THE AGILE MINDSET A workshop to understand how our mindset affects agile environments

NIKOS BATSIOS AGILE COACH/ScM @ INTRACOM-TELECOM S.A AGILE GREECE 4th MEETUP ON LEAN&AGILE @ THESSALONIKI, 31-10-2014

“…if there is one thing agile has brought to the table it’s the realization of how   important that “fluffy people” stuff is,  and how we need to pay attention…”

Linda Rising

In this workshop we will try to: • Test our mindset • Learn about mindset and how it affects our life • Reflect on our mindset • Approach organization’s mindset • Suggest how to change the mindset

TEST YOUR MINDSET

INSPIRATION

CAROL DWECK LINDA RISING

MICHAEL SAHOTA

DO YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE DIFFER? WHY?

DO YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE DIFFER? WHY?

DO YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE DIFFER? WHY?

DO YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE DIFFER? WHY?

Today most experts believe that it’s not nature or nurture, genes or environment, but from conception on, there is a constant give and take between the two.

“Not only do genes and environment cooperate as we develop, but genes require input from the environment to work properly”

Gilbert Gottlieb, neuroscientist

People may start with different temperaments and different aptitudes, but it is clear that experience, training, and personal effort take the rest of the way

Research has shown that the view we adopt for ourselves profoundly affects the way we lead our life. It can determine whether we become the person we want to be and whether we accomplish the things we value.

Q: How can a simple belief have the power to transform our psychology and as a result the way we reacting in work&life challenges?

A: The answer is related to the mindset we follow when we are approaching a challenge.

According to research the MINDSET determines our goals, our reaction to failure and challenges, our belief about effort, our attitude towards other’s successes and received feedback

What does all this mean for us?

Carol Dweck - mindset

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTXrV0_3UjY

In  a  fixed  mindset,  people  believe  their  basic  qualities,  like  their  intelligence  or  talent,  are  simply  fixed  traits.  They  spend  their  time  documenting  their  intelligence  or  talent  instead  of  developing  them.  They  also  believe  that  talent  alone  creates  success—without  effort.  Fixed  mindset  creates  an  urgency  to  prove  yourself  over  and  over  Will  I  succeed  or  fail?  Will  I  look  smart  or  dump?  Will  I  be  accepted  or  rejected?  Will  I  feel  like  a  winner  or  a  loser?  

In  an  agile(growth)  mindset,  people  believe  that  their  most  basic  abilities  can  be  developed  through  dedication  and  hard  work.    Although  people  may  differ  in  their  initial  talents,  interests,  temperaments,  everyone  can  change  and  grow  through  application  and  experience.  This  view  creates  a  love  of  learning  and  a  resilience  that  is  essential  for  great  accomplishment.  Virtually  all  great  people  have  had  these  qualities.  

Becoming  is  better  than  being  

LINDA  RISING

LINDA  RISING

What  would  make  someone  a  nonlearner?  

The  fixed  mindset.  Being  afraid  of  not  being  smart  in  a  certain  challenge  makes  you  to  reject  an  opportunity  to  learn.  Smart  people  should  always  succeed.  Fixed  mindset  does  not  want  to  expose  deficiencies

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATIC

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATICABILITY IN AGILE MINDSET: CAN GROW

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATIC

GOAL IN FIXED MINDSET: LOOK GOOD, LOOK SMART

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATICGOAL IN AGILE MINDSET: TO LEARN

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATICCHALLENGE IN FIXED MINDSET: AVOID THRIVE ON CHALLENGE WHEN THINGS ARE SAFELY WITHIN THEIR ABILITIES.

IF THINGS GET TOO CHALLENGING (WHEN THEY ARE NOT FEELING SMART OR TALENTED) THEY LOSE INTERESET

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATICCHALLENGE IN AGILE MINDSET: EMBRACE

SEEK CHALLENGE AND THRIVE ON IT THE BIGGER THE CHALLENGE THE MORE THEY STRETCH THEMSELVES RESILIENT REACTION TO CHALLENGE

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATICFAILURE IN FIXED MINDSET: DEFINES YOUR IDENTITY

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATIC

FAILURE IN AGILE

MINDSET: PROVIDES

INFORMATION

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATICIs there something in the past that you think

measured you? A test score? Being rejected?

Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but were afraid you weren’t good at?

What did you learn or can you learn from this experience?

How can you use it as basis for growth?

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATIC

DO YOU THINK THAT ORGANIZATIONS HAVE A MINDSET?

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATICFIXED  MINDSET  ORGANIZATIONS  • Identify  and  Hire  the  Best  Talents  • Rank  &  Yank  • Great  Geniuses  DO  NOT  need  

GREAT  TEAMs  • Managers  &  Leaders  resist  in  

accepting  suggestions  (the  DARK  SIDE  OF  CHARISMA)  

• Leaders/Managers  feel  superior  than  the  others  

• Competence  people  are  in  many  cases  the  victims  

• There  is  fear  of  disapproval  and  judgment  

• Believe  in  STARS  not  in  SYSTEMS  

• Therefore  All  Star  teams,  by  definition,  will  always  outperform  any  other  team?????  

Increasingly,  many  are  arguing  that  it’s  just  as  important  to  have  good  systems  –  loosely  coupled  structures  that  leverage  the  group’s  aggregate  knowledge  and  abilities  –  than  to  rely  on  the  performance  of  a  few  superstars.  

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATICAGILE  MINDSET  ORGANIZATIONS  • Establish  a  culture  of  community  &  trust.  • Provide  learning  opportunities  and  continually  

grow  people  • Leaders  are  not  trying  to  prove  they’re  better  than  

others  • they  look  at  their  own  mistakes  and  deficiencies  

and  they  ask  what  skills  they  and  the  company  will  need  in  the  future  

• Feedback,  praise  initiatives  not  the  smartest  ideas  or  brilliant  performance,  

Agile companies believe that true self-confidence is the courage to be open-to welcome change and new ideas regardless of their source. It is reflected in the mindset, our readiness to grow. Culture of Growth and TeamWork

• No  GROUPTHINKING  • praise  learning  and  effort  given  for  a    difficult  task  • Praise  resilience,  openness  and  acting  on  critisism  

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATIC

ARE YOU A FIXED MINDSET OR AN AGILE MINDSET WORKPLACE?

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATICCHANGE YOUR MINDSET

THE GOOD THING IS THAT MINDSET IS CHANGING

IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT CHANGE IS LIKE SURGERY

EVEN WHEN WE CHANGE, OUR OLD BELIEFS ARE NOT REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH BETTER ONES

NEW BELIEFS TAKE THEIR PLACE ALOGNSIDE THE OLD ONES, AND AS THEY BECOME STRONGER, THEY GIVE US A DIFFERENT WAY TO THINK AND ACT

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATIC

HOW TO CHANGE

• YOUR OWN MINDSET? • YOUR WORKPLACE MINDSET? • YOUR ORGANIZATION MINDSET?

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATICCONCLUDING THE AGILE MINDSET BELIEVES THAT WE ARE “ALL” A WORK IN PROGRESS

THE AGILE SW DEVELOPMENT PROCESS ISN’T FIXED. IT CONTINUOUS TO CHANGE AND GROW AS WE LEARN MORE ABOUT IT

FAIL EARLY, FAIL OFTEN, FAIL FAST, LEARN CONSTANTLY. FAILURE IS AN OPTION, WITHOUT IT HOW CAN LEARNING HAPPEN?

LINDA RISING

“PERFECT IS A VERB”, KENT BECK

“CONTINUOUS EFFORT – NO STRENGTH OR INTELLIGENCE – IS THE KEY TO UNLOCKING OUR POTENTIAL”, WINSTON CHURCHILL  

TEST YOUR MINDSET

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATIC

Used with permission from Nigel Holmes, mindset graphic creator

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATIC

The Talent Myth, Malcolm Gladwell

Creating a Great Spirit of Service at Southwest Airlines: An Interview with Colleen Barrett, President.

DIVE DEEPER

LINDA  RISINGABILITY IN FIXED MINDSET: STATIC

THANK YOU