Many things can be found in the job description of a leader today. According to many, a leader is in charge of managing or leading a team, being responsible for its results, resolving conflicts within the team or developing team spirit. However, the most important task of an agile leader is to deal with the development of his team members.

Hence, one of the most important principles of agile leadership is the one that says: “Inspire others to develop and grow in a team.” An agile leader is aware of the importance of this principle, all obligations but also the benefits that this principle brings. However, it is not uncommon for leaders to wonder how to provide good conditions for their individuals and the team to develop. In order to create a work environment in which people grow and develop, several conditions need to be met:

  • It is necessary to create a psychologically safe environment. This generally means an environment in which team members are free to make mistakes, completely relieved of the ballast that such a mistake carries. However, a true leader knows that this is not enough. In order for the mistake not to be repeated, it is necessary for the team member to learn a lesson from them. This is exactly the essence and the greatest value of a psychologically safe environment. When he makes a mistake, and when he learns a lesson from that mistake, the team member will be free to share his learning with the rest of the team. If the atmosphere in the team is such that there is no negative reaction to a mistake, the whole team will learn from the mistake of one team member. The right place for group learning is retrospective, one of the key agile ceremonies. In such an environment, the team learns, grows and develops much faster than it is the case in the “traditional” team setting.
  • The leader shows by his own example how important personal development is in the whole process of learning and growth of a team. It is the fact that a strong team is made up of strong individuals that helps the leader focus on other things and better delegate tasks and activities to his team members.
  • It is necessary for the company to have a hearing and understand the agile philosophy. This is the only way to create agile culture and slowly, but daily, change the mindset of employees.

In one of our programs, Agile Leadership, we deal in detail with creating a secure environment. Leaders are encouraged to transfer a part of their responsibility to the team and thus create a “development loop”. In it, the time that the leader “saved” through delegation is reinvested in his own development, as well as the development of his team.