“Just as delegation is a skill that can get taught to leaders and often is, the ability to take ownership is a skill that needs to be developed in people, and organizations often do not invest in training that.” - Evan Leybourn

In this episode, we are joined by Evan Leybourn, the founder and CEO of the Business Agility Institute. Evan has been a thought leader in the realm of Business Agility since 2008, advocating for organizations to rethink how they operate, lead, and govern to become more human-centric and adaptable in the face of constant change.

Evan's journey began with a realization that organizations needed to move beyond traditional agile practices confined to IT and software development. In 2016, he established the Business Agility Institute, aiming to create a global community dedicated to redefining business structures and cultures. The Institute has since become a hub for research, thought leadership, and collaboration among professionals striving to transform their organizations.

During our conversation, Evan delves into the fundamental differences between agile and Business Agility, emphasizing that Business Agility extends beyond methodologies to encompass organizational behaviors and mindsets. He shares insights from recent research studies conducted by the Institute, including "Bridging the Divide" and "The Balancing Act," which explore the challenges organizations face in collaboration, prioritization, and leadership.

Evan discusses the decline in organizational collaboration observed between 2022 and 2023, attributing it to factors like fear-based leadership and siloed structures exacerbated by economic uncertainties. He highlights the importance of moving towards human-centric governance and leadership models to foster organizational resilience and unity.

Through candid reflections, Evan offers valuable advice on breaking down silos, aligning goals, and investing in leadership development. He underscores organizations' need to build the muscles required to respond effectively to change, no matter how unexpected.

In this episode, we cover:

• (00:00) Introduction
• (04:07) What led to the founding of the Business Agility Institute?
• (10:15) What differentiates Business Agility from agile?
• (17:20) What emerged from the institute’s recent research study on trends in organizational collaboration?
• (24:40) What did the onset of the pandemic teach us about organizational agility?
• (33:24) What did the “Balancing Act” study on prioritizaton reveal?
• (39:50) What lies behind the struggle to act on the gap between supply and demand for strategic capacity?
• (45:30) What’s the secret to sustainable change?
• (52:21) How do leaders create time for change?

Throughout the episode, Evan emphasizes that change is inevitable and constant. Organizations that proactively develop the capabilities to adapt and respond to change are better positioned to achieve their purpose and succeed in today's dynamic environment.

Cast:

Evan Leybourn
Eric Willeke
Mark Richards

References:

• Good to Great - Jim Collins
• Reinventing Organizations - Frederic Laloux
• Integral Theory - Ken Wilber
• Switch - Chip and Dan Heath
• The Principles of Scientific Management - Frederick Winslow Taylor
• Crucial Influence: Joseph Grenny et al

“Often, there’s a real lack of clarity about where we are now. And it can be a very uncomfortable, painful set of truths that people don’t want to face. But to create progress, you need to face uncomfortable truths and understand where you’re starting from." - Natalie Field

In this episode, we’re joined by Natalie Field. Nat recently commenced as CEO of Informed Decisions and has accrued a wealth of portfolio leadership experience over the course of her career. Highlights include serving as the Chief Digital and Data Officer for BUPA Asia Pacific, Chief Technology Officer at Belong, and General Manager of the digital portfolio at Australia Post.

Nat is a customer-centric leader with 20 years of global experience in innovation, customer, product, digital, data, and technology. A catalyst for change, she has worked across multiple industries, including health, telecommunications, and services. She has a proven track record of leveraging digital, data, and technology to increase the impact of existing business models and unlock new growth opportunities.

She is recognized for her ability to work across organizational silos to create an ambitious vision and bring that vision to life in a way that creates customer and commercial growth while focusing on operational excellence.

Her passion for leadership and accessing excellence in others is combined with a fierce determination to exceed expectations.

During our conversation, Nat delves into the realities of leading large portfolios and navigating executive roles. She shares hard-won lessons about balancing quick wins with long-term vision, building outstanding leadership teams, tapping into their strengths, and using metrics to drive strategic outcomes. Through candid reflections, Nat offers valuable advice on creating clarity, building resilient teams, and managing the delicate balance between purpose and progress. Her approach to leadership is shaped by a clear focus on empathy, transparency, and aligning people with purpose.

In this episode, we cover:

• (00:00) Introduction
• (04:02) Where do you focus first when you take on a new portfolio?
• (10:15) Why try to bring the biggest naysayers closer?
• (13:46) How do you balance the tension between sustainable change and rapid results?
• (19:43) What role do you feel metrics play in strategy?
• (27:31) What about purpose?
• (35:58) What stereotypes did you have about the role of a CEO back when you didn’t have it?
• (43:03) What’s the secret to sustaining energy for the vision in the face of day-to-day reality as a leader?
• (46:58) How do you pick your advisors?
• (51:31) Can you provide an example of using a strengths finder to inform your leadership approach?

References:

• Good to Great - Jim Collins
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni
• Reality is Broken - Jane McGonigal
• The Power of Full Engagement - Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
• Gallup StrengthsFinder

"Real strategy deployment empowers teams to act on strategic intent with ownership and clarity." - Karl Scotland

We’re joined by Strategy Deployment expert Karl Scotland in this episode.

Karl helps businesses become Learning Organisations through outcome-oriented, continuous transformation, engaging everyone, everywhere.

Over the last 20+ years, he has been an advocate of Lean and Agile approaches to achieve this, working with companies including the BBC, Yahoo!, EMC Consulting, Rally Software, Cisco, SDL, Legal & General, Allegis, HSBC, Bank of America, Vocalink, Sky, and Irwin Mitchel.

During this time, he has been an early adopter of XP and Scrum, a contributor to Agendashift, and a pioneer of using Kanban Systems and Strategy Deployment for product development. He is a founding member of both the Lean Systems Society and Limited WIP Society, active in the Lean and Agile community, and a regular conference speaker. As a result, he was awarded the honorary Brickell Key Community Contribution Award at the 2013 Lean Kanban North America conference.

Our conversation explores Karl’s journey with Strategy Deployment, particularly how he learned and applied it during his time at Rally Software. He explains how models like the X-Matrix help to align aspirations, strategies, and tactics by visualizing and connect strategic decisions to tangible actions. Karl emphasizes that strategy deployment is a continuous, evolving process that requires ongoing feedback and adaptation rather than a static plan. He shares how using Strategy Deployment at Rally fostered collaboration, benefited from customer involvement in strategic planning, and enabled the organization to make more informed decisions about what to prioritize and what to stop doing.

Karl also introduces us to the “TASTE” model he has developed as a framing model for understanding the state of a group’s strategy deployment:

• (T)rue North - What direction are we trying to head in?
• (A)spirations - How are we defining success?
• (S)trategy - How are we going to get there?
• (T)actics - What are we actually going to do?
• (E)vidence - What leading metrics will indicate whether we’re making progress?

In this episode, we cover:

• (00:00) Introduction
• (08:05) What led you to Strategy Deployment?
• (15:42) What is the connection between Strategy Deployment and Big Room Planning?
• (30:45) What happened when you brought real customers into your strategic planning events?
• (38:52) How would you describe the difference between Strategy Deployment and Participatory Budgeting?
• (48:20) What is the thinking behind ‘acting in the present?’
• (54:20) What advice would you give someone starting their Strategy Deployment journey?

Cast:

Karl Scotland

Eric Willeke

Mark Richards

References:

• Karl's Blog
• Hoshin Kanri for the Lean Enterprise - Thomas Jackson
• The Art of Action - Stephan Bungay
• Good Strategy Bad Strategy - Richard Rumelt