Some time ago, I was giving an online lecture on Agile to an organization that was interested in embarking on its Agile journey, I found myself answering a question about scaling and adoption techniques, with the words: “Controlled enthusiasm”. The audience seemed to like that phrase and so did I. I gave myself a pat on my back that day (I’ve got long arms).
What I didn’t realize was that this phrase was already coined, well, just before I was born. So I tried to rewind back to what I meant when I said to that group “controlled enthusiasm” and bind it to what Napoleon Hill wrote about.
What is controlled enthusiasm when we are trying to teach Agile to a large organization?
1. Adopt a definite major purpose.
Start with why (again, not mine, thanks Simon Sinek). If there is no purpose, no good answer to the question “why you want to become Agile?”, is as terrible as not having an answer to an interview question “Why do you want to join us?”. Shrugging, maybe won’t take you that far I don’t think.
2. Write out a clear statement of that purpose and your plan for attaining it. Include a statement of what you intend to give in return for its realization.
If we have a purpose, a vision, we need to agree on how we will materialize it. Strategy is the medium that gets us there. Do yourself a favour, and sit down with your peer executives and agree on a strategy. It doesn’t have to be pristine perfect. You just need to agree on something. Also, what you’re prepared to invest: time, money, people? (not resources, these are things like desks and monitors).
3. Back your purpose with a burning desire. Fan that desire; coax it, let it become the domination thought in your mind.
These words echo “Leadership” to my ears. Have a vision, live that vision. Lead by example daily, embrace and promote change. If you do, you will radiate with passion and others around you will notice.
4. Set to work immediately in carrying out your plan.
In an Agile Transformation there’s little room for complacency and bureaucracy. Urgency and information are both crucial and for that, a good communication tactic is also needed. Make sure that you keep your people informed at all times, via frequent updates and good news on progress. Keep them on their toes.
5. Follow your plan accurately and persistently.
(Alas, I stood aghast reading this, since Agile is about “responding to change over following a plan”, but fortunately further down Napoleon turns it around)
6. If you are overtaken by defeat, study your plan carefully, and change it if necessary. Do not change it simply because you have met defeat.
There will be defeats, there will be lessons to be learned; many of them. Retrospect on them, don’t be afraid of retrospection; it should be your best bud. You should be looking forward to it, and grasp eagerly every opportunity you can, to learn what’s working and what’s not working. I’m not just talking about development teams. I am talking about everything else too: meetings, communication, experiments, decisions, everything. Retrospection provides us with insight on how to improve ourselves and avoid future defeats.
7. Ally yourself with others whose aid you need.
Agile Transformation is change. Change is hard. Ergo, Agile Transformation is hard. It has proponents and opposers. It’s war. Get all the positive ammunition and alliances you can to create a critical mass to move forward. These alliances will be like-minded people who will support you not only when the difficult times come but also throughout the transformation journey.
8. Keep away from joy-killers and naysayers. Stick with the optimists.
Diffusion of innovation. Stick with the early adopters and enthusiasts who embrace your vision, and want what you can offer. These will be your early allies and will help create a critical mass to snowball change. They will also provide you with honest feedback!
9. Never let a day pass without devoting some time to furthering your plan. Habits require reinforcement.
Inspect and adapt. Plans inherently change (and estimates are wrong) so treat them as such.
10. Keep yourself sold on the idea that you will obtain your definite major purpose, no matter how far away that moment seems. Autosuggestion is a powerful force in developing enthusiasm.
I read “perseverance” and visualization. During change, amongst the countless meetings, high ups and low downs, always remember why you want to change, why you want to improve. Visualizing success and sharing your vision with your peers is a powerful technique that leads to succession.
11. Keep your mind positive at all times. Enthusiasm will not thrive in a field full of fear, envy, greed, jealousy, doubt revenge, hatred, intolerance, and procrastination. It needs a positive thought and action.
Positive energy shows and smiling is contagious (good choice of words during the coronavirus outbreak, thank-you-very-much). We’re changing to improve things not to make them worse, and an iron fist will seem lucrative at times. Just keep that in mind and constantly listen to the environment around you for feedback.
