Power
I regularly receive Kim Scott’s newsletter, which nearly always causes me to pause and reflect on something related to organizational leadership. This newsletter did precisely that, and these are the terms or aspects I considered in my reflections—
Power,
Privilege,
Empowerment,
and Agency
Her article explored power or, more specifically, the potential overuse (abuse) of power in organizations. Here are a few snippets from it—
I've witnessed countless examples of leaders who, when given unchecked authority, began to engage in bullying behavior and de-personalize those without power.
This not only harms the people around them but can ultimately lead to their own downfall. It's a pattern that repeats itself across industries and organizations of all sizes.
And later,
One of the most helpful ideas I've encountered in this work is the concept of reframing "power" as "agency." Instead of thinking about power as a finite resource to be hoarded or fought over, we can view it as an unlimited well of potential within each of us.
Power Realization
Kim made me think about the power that agilists have in organizational change. We often think of ourselves as outside of organizational power dynamics.
I argue that we are extensions of organizational power, whether internal employees or external consultants/coaches. Given that, we need to be constantly vigilant in how we wield that power—both in empowering others and extending agency.
And I can’t help leaving this section without these quotes—
And for those agilistas who don’t think they have power, you do. Every one of you is the living embodiment of what Agile/agile is and what agile ways of working looks like.
Be aware of that power and wield it thoughtfully.
Moving into Agency
The other thought it inspired was for me, perhaps all of us, to lean into our agency for our colleagues, teams, and organizations we are coaching.
Brent Kelly shared this about agency leadership—
Ultimately, I believe three main building blocks form the foundation of great agency leadership:
Clarity of vision and direction
Confidence in your entire team
Culture with buy-in and accountability
And I believe it directly translates to Agile Coaching (probably in Self-Mastery).
Pete Behrens and Daniel Gagnon masterfully explored agency in their article "Designing for Agency: Moving Past Empowerment." I can’t recommend the article highly enough, as it expands beyond empowerment as we often think of it in agile contexts.
Wrapping Up
As Spiderman once said—
With great power comes great responsibility.
Reflect on your power and how you’re using it. Self-awareness of our privilege and power is one of the hallmarks of Badass Agile Coaches.
Stay agile, my friends,
Bob.