Learn Why Agile Leadership is Needed by Today's Businesses
Nowadays, times are changing rapidly, which of course affects the industry and the companies that operate in it. This change will also affect the company's targets and operations. The key to ensuring that the implementation of change runs smoothly is a leader with agile leadership.
Agile leadership will play a role in driving innovation and creating a solution-oriented work environment for various new challenges. In addition, it can also help employees work more efficiently, effectively, and productively.
So, what is agile leadership, what are the characteristics, and how to develop it? Learn more below!
The Meaning of Agile Leadership
Agile leadership is a type of leadership that prioritizes flexibility, collaboration, and a proactive approach in dealing with change.
Path to Agility calls it a type of leadership that every manager to business owner must have in a fast-paced business environment. The goal is of course to ensure that the business remains competitive by being more flexible and adaptable to the times.
Agile leadership is not only tasked with ensuring that changes can be implemented properly, but also ensuring that these changes have a positive impact on the business, team, and that profitable innovation occurs. This type of leadership will also change the way companies make decisions.
Previously, you might have waited for input and decisions from your manager before making a choice, without hearing input from other team members. In agile leadership, you are encouraged to have more open communication and be willing to hear input from team members, not just from your manager.
This way of working is believed to increase effectiveness, support business growth, ensure employee contribution and development, and prioritize people over processes.
In addition to making decisions, there are five other characteristics that agile leadership must have.
Characteristics of Agile Leadership
According to Betterworks, here are the characteristics of agile leadership:
Adaptable
Agile comes from the word agility which means flexibility and the ability to adapt. That way, agile leadership will see change as an opportunity rather than a disruption.
This type of leader will create an experimental culture where teams are encouraged to try new approaches and learn from failure.
Visionary
A leader with agile leadership is a visionary figure. As mentioned in the previous point, this type of leadership sees change as an opportunity to grow and become better in the future.
They will not hesitate to change their vision to suit the interests of the company and industry. This type of leader also thinks about the development of their team while working at the company. They will empower each individual to improve their skills and qualities.
Resilient
Resilient means agile leadership does not easily give up or retreat when facing difficulties or challenges from a change. This type of leader will continue to think of creative solutions and innovations to solve the challenges faced.
Especially in an increasingly competitive industry, companies will look for agile managers or leaders to ensure their business targets are met.
Empowering their team
In addition to themselves, an agile leader will empower their team. Starting from clear direction and high trust in their team. Agile leadership will encourage their team to be able to make good decisions through collaboration and discussion.
Today's companies also support ownership, accountability, and ongoing development. In addition to providing trust, this type of leader will facilitate this without micromanaging.
Committed to development
With confidence and commitment to the development of themselves and their team, an agile leader will receive feedback from their team. They will use this feedback to learn and change their mindset.
In addition, with new trends, changes in market conditions, and consumer needs, leaders with agile leadership will continue to learn to develop their skills.
Benefits of Agile Leadership for Business
Here are the reasons why businesses or companies must have leaders with agile leadership:
- Increase team productivity, effectiveness, and efficiency.
- More prepared and accepting of change in business.
- Maintain and develop a collaborative culture within the team.
- Be more adaptive to changing market conditions and consumer needs.
- Increase employee retention and satisfaction rates.
- Create a positive work environment and empower employees.
- Support companies that want to pivot and stay competitive.
How to Develop Agile Leadership
Companies usually prioritize figures who are able to complete business targets and goals well to become leaders or managers. However, this person may not necessarily have the right qualities to be a leader, especially to develop agile leadership.
Therefore, to find figures who can develop agile leadership types, companies must prioritize those who are curious, adaptive to change, can communicate well, and are able to motivate their colleagues.
These figures can develop agile leadership in the following ways:
- Develop active listening and open communication skills.
- Lead by example, meaning being able to provide examples to team members in doing something.
- Be open to feedback and opportunities to learn.
- Develop collaboration, leadership, and trust skills in the team.
- Get used to experimenting and failing, then learning from it.
It can be concluded that agile leadership is a type of leadership that prioritizes flexibility and the ability to adapt. This type of leader will encourage his team to collaborate and create innovation.
Agile leadership will support the development of everyone in his team. If you get the chance to be a leader, of course this leadership style should be your reference in managing the team.
So, how do you form agile leadership characteristics and be able to motivate your team to see opportunities in change? You can learn best practices and have direct discussions with professional leaders in the world of work in the short program Team Leadership: Becoming Flexible Leaders from prasmul-eli.
Click here to register for the program now!
