Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
Dr. Nicholas F. Horney
Principal, Agility Consulting

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
Since its founding in 2001, Agility Consulting has enabled
leaders to anticipate and respond to change by becoming
more
focused, fast and flexible.
Nick Horney, Ph.D.
Retired Captain
Navy Special Operations (Diving & EOD)

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
Volatile
Uncertain
Complex
Ambiguous
Psychosclerosis – Hardening of
the attitudes and behaviors
about change

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
Marshall Goldsmith

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
“When the rate of change
outside exceeds the rate
of change inside, the end
is in sight.”
Jack Welch – Former CEO, GE

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
1. Select 1-2 Images that best
describe the turbulence or
uncertainty that you are
currently facing or will face in
the future.
2. Post-it Notes – Write a phrase
describing this turbulence or
uncertainty on a post-it and
attach it adjacent to the image
selected.
3. Group Debrief – Share your
turbulence/uncertainty images
in your small group and what
they represent in your view.
What does it look like to you?
Interactive Exercise

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
Larger and
More Global
Organizations
• Larger organizations require leaders with
broader experiences
• Global presence of organizations requires global
leaders
Leaner
Organizational
Structures
• Elimination of “middle management” results in
fewer developmental jobs
• Promotions now result in larger, faster changes
in responsibility
More Dynamic
Labor Markets
• Higher levels of employee movement make
retention difficult
• Easier identification and poaching of talent
increases the risk of defection
Demographic
Trends
• Retirement of the “baby boom” generation will
contribute to an executive talent shortage in the
coming years
Increasing
Importance of
Human Capital
• “Knowledge economy” makes human capital an
increasingly critical competitive advantage
• New concerns about corporate governance force
attention to leader skills and attributes
Economic
Rebound
Preparations
• Organizations assess their talent weaknesses
now to identify needs for future growth
• Organizations refine their talent management
processes in preparation for a resumption of the
“war for talent”
$
OrganizationalChangesLaborMarketChangesCompetitiveChanges
Turbulence!!
Forces of Change
Come at Us in
Many Forms and
from Different
Places …
Happening faster
and faster each
year!

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
Agility Boosts Financial Performance
Net Margin Return on Assets Revenue Growth Earnings Per Share
20%higher
30%higher
8%higher
29%higher
Industry Average
Agile Companies

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
Complete your Individual
Agility Profile™ by
individually rating your
behaviors on the self
rating form available at
your table.
When complete, find out
where the real strengths
are in your small group.
Individual Assessment and
Interactive Exercise

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
Visioneering
Sensing
Monitoring
Connecting
Aligning
Engaging
Action Bias
Decision-makingCollaboration
Innovation Bias
Customer Focus
IdeaDiversity
Expectations
Real-time Feedback
Fact-based Measures
1
2
3
4
5
0
Visioning

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
Agility Wiki™WebinarsSeminars
Executive Coaching Agility Development
Guide

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
LAP 360 available on pan platform -- reliable
and valid assessment of Leadership Agility
with a global database representing leaders in
numerous industry segments. Focuses on the
5 Drivers of Leadership Agility and the 3
Sub-categories in each Driver.
 Anticipate Change: Interpret the potential
impact of business turbulence and trends
along with the implications to the enterprise.
 Generate Confidence: Create a culture of
confidence and engagement of all associates
into effective and collaborative teams.
 Initiate Action: Provide the fuel and the
systems to make things happen proactively
and responsively … at all levels of the
organization.
 Liberate Thinking: Create the climate and
conditions for fresh solutions by empowering,
encouraging and teaching others to be
innovative.
 Evaluate Results: Keeping the focus and
managing the knowledge to learn and improve
from actions; Key Agility Indicators.

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
Participant
Receives --
LAP 360
Assessment
Report plus
the Agility
Development
Guide
Resources -- LAP
360 Technical
Guide and
Assessment
Summary via pan
catalogue or Agility
Consulting Private
Label
LAP 360 Leadership
Dimensions:
1. Anticipate Change
2. Generate
Confidence
3. Initiate Action
4. Liberate Thinking
5. Evaluate Results

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
Business Case for Agility

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
LAP 360 Results (2009 – 2011)
Overall positive shifts in transforming to a
more AGILE organization. Largest shifts in
Evaluate Results (Real-time Feedback,
Creating Expectations, Fact-Based
Measurement), Anticipate Change (Visioning)
and Generate Confidence (Connecting).
More focus needed in the
areas of Initiate Action
(Decision Making) and
Liberate Thinking (Idea
Diversity and Bias for
Innovation).

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
Agility Scenario Profile™
(An Online Situational Judgment Test)

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
To meet a very important deadline in one hour, you need help from five people. They have not
returned your e-mails. Meanwhile, a co-worker calls needing help on a complex issue. Then, an e-mail
arrives asking you to attend a meeting immediately.
Rate the extent to which each of the following describes what you would do.
(Not at all, To a very little extent, To a little extent, To a moderate extent, To a great extent, To a very
great extent)
1. Try to meet with the other five people in person to discuss the project and deadline, ask one of them
to lead the project while you attend the meeting, and ask your co-worker to wait.
2. Tell your co-worker that you simply cannot provide help at this time, attend the meeting, and handle
the project after the meeting.
3. Reply to the meeting request and your co-worker by briefly explaining your situation, and then focus
on meeting the deadline.
4. Call your supervisor and ask to meet immediately to discuss the situation and figure out what you
should do.
5. Wait for them to respond to your e-mails, refer your co-worker to another person who may be able
to help, and then go to the meeting.
6. Use your laptop computer to work on the project during the meeting and attempt to help your co-
worker via e-mail at the same time.
Agility Scenario Profile™
(Illustration of Type of Items in Assessment)

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
Reinforcing Agility
Culture within your
team – Use of the
AGILE Model to help
organize and conduct
team or staff meetings.

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
ABC 360 (Business Unit) Dashboard Main Details 1 Details 2 Details 3 Details 4 Details 5
Business Unit
Executive
Completions
Percent
Complete Goal for Year
M D
Completions
Percent
Complete Goal for Year
Manager
Completions
Percent
Complete Goal for Year
Marketing 10 20% 50 0 0% 0 10 20% 50
Manufacturing 20 25% 25 0 0% 0 20 40% 50
Sales 3 30% 10 0 0% 0 5 10% 50
Finance 3 10% 30 0 0% 0 3 10% 30
Organization
Development 4 20% 20 0 0% 0 10 25% 40
EMEA 10 33% 30 10 15% 20 10 15% 20
APAC 3 60% 5 3 5% 5 3 30% 10
1
2
3
4
5
Executive 360 Results for Business Unit
BU Executives ABC Executives
1
2
3
4
5
Manager 360 Results for Business Unit
BU Managers ABC Managers
SampleDashboard

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
ABC 360 Executive Aggregate Results
1
2
3
4
5
Innovation
BU Average
ABC Average
Main Details 1 Details 2 Details 3 Details 4 Details 5
1
2
3
4
5
Executive ABC 360 Results for
Business Unit
BU Executives
ABC Executives
1
2
3
4
5
Collaboration
BU Average
ABC Average
1
2
3
4
5
Accountability
BU Average
ABC Average
1
2
3
4
5
Customer Focus
BU Average
ABC Average
1
2
3
4
5
People Development
BU Average
ABC Average
1
2
3
4
5
Interpersonal Ability
BU Average
ABC Average
1
2
3
4
5
Shape the Business
BU Average
ABC Average
SampleDashboard

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative
ABC 360 BU Aggregate Manager Results Main Details 1 Details 2 Details 3 Details 4 Details 5
1
2
3
4
5
Innovation
BU Average
ABC Average
1
2
3
4
5
Manager ABC 360 Results for
Business Unit
BU Managers ABC Managers
1
2
3
4
5
Collaboration
BU Average
ABC Average
1
2
3
4
5
Accountability
BU Average
ABC Average
1
2
3
4
5
Customer Focus
BU Average
ABC Average
1
2
3
4
5
People Development
BU Average
ABC Average
1
2
3
4
5
Interpersonal Ability
BU Average
ABC Average
1
2
3
4
5
Business Acumen
BU Average
ABC Average
SampleDashboard

Developing Leadership Agility: A Business Imperative