We Need More Agile Leaders!
Each and every day in corporate America, new technologies, new world markets, and new competitors arise at a faster pace than ever before. Forget about 5-year strategic plans. Those days are over. These days, organizations barely take the time to look 12-months into their future. And, as a result, senior teams end up rushing through their strategic planning process. Indeed, all-too-often, the so-called light at the end of the tunnel is nothing more than an oncoming train no one has a ticket for.
Rushing through your company's strategic planning process just to keep the business afloat is not a good idea. Not only does it stifle innovation and stress people out, it threatens next year's profitability. And then? It's only a matter of time before stagnation sets in, 11th hour troubleshooting heads its ugly rear, and the predicable blame game begins.
The alternative? Help your senior teams become agile. In the immortal words of Charles Darwin, "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change."
Agile leaders are skillful at responding to the demands of accelerating change. They know how to deal with the inevitable uncertainty, ambiguity, and chaos that accompanies it. Dealing with change is not a problem for them. Nor is it a surprise or something to be avoided. Not only do agile leaders understand the phenomenon of change, they embrace it. And even more than that, they are able to help others navigate their way forward with clarity, insight, and a positive outlook.
Agile leadership is not a binary phenomenon. It is not an either/or phenomenon. Rather, it is a both/and phenomenon -- the ability proceed with clarity and power even when there is no path in sight.
Bottom line, agile leaders have the mindset, skills, and expertise to make wise choices on the fly. They know how to focus, empower, and inspire others. They are discerning, intentional, courageous, collaborative, and able to see the forest for the trees.
Simply put, agile leaders know how to balance the long-term with the short-term. And perhaps most importantly, they know how to create advantage in the marketplace by helping their teams bring their "A" game during times of transition, ambiguity, and change.
The Agile Leadership/Agile Teams workshop
The Seize the Future workshop
Idea Champions
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