Success Through Agile Thinking | Think Cloud
Transforming your business to adopt an agile mindset can be a daunting task, and it requires a complete shift in how you think about work and can be challenging to let go of the control that comes with traditional methods.
But agile transformation can be highly beneficial for businesses, helping them to focus time and energy on the right things.
What Is The Agile Approach
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The agile approach is all about doing the important things and doing them efficiently. It's a response to the inefficient, bureaucratic ways of the past, where projects dragged on forever and delivered very little value.Agile methods have been around for a while now, but many organisations still struggle to adopt them.
They may have tried agile in the past and failed, or they may be hesitant to let go and embrace change.There are many agile methodologies, but they all share the same basic principles. Agile is focused on delivering value to the customer, being responsive to change, and working in short cycles (called sprints)
Focusing on the Right Things
Stephen Covey's Circle Of Control And Agile Thinking
Stephen Covey’s popular book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. explains there are two areas where challenges and opportunities arise:
Circle of Influence: The things you can control
Circle of Concern: The things you can't control
Most people spend their time in the Circle of Concern because it's where the drama is. There's always something to worry about, whether it's the weather, the stock market, or world events. But the reality is that you can't do anything about most things in your Circle of Concern.
However, the Circle of Influence is where you can make a difference and include personal routines, where you live and work, or who you spend time with.
The agile mindset is about taking control, focusing on the things that can be controlled and making things happen. It's about being proactive instead of reactive. And it's about making decisions based on what's important, not what's urgent. This is where they can make the biggest difference.
Expanding on Dr Covey’s work, Wily Managers explains three levels. The Circle of Concern remains the same (don’t invest energy here), but another circle appears within the core of the Circle of Influence;
The Circle of Control: The things you have direct control over—the things we can do something about without anyone’s permission or buy-in but our own. Our actions and responses fall into this direct control, and this is what we have direct influence over.
Managers believes that the Circle of Influence are the things you have indirect control over, such as other people's thoughts, reactions or beliefs.
Whereas the Circle of Concern is the area you generally have no influence over.
How Does This Help You Adopt Agility?
First and foremost, CONTROL: The key is to focus on the things in your direct control and directly impact your life and work-this is you! In order to implement change and a growth mindset, you must model the behaviour you expect of others.
Agile Control Thinking:
Am I working as a team?
Am I transparent?
Do I ask for feedback?
Do I continuously improve?
Actions speak for themselves, It would help if you first changed yourself. And, when things go wrong (and they will), don't forget to consider your reactions and responses: you want your actions to reflect the Agile principles. When you focus on what you can control, you start to see opportunities instead of problems.
Secondly, INFLUENCE: Focus on the people in your Circle of Influences who can help with getting the outcomes you want to achieve and why they would like to come on board with you?
Agile Influence Thinking:
Why should it matter to them?
What is in it for them?
How can I satisfy their needs?
You need to have a shared vision and be able to articulate it for others to get on board. If you cannot answer these questions, you will not be able to influence others and get them on your side. Building trust is essential for effective relationships and is the key to success when trying to influence team members and improve processes.
Lastly, CONCERN: The focus here is on what you cannot control but still need to be aware of. The key is not to spend too much energy on these items, or it will take away from the energy you could be putting into better things.
Agile Concern Thinking:
The only exception to this rule is if the things in your Circle of Concern affect your ability to deliver on the outcomes in other areas. If that's the case, seek first to understand, It is important to understand then to be understood, work through concepts and solutions to gently move thoughts and viewpoints closer to the other circles!
Tips To Becoming An Agile Organisation
Adopting an agile mindset is not easy, but it's worth it. By focusing on the things you can control, you can free up your time and energy to focus on the more important things in life and what's essential for your team's development.
Here are a few tips to help you become more agile:
- Define what agile means for your organisation.
Every business is different, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to agile transformation.
- Get everyone on board.
Agile transformation requires buy-in from everyone in the business, from the top down.
- Be patient.
Adopting an agile mindset is a journey, not a destination, and it takes time to change the way you think and work.
- Be flexible.
The agile mindset is all about being responsive to change and not being afraid to experiment and try new things.
- Focus on the customer.
The customer should always be at the centre of your decision-making and development process.
- Persevere.
Agile is all about continuous improvement, and the key is never to give up and keep moving forward.
If you're looking for agile transformation, these tips will help you on your journey. Remember, it's all about taking control, being responsive to change, and focusing on the essential things to your organisation. With a bit of effort, you can soon reap the benefits of agile success.
So what are you waiting for? Get started today!
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