Insights From the 2020 Class
From the participants directly!
Every 6 months, we have another “graduating” class from our leader practice program. I put “graduating” in quotes as I don’t think leadership learning is ever done, but we have to draw the line somewhere!
I have the pleasure of meeting with each of the participants to hear their personal change stories and discuss their growth experiences through the program. I also ask about how we can improve our program going forward, but that is for another post.
This post will highlight some of my favorite insights, stories, experiences and advice that these leaders would like to pass on to others. This post will also continue to update in the next month as I continue to meet with them.
Wait! This program actually works!
Zeshan shares his transformation from initially joining to “check the CAL 2 box”, to his surprise the program opened up a few new doors to his leadership awareness and behavior. Watch the video to hear some of his key “AHA”s.
Zeshan Ilyas, Agile Coach @ Siemens in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
UNLearning is as important as new learning
Agility is the ability to adapt. Adaptation requires awareness of our habits and replacing established ineffective habits with new more effective ones.
Isabella Thissen, Head of Product & Design @ Mediengruppe in Deutschland
Isabella shares 3 things she continues to UNLEARN to be a more effective leader…
1. I learned how to lead before I learned how to follow.
I was unaware of the challenges being a “follower” which made me not empathetic enough for a certain period.
2. I cannot show uncertainty.
As a leader, I must always know what to do and how to do it to be able to teach it.
3. We need to be fast or we’re dead.
If we don’t convince investors or customers, my wage and our very existence is on the line. Speed in trying things out, communication and results are the priority.
I couldn’t have summarized it better myself!
Jonathan shares 4 key Insights from his practice...
- Leadership is situational. Thus, situational awareness is vital. What goes on matters, but why is even more important.
2. You can’t begin to change others until you change yourself. Changing yourself is hard and takes deliberate practice.
3. You cannot lead others through change until you can lead yourself through change.
4. Success would have been impossible without my cohort. Need to vent? Cohort. Need advice? Cohort. Need to know you’re not alone? Cohort. None of this works without the cohort support system.
Jonathan Maziarz, Agile Leader & Coach @ Merck in Austin, TX
I’d highly recommend the Agile Leadership Journey Practice Program. It’s been an amazing opportunity for me to continue my leadership journey from an ‘achiever’ leader towards a ‘catalyst’ leader.
My personal change story can be summed up in 2 sentences: From “my way” to “our way” and from “tough and persistent” to “empathetic and flexible”. I wouldn’t have made so much progress without Pete’s inspirational leadership, amazing coaching (Karen’s a legend!) and such a friendly, fun and supportive cohort. I’d highly recommend to anyone who’s wanting to develop their leadership skills.
Expect to
challenge your established leadership habits
Zuzana shares 4 key insights from her experience...
1.Self-Awareness is critical. There was a huge space between what I thought was empowering and doing it effectively. What a mistake!
2. Asking for help of others is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of trust, collaboration, relationship building, growing.
3. Change does not come overnight. Habits are built on purposeful intent, self- awareness, experimentation in new situations, and daily practice.
4. Do not wait for others to change. Be a role model by starting with yourself to inspire others.
Zuzana Olleova, Head Global HR Solutions Centre @ Swiss Re in Bratislava, Slovakia
When less is more
Accomplishment in any discipline involves repetition. To build muscle, we don’t lift 10,000 pounds one time, we lift a few pounds thousands of times. Just as repetition is necessary for a piano student aspiring to be a concert pianist or a spiritual student aspiring to wake up, leadership competency requires disciplined repetition. Our practice program is built upon this fundamental principle.
Christian Hauser, Head of Digital Hub Engineering @ Vodafone in Zurich, Switzerland
"The ALJ Practice Program brought me another step closer to myself. The 360 feedback and the coaching was great. However, I learned that it is very tricky to really anchor the improvements in my daily life afterwards.
After several failures, I finally found a way that works for me – through the help of my cohort! A daily retrospective and planning of my meetings and how to behave.
Sounds simple, isn’t it? But I can tell you, it was a journey for me to finally arrive there. :-)
Thanks cohort 2 – you rock!”
Visualizing my change journey
Christiane Mehling visualizing her expert toward catalyst agile leadership journey
My personal vision and values of leadership…
“I want to be a human being that creates value to other people’s life – my family, close friends, team, customers and others I interact with. I want to help people to improve on what they do.”
My Values: Curiosity, Focus, Passion, Positivity, & Lightweight (decrease complexity to simplify, ease and make more fun!)
This program helped balance my power style to engage and empower those I work with more effectively. I now mute and write before I speak. I ask questions before I share opinions.
However, I am not soft. I set clear goals, communicate my intent and challenge others through probing questions.
Leadership extends way beyond my corporate responsibility
Andrew shares his personal vision and actions of leadership…
“I aspire to be THE best husband, father, friend, leader & coach.
On my journey, I will seek to continually absorb and reflect, fail and learn.”
Andrew Chapman, Personal Advisor Services Senior Product Owner @ Vanguard in Malvern, PA
In service of this vision I will:
- Build Relationships: Start with trust, break down barriers, be authentic, be vulnerable, be consistent.
2. Be Curious: Seek to understand others and be proactive and creative in finding other perspectives.
3. Self-Reflect: Dedicate time to self-reflect by analyzing my past interactions and setting intention to improve them.
4. Set Expectations: Attempt to articulate what I expect and be open enough to listen and understand others’ expectations.
Leading & Learning is Fun!
Sabine Canditt
Certified Scrum Coach & Trainer @ Improuv GmbH in Munich, Germany
My leadership focus during the program...
- More visible experiments aligned to my company’s goals.
- Taking over responsibility for well-chosen initiatives.
- Developing feedback into a natural and frequent habit.
What I learned through the program...
- Leading is fun!
- I can inspire others with vision, optimism and pragmatism
Challenging assumptions and breaking through…
Noriko Takeoka, Director of Access Strategy, Market Access and Affordability Strategies @ Merck in Tokyo, Japan
Noriko was rightly skeptical of an Agile Leadership practice program given her previous experience with another educator in this space over-focused (in her perspective) on a meditative mindset. Would this program be like a yoga meditative retreat?
Her experience broke from her “going in” assumptions. She found the tools and techniques practical and impactful.
She, for the first time, wrote her personal leadership values - what was most important to her. She became aware of not only her biases, but also the culture biases of her organization. And she was able to shift from a DOER to a LEADER and COACH with her new awareness and confidence to challenge herself and her organization to improve.
