leadership

Game pieces with a leader facing the other pieces Leadership in a Time of Crisis

There’s an old saying that leadership is defined by what a leader does in a crisis. The current COVID-19 situation is such a crisis for every business. Whether you lead just yourself, a team, a line of business, or an enterprise, now is the time to step up and be a leader. Here's how to do that when times are tough.

Jeffery Payne's picture
Jeffery Payne
Employee frustrated by her absentee leader Absentee Leadership: The Worst Kind of Manager

Absentee leaders are managers who are physically present but psychologically absent. They are incompetent and disengaged, to the extent that they don't support their teams adequately. If you have an absentee manager (and don’t have the luxury of seeking another position), here's how you can try to handle the situation.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Team member pointing a finger to blame someone Is Your Culture about Responsibility or Blame?

When things go wrong, it can be helpful to understand what happened and who was involved. However, all too often organizations (and the managers within) confuse responsibility with assigning blame. The former is essential for improvement. The latter works against an effective, collaborative, productive culture.

Steve Berczuk's picture
Steve Berczuk
Leader asking an employee a question Superior Leaders Ask the Tough Questions

Inspiring quotes can be motivating, but there's more to good leadership. New leaders may feel compelled to find clever and memorable things to say, when in reality, they should probably focus less on what they’re saying and more on what they’re hearing. The best leaders ask good questions and listen to the answers.

Payson Hall's picture
Payson Hall
Team member coaching her senior manager in agile practices Coaching Senior Management to Be Agile

Embracing an agile mindset isn’t always easy, and it can be especially difficult for senior managers who spent most of their careers working in more traditional development methodologies. By trying to speak the same language and demonstrating successful self-organization, teams can help senior management become agile.

Owen Gotimer's picture
Owen Gotimer
Four quadrants of citrus fruit Effectively Measuring Agile Leadership

Culture drives performance, and agile leaders set a team's culture, so leaders should be measured at how effectively they’re doing just that. The challenge is, what might that look like? Here’s an idea for a four-quadrant measurement approach for leaders' organizational and personal effectiveness in agile contexts.

Bob Galen's picture
Bob Galen
Evolution of light bulbs Making DevOps Evolution Happen

It takes effort to evolve an organization’s culture, processes, and technology to optimize performance for a DevOps environment, and it all comes down to the people. Large-scale mobilization requires a focus on people at all levels, empowering them to discover and make the changes that will help them most. Here's how.

Helen Beal's picture
Helen Beal
Agile team bumping fists Transforming a Team of Agile Skeptics into Agilists

Coaching an agile-skeptical team demands a personalized approach. Agile introduces a different way of working and thinking, and leaders must find a way to overcome resistance and foster a collaborative culture. Take these three steps to move toward achieving an agile mindset and realizing the benefits of agile.

Scott Weiner's picture
Scott Weiner