THE AGILIST [FIRST]

My journey in #agility wasn’t planned at all. It all began some five years ago when in my line of work as trainer and facilitator, I was invited to lead a #leadership focused learning session themed ‘Leading Agile Teams.’

I found the topic fascinating and decided to do some research. Even though I had facilitated many leadership sessions up until that time, I needed to understand why a team would be described as ‘Agile’. Once my research began, I was instantly drawn to the subject! I kept digging and couldn’t stop.

The concept of #agile resonated so powerfully with me! It seemed to encapsulate all the values that I hold and that I represent! I couldn’t believe it! I learnt about #agilemethodology , Agile Mindset, Growth Mindset, Servant leadership, Continuous Improvement, Iteration, Early delivery of value, #adaptability and more!
When the pandemic hit in 2020, the entire world resorted to Agility. It became that critical power skill required to succeed and to thrive. Now even beyond #covid19 , its relevance still lingers being that vital capability required to keep excelling in a highly disrupted era.
My utmost gratitude goes to the institution that nudged me in this agile direction. I have had access to opportunities and platforms all because of this all important passion. I’ve spoken and taught. I’ve taken classes and obtained certifications. I’ve articulated and designed models. I’ve written articles and papers. I’ve delivered webinars and created courses! My name is Olufunke Adio and I am an Agilist.

Comments

Agile HR (3)

HR has definitely come a long way. Many #HR professionals have made impressive success aiding their organizations in navigating multiple disruptions. Many also have managed to keep up to speed with best practices with regards to #practices , #processes and #policies . What appears to be a limiting factor though is where #HR has no clue as to why these practices are in place and therefore are unable to sustain such for long term benefits. For example, what is the purpose of Psychological Safety in a knowledge economy? What is the value drivable from a Servant/True Leadership model? And what is the essence of Employee Experience (EX) for employee engagement and retention? Any ideas? Please share.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RESPECT

For those who undermine the value of respect in their organizations, choosing rather to look the other way or underplay the unsavory impact of disrespect as a cultural norm, Training Industry’s PSYCHOLOGY OF LEADING WITH RESPECT survey shows that culture of disrespect within organizations resulted in: 1. Decreased Productivity 2. Lost time 3. Additional Costs. My take is that discerning leaders will do well to courageously address norms of disrespect. They will as a result save their organisations from attendant and perhaps unintended but sinister consequences. Do look out as I share my thoughts on the subject of RESPECT in the workplace for the rest of the week! But meanwhile, you can watch snippet of my presentation on IMPACT OF RESPECT & CULTURAL NORMS IN AGILE at the Women in Africa Conference (WIA) 2022. https://lnkd.in/dJk6-eZx

Feedback Postures

For a very long time and for some inexplicable reason, I believed that feedback was a fundamental human right. So it rattled me un-end in scenarios where I expected feedback & it never came. With my line of work as trainer and facilitator, I have experienced a significant number of instances where program organizers would worry participants about session evaluations but did absolutely nothing with the information garnered much less convey to facilitators! As I grew older however, I had to let go of my beliefs around feedback. And where it really matters I would literally demand it. Over time, I have come to realize that not everyone is as vested in the idea of continuous improvement. Somewhere deep down inside though, I wish that they did care. Why? Because successful people, systems, start-ups, organizations & nations have consistently elevated the quality of value and service delivery largely because of the premium placed on harnessing feedback from service offerings ...

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