Let’s start by being honest. Personally, „buzzwords” aren’t my cup of tea. Can tell you, why. Simply, because sometimes I have a feeling, that in several cases these are only good for the decision makers and organisations to be in line with the trends and pretend to do something. Being fancy.
As consequences, some organisations tend to spend money in a futile way and scratching the surface without having notable effect on people as well as the organisations.
Which means, straight to the point, is sending the employees for 1 or 2 days training seminars and waiting for the miracle. Which rarely comes, I can tell honestly after having more than 20 years of experience.
Latest most fashionable word is „agile”. During its evolution, this term and the meaning behind has become quite popular.
There are plenty of manuals, trainings and advices available trying to teach, how to be „agile”.
However, I don’t really think, that it would be enough for a company to implement new processes or new org. chart (or new positions) and few days of learning in a classroom.
That’s about „doing agile”. How „being agile” looks like?
I strongly believe it’s about way of thinking, using different qualities and behave differently as organisations, managers and employees. Differently from the way they did before.
For sure, if a company wants to be agile, it might have to change some approaches, processes, responsibilities and so on. That’s the so called „easy part”. What is needed just a management decision.
On the other hand, which is even more tricky is to develop themselves to be agile. Including the good old-fashioned managers and decision makers, who grew up in an old-fashioned hierarchy.
So, question is, how to be agile as an organisation? As individuals? What is necessary to change, what needs to comply with to reach that level of .. what exactly?
Yes – behaviour. Way of thinking. Using different personal qualities.
What does it practically mean? It means evolution and not revolution.
Which takes time and cannot be done just in a short period of intervention. Some personal qualities might have to be tuned up: having vision and plans but being ready to change the paths. To be flexible and sometimes spontaneous to answer the changes the volatile environment causes. Give real authority and freedom to the employees to work. As managers/leaders you should set up and support the climate, where people can do their best. Which means some of qualities might be better lower down (takes charge).
Do you have these qualities available as managers/employees? Do you know yourself enough? Do you exactly know what’s going on inside, when acting somehow during the day? And do you know how you tend to behave when facing turbulent environment and as a result of it some of your personal qualities get overextended?
Lumina Learning Spark model can give the answers on those questions by measuring 8 aspects and 24 qualities you represent on 3 different personality level. A precise picture is developed about where you are at this moment and what should be done to be really agile. Being agile.
Not to forget – it’s just the first step on the way and not the magic cure. But without knowing yourself and your qualities that can support you „being agile” there’s a chance only „doing agile”.