Agile leaders: agile leaders at Villa Kakelbont?
"I've never done it before, so I think I can do it"
A quote from the girl with the orange braids, big shoes and coloured socks. Pippi Longstocking, how I missed you. Last week at an agile leadership conference. How nice it would have been if you were there. For you to just be yourself - bursting with self-confidence and creativity - and for us to be your friends Annika & Tommy. If only for a little while.
To learn that dreaming is allowed, to not be afraid of the unknown. To just do and experiment. To ignore existing frameworks because they don't fit into the world you live in. Like cutting spaghetti strands out of your mouth with scissors. Or reprimanding crooks who break into your house and then playing with them. Would I dare? Would you dare?
Pippi Longstocking was not there. There were other speakers, though. Mostly men. With slide-packs that look alike. With quotes from Greek philosophers, Chinese sages or scientists from the last century. Also inspiring, yet different. I missed the twinkle, the creativity and the uninhibited zest for life to explore the world.
"Take it light and serious at the same time."
AGILE LEADERSHIP: LEARNING AGILITYÂ
Pippi Longstocking, she has been around since 1949 when Astrid Lindgren wrote a children's novel about her. Today, she is a role model for learning agility: the ability to learn new behaviour and apply it in new situations. We can all do it. You just have to 'get in' fearlessly and with an open mind.
Developing new behaviours and unlearning old ones proves necessary even when we talk about agile leadership. Piles of books have now been written about it and dozens of talks have been recorded for it. Often dominating then is 'what' an executive does in an agile environment. Like having a clear vision, giving confidence and helping others. Clear, but what does that look like in concrete terms? How do you do that? Answering that question surprisingly often leaves you silent. So you have to discover for yourself what works. Be curious and have faith in yourself that you can develop. By doing and learning from and with others. That seems to work.
"I have learned to be more patient and ask others for help."
The answer from a top executive when asked what he learned about himself through agile. For me, this man gave the most personal message of the day. Open, honest and aware of his development. I am sure he can come to a party at Villa Kakelbont.
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