Agile Journal Blogs
Leadership Buy In
By Ishy Bansal
The Leadership Buy-In Challenge: A Personal Journey
Over the years, I’ve worked with numerous organisations embarking on agile transformations. One recurring challenge I’ve observed is the lack of leadership buy-in and the profound impact it has on organisational culture. It’s a challenge that, if left unaddressed, can derail even the most promising transformations.
Let me share some of the lessons I’ve learned from the trenches.
Foundational Leadership in Organisational Agility
At the heart of organisational agility lies leadership that embodies a culture of empowerment and decentralised decision-making. I’ve seen firsthand how transformative it can be when leaders trust their teams to make decisions. These teams, often closest to the problems and possessing the most knowledge, thrive when given autonomy.
However, the opposite is equally true. In one organisation, the leadership team continued to manage their resources directly, frequently pulling team members in multiple directions. This constant context switching led to widespread burnout and morale that hit rock bottom. I remember sitting with one developer who confessed, “I’m trying to do my best, but I feel like I’m failing everywhere.” That conversation stuck with me as a stark reminder of the cost of micromanagement.
The Bias of Leadership Roles
Leaders often have their own day jobs, balancing strategic responsibilities with the growth and development of their teams. But this dual role can sometimes lead to an unconscious bias that fuels organisational conflict. I’ve witnessed situations where leaders inadvertently prioritised their own department’s needs at the expense of broader organisational goals, creating silos and friction.
One particularly challenging instance involved a leadership team that couldn’t agree on resource allocation for a critical project. The resulting delays not only impacted delivery timelines but also eroded trust within the teams. These experiences highlighted to me the necessity of unifying leaders early in the transformation journey.
Educating Leadership: The First Step
Whenever I start a new agile transformation, I make it a priority to engage with the leadership team early. Educating leaders about agile principles and practices is non-negotiable. In one memorable transformation, we began with a series of workshops tailored to leadership. These sessions weren’t just about theory; they included energisers and team exercises designed to mirror agile principles.
One such exercise involved simulating a scenario where decisions were deferred to teams rather than being made top-down. The leaders were initially hesitant but soon realised how much quicker and more effectively the teams operated. The feedback was overwhelming: “This really opened our eyes to the potential of empowering our teams,” one leader said.
Unifying Leadership Teams
Unification among leaders is critical. I’ve seen too many transformations falter because leadership teams weren’t aligned. One organisation I worked with made leadership alignment the first item on their transformation roadmap. They brought me in as an experienced facilitator who helped them align on goals, priorities, and the agile mindset.
The difference was night and day. Instead of competing priorities, there was a shared vision. Instead of silos, there was collaboration. This alignment paved the way for the rest of the organisation to follow suit.
Experimentation: Starting Small
Once leadership buy-in is secured, I’ve found that starting small is the best approach. In one approach, we collectively isolated a single department to pilot the new ways of working. This required meticulous planning and coordination, not just among leaders but also with supporting functions like HR and procurement. It also meant bringing third-party vendors on the journey.
The experiment wasn’t perfect, but it was invaluable. The lessons learned from that single department informed the broader rollout, making subsequent efforts smoother and more effective.
The Key to Agile Transformation
Aligning leadership isn’t easy, and it’s not a one-time effort. It requires ongoing commitment, education, and collaboration. But in my experience, once leadership buy-in is in place, the path to agility becomes significantly clearer. Leaders who exemplify empowerment and decentralised decision-making create a culture where teams can thrive.
As I reflect on the many organisations I’ve worked with, one thing is clear: the success of an agile transformation starts with leadership. By investing in their unification and education, organisations set themselves up for a transformation that not only delivers business value but also fosters a culture of trust, autonomy, and innovation.