Today’s leaders face a situation no one imagined fifty years ago: getting a hundred or more people to assemble complex and abstract ideas into an invisible, effective decision-making machine. The key is focusing on people, not process. Agile software development is transforming how businesses run. But too many leaders are in the dark when it comes to how to captain agile teams. A hands-off approach won’t work — leaders must be active participants. To lead a team effectively means harnessing their intellectual power to successful and valuable results. It takes rigor, alignment and efficiency.
Meet Michael
Michael K. Levine is a leader in lean and agile thought. As a senior executive he has driven results at Wells Fargo, US Bank and a leading software company. He has written well-received books on why we do lean & agile, how to make organizational change to do so, and how to lead for agility. The books are both instructional and entertaining, as he mixes teaching and story-telling (Tales). Michael’s most recent book is People Over Process: Leadership for Agility. This website shares more information on Michael, his models, and his books, and provides links to articles and reviews in media.
Timestamped Overview
During the discussion Michael and I discuss the following topics:
- How Michael got interested in leadership specifically within the Agile space.
- His ideas of leadership for Agile
- Three Major Frameworks for people-oriented agility
- Governance and the role of the organizational leader
- Qualities of an Agile Leader
Guest Resources
If you are interested in Michael and his resources, be sure to check out the following links
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About the Host
Scott McCarthy
Scott McCarthy is a retired Canadian Army Lieutenant-Colonel, executive leader, leadership coach, and founder of Moving Forward Leadership. During his 25-year military career, Scott led organizations responsible for complex operations, national supply-chain capabilities, and billions of dollars in assets. He now brings that experience into the private sector through his executive role with Arcanus while continuing to coach senior leaders and executives.
Scott is the host of the Peak Performance Leadership podcast, where he has had more than 300 conversations with leaders, authors, executives, and experts about what leadership looks like when theory meets reality. His work centres on the 3 Domains of Leadership: Leading Yourself, Leading Your Team, and Leading Your Organization. He is also the author of You Don’t Know Sh*t About Leadership: And Neither Do I, a practical and candid look at what leadership really demands when you’re the one responsible for getting results through people.
Transcript
The following is an AI generated transcript which should be used for reference purposes only. It has not been verified or edited to reflect what was actually said in the podcast episode.
TBC