Slides as presented at the 2019 Prairie DevCon Deliver Conference. http://www.prdcdeliver.com/ Leadership at Every Level: Practices for Aligned Autonomy What does it mean to have leadership at every level of an organization? How do you create aligned autonomy in your team or organization? This talk connects the philosophy of intent-based leadership with practices that enable you to realize the benefits of aligned autonomy, regardless of where your name is in your org chart. By discovering virtual safety nets and vision balloons, you’ll learn how to pragmatically establish psychological safety and alignment of purpose, two of the core traits of high-performing teams.

1. @mattphilip
LEADERSHIPATEVERYLEVEL:
PRACTICESFORALIGNEDAUTONOMY

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KANBANMETHODPRINCIPLES
Encourage acts of leadership at every level?
— Kanban Condensed

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ALIGNMENTENABLESAUTONOMY
— Henrik Kniberg

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TODAY’SENVIRONMENT
Volatile Uncertain AmbiguousComplex

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ADAPTIVEANDTACTICALPERFORMANCE
Complex Complicated
SimpleChaotic
Relationship between cause
and effect clear only in
hindsight
Relationship between cause
and effect requires analysis
Relationship between cause
and effect obvious to all
No relationship between
cause and effect at system
level
Probe Analyze
CategorizeAct
Emergent Practice Good Practice
Best PracticeNovel Practice
Requires
adaptive
performance Requires tactical
performance
— Cynefin: Dave Snowden

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THEMOTIVESPECTRUM
The Work
Itself
Your identity,
values and
beliefs
External Forces
Pleasure (Play)
Purpose
Potential
Emotional Pressure
Economic Pressure
Inertia
DirectIndirect
— Primed to Perform

7. ORGANIZATIONS
And their design for leadership

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THEORGANIZATIONALUPSIDE-DOWN
Manager Manager
Worker Worker Worker
Executive
Worker

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THEORGANIZATIONALUPSIDE-DOWN
Manager Manager
Worker Worker Worker
Executive
Worker

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THEORGANIZATIONALUPSIDE-DOWN
Follower/
Leader
Follower/
Leader
Follower Follower Follower
Leader
Follower

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THEORGANIZATIONALRIGHTSIDE-UP
Manager Manager
Worker Worker Worker
Executive
Worker

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THEORGANIZATIONALRIGHTSIDE-UP:LEADER-LEADER
Leader Leader
Leader Leader Leader
Leader
Leader

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ENABLERS:PSYCHOLOGICALSAFETYANDSHAREDVISION
Leader Leader
Leader Leader Leader
Leader
Leader

15. SAFETYNETS
Practices that enable psychological safety
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SAFETYNETS
•Andon Cord and Dealing with Failure
•“I intend to”
•Competence Building
•Playgrounds
•Strong Communities

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ANDONCORDANDDEALINGWITH“FAILURE”

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“IINTENDTO…”LANGUAGE
Disempowered:
•I would like to
•What should we do about
•Do you think we should
•Could we
•I need to ask <name>
Empowered:
•I intend to, plan on
•I/we will
— Intent-Based Leadership® from Turn the Ship Around

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COMPETENCE+CLARITY=ALIGNEDAUTONOMY
Competence + Clarity
GiveControl
Aligned Autonomy

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COMPETENCEBUILDING

22. "The ultimate test for a leader is not
whether he or she makes smart decisions and
takes decisive action, but whether he or she
teaches others to be leaders and builds an
organization that can sustain its success even when he or
she is not around."
-- Noel Tichy, The Leadership Engine
@mattphilip #PrDCDeliver

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PLAYGROUNDS

24. VISIONBALLOONS
Practices that enable shared vision and clarity
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VISIONBALLOONS:PRACTICESTHATENABLESHAREDVISIONANDCLARITY
•Hypothesis-Driven Leadership
•Leadership Backbriefing
•Role Clarity and Design
•Company Bets/Portfolio Board
•Autonomy-Support Meetings

28. @mattphilip #PrDCDeliver
HYPOTHESIS-DRIVENLEADERSHIP
We believe that <doing/building/creating this>
for <these people / personas>
will achieve <this outcome>.
We will know this is true when we see <this market feedback,
quantitative measure, or qualitative insight>.

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LEADERBACKBRIEFING

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LEADERBACKBRIEFING

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DELEGATIONTHEATER

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ROLECLARITYANDDESIGN
•Show impact of individual
contribution
•Connect meaning of activity
•Set expectations, coach
•Provide social learning
connections
•Culture add over culture fit
Competency
Exit
Flow Channel
Engagement
Boredom
Anxiety
Challenge

33. @mattphilip #PrDCDeliver
MAKEWORKVISIBLE,CONNECTEDTOHIGHESTPURPOSE

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COMPANYBETSBOARDS
— Henrik Kniberg

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GIVEINFORMATION,NOTINSTRUCTIONS

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AUTONOMY-SUPPORTMEETINGS
•How can I help you realize your goals in the next year?
•By when would you like me to achieve these things for you?
•In what areas have I failed to help you in the past, and how can I
improve?
•What kind of things would help you feel more engaged?
•How can I help smooth your path toward mastery of certain skills?
•What does success look like for you, and how can I help you succeed?

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EINHEIT:UNITYANDALIGNMENT
— Salesforce: Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles, and Measures

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PERSONALMISSIONSTATEMENTS
— Salesforce: Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles, and Measures

39. "When people lack clarity they will optimize for
what is in their control, output that is attainable to
them but not necessarily the outcomes you want to
produce.”
— Barry O’Reilly
@mattphilip #PrDCDeliver

40. PARTINGTHOUGHTS
Creating safety nets and vision balloons
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INTENT-BASEDPRACTICESGETREAL

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INTENT-BASEDPRACTICESGETREAL
Competence + Clarity
GiveControl
Aligned Autonomy

43. “If you tell people where to go, but not how to get
there, you’ll be amazed at the results.”
— George S. Patton
@mattphilip #PrDCDeliver

44. @mattphilip #PrDCDeliver
FORFURTHEREXPLORATION
•Turn the Ship Around!
•The Fifth Discipline
•Primed to Perform
•https://www.unlearn.online/
•https://trailhead.salesforce.com/
•https://www.leanability.com/en/blog-en/2017/04/flight-levels-the-
organizational-improvement-levels/
•https://blog.crisp.se/2016/06/08/henrikkniberg/spotify-rhythm
•https://availagility.co.uk/resources/templates/