly changing healthcare precautions which impacted their ability to carry out business as usual.

Unlike their competitors, Agile organizations had a reliable framework which enabled them to navigate and prioritize as they dealt with the pandemic, using new methods and technologies to help them connect with their customers. They became more active on social media, ensured their websites reflected operational changes with respect to COVID-19, and quickly adopted then-underutilized technology such as Zoom or Microsoft teams.

Similar measures were taken to enable businesses to work remotely or safely. Since Agile teams tend to have highly motivated individuals who make delivering high quality goods their top priority, there was little pushback in adopting new working methods if it meant a job well done.

When McKinsey & Company interviewed businesses undergoing Agile transformation, their analysis showed that when it came to the ability to perform in key sectors of business management during the pandemic, 93% of respondents said almost all of their Agile business units performed better or significantly better in delivering customer satisfaction than Non-Agile units.

Similar results were reported for operational performance and employee engagement, with employee engagement performing the worst of the three metrics (even so, 76% of respondents said Agile helped them perform better than non-Agile units did).

Agile has expanded far beyond its software roots and is still growing and constantly evolving to keep up with a changing world. That said, looking back at how businesses survived, thrived, or died during the pandemic, there’s a strong case to double-down on your Agile transformation.

The Agile Approach: Focus on Outcomes, Not Actions

As they sail the ship towards success, good leaders act as role models, setting an example for team members and boosting their performance. To continue the analogy, Agile leaders are well equipped to handle changing weather conditions or stormy seas by being quick to adapt. They combine staying power with flexibility, creating a stable work environment while inspiring the team to navigate the challenges ahead. When the going gets tough, Agile leadership can make a massive difference, boosting team performance and business growth.

Changing working methods to meet new challenges

Good leaders with productive mindsets focus on outcomes rather than actions, offering flexible work environments to teams without controlling the methods. Agile teams thrive on experimentation and lack rigidity. Since they aren’t following a set methodology to complete tasks, they’re able to change their working methods to meet new challenges.

Adaptability isn’t always easy, particularly for early-stage businesses encountering multiple challenges. With inexperienced teams, the work environment can be chaotic. Agile leadership acknowledges these challenges and creates flexible environments, allowing workforces to adapt according to the changing task requirements.

React quickly to changing circumstances

To react quickly through changing opportunities and situations, businesses need to be flexible. Today’s work environment is continuously changing because of fluctuating customer behavior. In rapidly changing conditions, teams rely on agile leadership that follows efficient and flexible execution strategies.

Since agile leadership doesn’t bind employees to follow one method for performing tasks, employees can fully utilize their unique capabilities and talents. In rare scenarios, Agile leaders may tell teams how to perform a task. But in most cases, they share the expected outcome and let the team figure out how to achieve it.

As an example, they may task teams with improving sales revenues so the business can launch a new product line. Thereafter, they consistently evaluate individual and team performance to see whether they are moving in the right direction. Throughout the process, an Agile leader concentrates on outcomes instead of actions. This helps teams put processes in place to achieve the desired results.

Agility is built on flexible environments

This approach revolves around building a flexible environment in the workplace, so team members have the freedom to put new ideas on the table. And it helps Agile leaders to grow the business with a streamlined strategy.

Agile Leadership: How to Balance Recognition and Criticism

The coronavirus pandemic has turned the world upside down, forcing  most companies and businesses  to react to abruptly changing conditions instead of planning ahead proactively. This change epitomizes why agile leadership is so important. In times of uncertainty and chaos, business agility provides the adaptability to pivot in every situation and quickly change course to restore stability and structure—a way to manage change effectively and respond productively.   

Agile business leaders and executives have a responsibility to balance the delivery of constructive criticism with encouragement for their employees. Managers must be mindful that skewing significantly  to either side of this equation will likely leave employees confused and uncertain by their leader’s overly negative or positive focus, and unable to improve their work performance in meaningful ways.

From promoting from within and providing constructive feedback to acknowledging team and individual efforts, here are some ways agile leaders can recognize and praise employees while also delivering the necessary critique required to keep their team on track and improving.

What is Agile Leadership?

Agile leadership is all about cultivating a high-performance team that understands the benefits of fluid and responsive methodology, and then applies these principles to a company’s structures, processes, and people-development activities in order to increase competitiveness. 

Agile leaders must create a carefully balanced and fair system that supports business operations efficiently. This means providing constructive criticism and feedback together with recognition for employees, while also offering necessary guidance for performance improvement. 

Encourage Your Employees

According to Balance Careers, agile leaders who use encouraging words in order to inspire employees and show support can boost morale, improve workflows, and develop strong leaders from within an organization. 

Agile leaders understand that management is not “one-size-fits-all” and it needs to adapt to varying situations. This is why  agile transformation is a valuable tool for responding in unique circumstances in the most productive and befitting way.  

Being an agile and truly transparent leader requires creating a culture in which your employees can easily acknowledge when they have overcommitted or underperformed. Remember that agility is characterized by  rapid iteration and innovation. When you encourage this level of authentic creativity and innovation, your teams will solve problems together and get more done.

Be Firm, Transparent and Fair

As an agile leader, it is important to consistently strive to be transparent, firm, and fair. What does this mean? It means that your team always knows where you stand and can rely on you to give honest and unbiased feedback that includes what went right and where they may continue to “level up.” 

Honor Employee Achievements

Experts stress the importance of having an adequate employee recognition program with an employee service award component at minimum. From international recognition programs to individual incentive programs, it’s important to recognize employee achievements to  boost morale, increase confidence, and improve self-worth. This results in greater productivity and achievement of company goals.

Prioritize a Development Lens

Agile leaders should approach both positive feedback and critique through a unique development lens. Rather than focusing on the person themself,  performance reviews should address the body of work or project that is the subject of the feedback. 

Summing Up

Both praise and criticism are essential for successful agile leadership to  achieve remarkable performance and realize both individual and team potential. However, it’s important to remember that defining or prescribing  exact phrasing  for a constructive criticism ratio is not  practical nor effective. This is because all people are  individuals and respond to feedback in different ways.   

Saved by the Bell: Using a Done Bell to Motivate & Engage Your Team

Managers are always looking for innovative ways to keep their teams involved and motivated. But you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel to keep things moving – engaging your teams can be as simple as ringing a bell. 

Scrum managers whose teams work from the same physical location can take advantage of their physical proximity to showcase each member’s progress in real time and pump up motivation. Using a simple bell – like the kind your first grade teacher used to signal the start and end of recess – and having your team members ring it each time they complete a task is an effective and fun way to signal achievement, while creating motivation for each person to follow suit. Let’s be honest – who doesn’t love having the chance to share their progress? This is the power of the Done Bell.

Implementing this tip could not be easier. Tape a bell or chime to your task board, and have your team members ring it whenever they complete a story, a backlog item, or a sprint task. The done bell acts as an audio “pat on the back.” Every time your team hears the “ding,” they know the project is advancing, and they are called to do their part. Focusing on completion and rewarding it publicly with a cheerful ring will keep your team surging forward.  

Liked this Done Bell Agile QuickTip? Just wait until you hear the others! Head to my catalogue to watch the whole series on YouTube, and let me know which one is your favourite, or the most effective for your Scrum team! You can also visit our website, thinklouder.com where you’ll be able to learn more about our training and coaching offerings.

Boosting Product and Team Success with Value-Based Planning

It’s no secret that some of the greatest product features and innovations come directly from its customers and users.  Product teams solicit feedback and ideas from users in order to understand user priorities and needs.  With reviews and suggestions in hand, Product Managers and Product Owners identify highest priority opportunities and then work with their teams to envision how to best address these and attempt to estimate projected costs in order to determine the feasibility of tackling these opportunities.

This approach is known as cost-based planning.  We design a solution, evaluate its cost and then determine whether it’s worth pursuing. This type of product planning and prioritization was popularized in traditional product development that relied heavily on upfront plan driven strategies – we need to know exactly what customers wanted so we can design and plan to meet these needs.  Essentially we are trying to answer the question: “What does the customer need so we can effectively budget and plan to deliver on these needs”

An alternative approach is to ask: “How much is this problem/opportunity worth?” or “How much are we willing to spend to address this opportunity?” and then work with teams to determine whether there is a viable solution that fits within that budget.  This approach is value-based planning. There are a number of advantages to this approach, not the least of which is making it much easier for organizations to prioritize their product development investments far more effectively.  Imagine you were planning to remodel your kitchen.  Making a list of features you desire in your new kitchen is likely not the most effective way to plan your remodel.  A better place to begin is to determine – “how much am I willing to spend on my kitchen?” and then evaluate alternative options for that budget.  Starting with the investment amount allows us to design solutions that fit that budget. 

Value-based planning allows us to engage customers in a different way.  Instead of simply asking customers for a list of product features they want, we can ask them how much they would be willing to spend on these.  Ask your stakeholders to weigh in on what solving a problem or enabling an opportunity is worth.  This helps product managers better understand the value of any given opportunity. For example, by asking the customer to estimate how much the solution would be worth to them in dollars, you can understand both the value to the customer, and whether you can deliver this feature within a budget that would justify its implementation. 

With value-based planning we can better align product investments with real-world budgets and allow organizations to better collaborate with customers to prioritize their product roadmap.

Put out the word about the win-win yields of value-based planning by sharing this quicktip below.

Liked that Agile QuickTip? Head to my back catalogue to watch the whole series on YouTube, and let me know which one is your favourite, or the most effective for your Scrum team! You can also visit our website, thinklouder.com where you’ll be able to learn more about our training and coaching offerings.