Agile Special Forces (Agile Australia 2014)

PowerPoint Presentation

Agile meets Special Forces Leadership that lives disruptionJames BrettScott KinderJames and Scott dissected two very different fields and found out they may not be so different.

James Brett BioTech Geek - 18 years in computersStill wiriting ios and embedded C code for quadcoptersPassionate about gadgets and technology and products

People DevelopmentCSCLA360 CoachMaster NLP Practitioner

Agile TransformationXP developer in 2002Consulting and Coaching in the UKSuncorpTelstraLed the Agile transformation Practice at ThoughtWorksOffshore delivery in ChinaJim Highsmith Adaptive Leadership

Scott Kinder Bio

The journey to understanding that each element has strengths that should be capitalized. They may not be as different as first thought.

Welcome to the knowledge required to unfreeze the frozen middle.

1Scotts real action video

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SCREW EMBRACING DISRUPTIONCREATE IT!Disruption isnt accidental there is no need to embrace it you plan for it, you expect it and when it comes you hit it hard and fast.

YOUR MOST POWERFUL WEAPON IS YOUR MIND

EMBRACING DISRUPTION=VICTIM MENTALITY

Great leaders (and teams)

Embrace / LivePlan Adapt 3

Agile and Special Forces James and Scott dissected two very different fields and found out they may not be so different.




Scott Kinder Bio



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Ken Wilbers four quadrants Integral Philosophy/Model

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Two completely different worldsOne fundamental concept9

High Performance Teams(and leaders)10

Special Forces Truth 1:Humans are more important than the hardwareScott and I quickly found a huge amount of synergy between our two quite disparate worlds. We found that.

Talk from a generic perspective and agree that there are 5 truths about high performance teams.

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Special Forces Truth 2:Quality is better than quantityScott and I quickly found a huge amount of synergy between our two quite disparate worlds. We found that.


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Special Forces Truth 3:Most special operations require non Special Force assistanceScott and I quickly found a huge amount of synergy between our two quite disparate worlds. We found that.


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Special Forces Truth 4:Special Forces teams cannot be mass producedScott and I quickly found a huge amount of synergy between our two quite disparate worlds. We found that.


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Truth 5:Special Forces teams cannot be created after emergencies occur.Scott and I quickly found a huge amount of synergy between our two quite disparate worlds. We found that.


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Great teams succeed despite the processesSpend your money on fewer, better peopleDont isolate HP teamsPut HP teams on the right workEnvision your capability and build it5 Truths As leaders its our job to define the basiscs.

We arent saying specifically how to do it but you should know the how.

Also, Knowledge is doing if you know thiis and arent doing them thats not enough

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These are SOF TruthsIf the military have nailed this already, what else can we learn?Some background to enhance understanding.

Substitute AGILE PERSONNEL in place of Special Operations Forces

The right person will get the job done no matter the equipment given to them.1 right person is better than 4 space fillersSpecial people are special for a reason and must be categorized as such.Proactive vs ReactiveSpecial people need normal peoples help.

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A SOF Team

A Special Forces TeamLets take a look at a typical SOF team..

Small and Stable Teams (can be given missions or projects)X-Functional and discreteEmpowered and mission focused- will achieve the objective and wont quitStringent selection process 6 months of weeding out the weak of mind and body (McRaven quote)Highly Trained, Experienced and Motivated (25:1)And of course a mustache

Leave this bit out - When planning - ALWAYS expecting disruption hope for the best plan for the worst

Your most powerful weapon is your mindA focused, agile mind. Physical toughness. Thats what it takes to join the Army Special Forces.

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Special Forces (SF) train harder, higher and longer to reach exceptional levels of competency19

Standard Operating Procedures are essential to success20

Airborne OperationsKinetic OperationsWaterborne Infiltration Techniques

Talk to a particualr specific example of an SOP21

Efficiency ConsistencySpeed Reliability

Highly efficient, consistent, fast, reliable.22

TRUST!Expectations are met. Communications are clear. Outcomes are achieved, TRUST is built.

Intra and Extra team trust.

BUT You are not special forces if you are just doing these!

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These are the basicsThey are basics and we get really good at them.

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Define your organisations basic S.O.P.sAs leaders its our job to define the basiscs.

We arent saying specifically how to do it but you should know the how.

Also, Knowledge is doing if you know thiis and arent doing them thats not enough

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Get EXCEPTIONALat them!Get exceptionals

Basics are important and they dont make high performance agile teams either.

Agile is 20 years old. This stuff isnt new!

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But the basics dontwin wars!Get exceptionals

Basics are important and they dont make high performance agile teams either.

Agile is 20 years old. This stuff isnt new!

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Wars need disruptive leadershipSome background to enhance understanding.



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The corporate battlefieldSome background to enhance understanding.



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LeadersAlignmentCompetitionPeersInfluencePrioritizationStakeholdersEngagement Productivity CapabilityTeamsKPIsExecutivesFROZENThe corporate challenge is this.30

So what do we do?If we agree on these we can see that the military have already done this, so what else can we learn from this..

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Special Forces have a disruptive mindset that Plans, Lives, Adapts and Creates disruption

Its built into our DNAThats built into the DNA of every special forces leader and team.

A common mantra is: Hope for the best, always plan for the worst.

We dont have a Victim mindset

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This is my officeVolatilityUncertaintyComplexityAmbiguity

This is our battlefield.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatility,_uncertainty,_complexity_and_ambiguity

V = Volatility. The nature and dynamics of change, and the nature and speed of change forces and change catalysts.U = Uncertainty. The lack of predictability, the prospects for surprise, and the sense of awareness and understanding of issues and events.C = Complexity. The multiplex of forces, the confounding of issues and the chaos and confusion that surround an organization.A = Ambiguity. The haziness of reality, the potential for misreads, and the mixed meanings of conditions; cause-and-effect confusion.33

This is my officeVolatilityUncertaintyComplexityAmbiguity

This is my office too

We got talking.

So we created something new..

Want to talk you through our three step framework/model

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Not skills and experienceSelectCritical ThinkersInherent AbilitySelectAdaptabilitySelectHow do we challenge people that think they do this already?

Zappos 2K offer.

25:1 ratio isnt about skillsets.

Hiring is done on Cultural Fit I like you

Dont worry the SEE slides are supposed to be place holders for us to talk about how to do it. I can TALK this stuff for hours I just want to give them food for thought so they call us.

The question begs what if I have nothing to select from and have to deal with the hand Im dealt?

Answer: find out what training you can offer that will bring people up to the expect STANDARD. Standards are unfailing and you much enforce them. If someone is unable to maintain your standard, often they must go no matter how nice they are

Think thoroughbred horses. You want a stable full of powerful thoroughbreds. What happens is that we bring in a few donkeys. No thoroughbred wants to hang with a donkey so they leave. Next thing you know you have a stable full of jackasses.

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EducateGrowth OrientedProblem SolvingEducateX-FunctionalEducateEvery day is a school day on an ODA. So lets learn.

People dont inherently know how to problem solve this is teachable. Teams are not cross functional by defauly this is teachable. No one has to become a cross functional SME, but they can pull weight in other areas when needed (sickness, loss, etc)

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EmpowerLeadershipCreativityEmpowerAutonomyEmpowerEmpowering subordinates is key. This is the most often overlooked aspect of leadership and management. We call is micromanaging and other terms, but it NEVER works for long.

You should clearly articulate what a successful endstate of the task looks like (DoD) and then allow phaselines/checkpoints/updates along the way. Truly empowered and knowledgeable subordinates thrive in these environments.

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S.E.E.Your organisation

S.E.E.The benefits

If we agree on these we can see that the military have already done this, so what else can we learn from this..

You have to live the SEE model and you have to SEE its benefits. BUT it takes practice, patience, and guidance. You cant solve a problem by using the paradigm that created it learn. 38

HighPerformanceAgile and Special forces teams are based on the same fundamentalsGet great at doing S.O.PsS.E.E. through your organisation and create a disruptive mindset

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Who knew?Ken Wilbers four quadrants Integral Philosophy/Model

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Scott [email protected]@TKGMGMT Create DISRUPTION!James [email protected]@JamesCuriously

James and Scott dissected two very different fields and found out they may not be so different.




Scott Kinder Bio



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Agile Special Forces (Agile Australia 2014)

Leadership & Management

Transcript of Agile Special Forces (Agile Australia 2014)