Agile Leadership for Mid-managers: Page 3 of 3

The best of these leaders I have worked with have certain qualities or, as Harvard lecturer Paul Stoltz puts it, a certain mindset—regardless of skill set. He and co-author James Reed wrote a book called Put Your Mindset to Work: The One Asset You Really Need to Win and Keep the Job You Love. In this book, these attributes are called the three Gs: grit, global, and good. Of these, grit stands out above the others. It is that uncommon tenacity, intensity, and resilience in everything that you do. An example of this kind of intestinal fortitude is a leader who fought through several layers of bureaucracy for two years to get a new wellness program implemented in his company. Global is about a big picture perspective, the ability to look at the world and understand the ripple effect of your actions. Good is the sensitivity to people and awareness to do good for others around. An example of good and global is an individual taking the lead for their company’s team for a charity event like the Multiple Sclerosis Walk, in which they make sure that the contributions, logistics, and any other requirements are met for the event.

As the agile movement continues to become more mainstream, there will be a call for more of these kinds of leaders. As mentioned previously, there is no such thing as a “born leader.” Leadership is learned, and here is a good way to start:

• Keep your knowledge current in what ever domain you are in
• Learn from recognized industry experts
• Gain and utilize the best, most current techniques available
• Stay certified in your area with approved courses
• Accelerate the leadership of your organization