Agile Transformations Are All about Being Uncomfortable
Stability and familiarity can be valuable—it’s much easier to have a weekly routine that you’re comfortable with rather than constantly learning and trying new things. Teams often function well when every individual member has hit a groove, but if you’re hoping to become agile, you have to get uncomfortable before you break through and find your stride.
Think of it like an exercise routine. If you’ve worked out three times a week for five years—sticking with the same types of sets, motions, and weight—it can be easy to maintain the status quo and be happy with whatever meager results you get. But in order to take it to the next level and optimize both yourself and your situation, you need to try new things, break old habits, and maybe even struggle with bigger weights.
Linda Rising, an independent consultant and author, spoke with AgileConnection about how agile is all about growth, and in order to grow, you have to adopt new concepts, practices, and techniques that will force you to change what you’re doing in a way that might not come easy.
“You know, that agile mindset affects everything. Essentially, the two differences are that the agile mindset believes in growth and in learning and that yes, of course, we're all born with different talents and different abilities, but that we're not stuck there,” Rising explained. “We can always get better. That doesn't mean that we can all be Einstein or that we'll all wind up playing in Carnegie Hall, but if we really are determined and we work at it, we can be better tomorrow than we are today.”
Whether you’re in software, architecture, professional sports, or any other career path, you might be hesitant to try anything brand new in fear of looking “stupid” or “ignorant.” But according to Rising, that's the only way that other people can see how smart we truly are.
“We're all about looking good. We want other people to think that we are smart, whereas the agile teams say, ‘No. We are willing to try and experiment. We were willing to risk. We might even not do so well,’” she continued. “I don't like to use the word failure, but that's a possibility. That will teach us something. That will give us a way of learning how to be better.”
Don’t commit to becoming agile this year then refuse to take risks, break routines, or learn something new. In order to be agile, you must be comfortable being uncomfortable. Without that, you’ll never truly grow.
