{"id":7565,"date":"2018-10-05T10:00:48","date_gmt":"2018-10-05T14:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.brainstation.io\/?p=7565"},"modified":"2021-01-29T09:17:36","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T14:17:36","slug":"heart-how-to-be-a-leader-in-an-agile-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/heart-how-to-be-a-leader-in-an-agile-environment","title":{"rendered":"HEART: How to Be a Leader in an Agile Environment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As one <\/span>Forbes contributor puts it<\/span><\/a>, Agile is \u201cthe world\u2019s most popular innovation engine.\u201d Arguably more of an umbrella term, it refers to a variety of frameworks that prioritize individuals and interactions over processes and tools, collaboration over negotiation, and being responsive to change over following a set plan.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goals include getting more bang for your buck quickly, while boosting adaptability and lowering development costs \u2014 and not running your team ragged in the process.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, that all sounds great. But how can modern leaders truly be successful in an Agile environment?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feng Xie, senior product director at Highline BETA, came up with a handy acronym to keep leaders on track: HEART.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This stands for five principles that he believes are necessary to be a leader in an agile environment: Honesty, Empathy, Authenticity, Respect, and Trust.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honesty<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A key aspect of Agile methodology is its incremental nature, which allows teams to keep their \u201ceyes on the prize\u201d while adapting their approach throughout regular \u201csprint\u201d work cycles, <\/span>notes global accreditation institute APMG<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that kind of rapid-fire work environment where constant feedback is paramount, Xie says honesty among team members is crucial \u2014 and it starts at the top.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have to be honest with yourself, you have to be honest with your team, you have to be honest about what you\u2019ve delivered,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those honest conversations can ultimately highlight flaws and lags in a workflow, and refine your team\u2019s product before the process moves too far along.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Empathy<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/b>Particularly for leaders who are developing an Agile environment in their workplace for the first time, a dose of empathy is essential.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, you\u2019re changing people,\u201d says Xie. \u201cYou have to understand the position these people are in and the environment they\u2019re accustomed to\u2026 you can\u2019t just bring in something and expect them to adopt it overnight.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaders also need to understand that every team will operate in a slightly different way, and it\u2019s crucial to ask the right questions to understand how their mindset impacts their work \u2014 something that\u2019s good to remember when it comes to thinking about customers as well, in order to build teamwork and develop products that hit the mark.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou need empathy for your customer, empathy for your stakeholders, empathy for the people that you\u2019re working with,\u201d Xie says.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authenticity<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re building an Agile workflow, being authentic as a leader is an important step given the high level of personal connection you\u2019ll have with your team.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Team members \u201cmust work together daily throughout the project,\u201d <\/span>note the authors<\/span><\/a> behind the popular <\/span>Agile Manifesto<\/span><\/a>. \u201cThe most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In those situations, don\u2019t be robotic or autocratic. Be warm, welcoming, and above all \u2014 be yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo build trust and transparency, you have to be honest with your team about who you are,\u201d says Xie. \u201cBring your whole self to work, and to your team.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Respect<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Respect should never be a one-way street between a team and its leader; it also needs to come from the top down, with workplace leaders setting the tone.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to have people with different levels of experience,\u201d says Xie. Showing respect, he adds, helps build the rapport that\u2019s crucial for a successful Agile team by creating a psychological safety net for staff.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put simply, you don\u2019t want to create an environment where employees feel disrespected. According to <\/span>HR and tech company Morneau Shepell<\/span><\/a>, \u201cworkplaces where employees feel disrespected experience high levels of turnover, conflict, grievances, and low levels of engagement, attendance and productivity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To put it another way \u2014 disrespectful colleagues create a culture that\u2019s antithetical to the goals of Agile methodologies, and that\u2019s bad for business.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trust<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an environment driven by a shared goal, it\u2019s important for team members to trust each other \u2014 and for leaders to trust them, too. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuild projects around motivated individuals,\u201d note the Agile Manifesto\u2019s authors. \u201cGive them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, don\u2019t micromanage or overstep, and believe in your teams enough to give them space to solve problems on their own before stepping in.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cColleagues want to feel safe and trusted when it comes to giving feedback,\u201d adds Xie, which ultimately promotes a team\u2019s ability to hit its goals. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd all of that starts with trust.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re interested in learning more about the Agile environment, BrainStation offers Agile Training<\/a> courses both on campus and online. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How can modern leaders be successful in an Agile environment? Here are five principles to keep leaders on track.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":7568,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[228],"tags":[581,582,119,150],"yoast_head":"\nHEART: How to Be a Leader in an Agile Environment | BrainStation\u00ae Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/heart-how-to-be-a-leader-in-an-agile-environment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"HEART: How to Be a Leader in an Agile Environment | BrainStation\u00ae Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How can modern leaders be successful in an Agile environment? 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