The agile leader : how to create an agile business in the digital age

Ever feel like you and your team are stretched across multiple demands or that the goal posts change constantly? Never before have businesses felt so acutely this constant need to adapt, pivot and change tack. This book will teach you how you can not only survive in the context of digital transformation, but also thrive and grow, by adopting a powerful agile leadership model. This new and revised edition of The Agile Leader lays out clearly in eight steps how agile leaders empower their team to make decision quickly, evaluate correctly where the biggest opportunities are and mould their strategies around market dynamics and ever-changing needs. If there's one leadership skill that successful businesses have in spades, it's the ability to enable teams to adapt and grow within complex eco-systems of clients, partners and suppliers. By focusing on teamwork and collaboration, as well as promoting shared decision making and ruthless prioritizing, leaders can transform the way they work as well as how their teams function to make them more malleable. Simon Hayward is an agile leadership expert. In this new edition of this successful book, he distills years of leadership and agile research into an actionable 8 step plan, brought to life with examples of agile digital businesses. Learn how to become agile and make digital transformation and delivery part of your business as usual. Cover Contents About the author Foreword to the second edition Foreword to the first edition Preface Acknowledgements Part One Agile leadership and organizations 1 What is agile leadership? Introduction Leading in a digital disrupted world Connected leaders The agile leader paradox Agility How connected leadership contributes to agile leadership Summary References 2 Being an agile leader Introduction Starting with you Feeling safe to take risks Encouraging learning Disruptive thinking Customer vision Ruthless prioritization Performance improvement Agile decision making Collaborative achievement Summary References 3 Agile ways of working Introduction Agile management Scrum Summary References 4 Barriers to agility Introduction A transformation Barriers to building an agile business 1 Culture 2 Clarity 3 Closeness to customers 4 Collaboration Summary References Part Two Becoming an agile leader 5 Safe to explore Introduction Feeling safe Encouraging learning Summary References 6 Disrupt and innovate Introduction Disruptive thinking Customer vision Summary References 7 Prioritization and performance Introduction Ruthless prioritization Performance improvement Summary References 8 Agile execution Introduction Agile decision making Collaboration and agile teamworking Summary References Part Three Making it happen inside and out 9 Creating an agile enterprise Introduction 1 Articulate the vision 2 Flip managers 3 Build the muscle 4 Light fires 5 Embed the process Agile with a small ‘a’ Engaging your teams in the conversation Summary References 10 Agility and the network society Introduction Accelerating change Networked organizations What sort of society do we want? The agile leadership paradox in society References Index "Ever feel like you and your team are stretched across multiple demands or that the goal posts change constantly? Never before have businesses felt so acutely this constant need to adapt, pivot and change tack. This book will teach you how you can not only survive in the context of digital transformation, but also thrive and grow, by adopting a powerful agile leadership model. This new and revised edition of The Agile Leader lays out clearly in eight steps how agile leaders empower their team to make decision quickly, evaluate correctly where the biggest opportunities are and mould their strategies around market dynamics and ever-changing needs. If there's one leadership skill that successful businesses have in spades, it's the ability to enable teams to adapt and grow within complex eco-systems of clients, partners and suppliers. By focusing on teamwork and collaboration, as well as promoting shared decision making and ruthless prioritising, leaders can transform the way they work as well as how their teams function to make them more malleable. Simon Hayward is an agile leadership expert. In this new edition of this successful book, he distills years of leadership and agile research into an actionable 8 step plan, brought to life with examples of agile digital businesses. Learn how to become agile and make digital transformation and delivery part of your business as usual"-- Provided by publisher Unleash the power of agile thinking methodologies to lead your team through the chaos of digital transformation and growth.