This was the session given at Agile NoVA and is proposed for AgileDC.

2. Define Catalytic Leadership
Relationships of Leadership, Change, and Culture
Leadership Concepts to Support Change:
1. Anyone
2. In the Small
3. Environment, Support, and Trust
Some Byproducts

3. What is
Catalytic Leadership?

4. Catalyst :: an additional substance
that through its participation
increases the rateof a
(chemical) reaction and with
less energy
Wikipedia Definition (paraphrased)

5. inferring…

6. Catalytic Leadership
increases the rate of ____
with less effort

7. Fill in the _________Adoption
Transition
Transformation
Metamorphosis
Transmorgrification
…

8. … being able to
lead change
is important
because…

9. Agile Transformation
is
strategic in
nature.
(Transition, Adoption, etc.)

10. Top 5 Reasons Agile Projects Failed
Company philosophy/culture at odds w/core agile values
Lack of experience w/agile methods
Lack of Management Support
Lack of Support for Cultural Transition
External pressure to follow traditional waterfall processes
Ability to Change Org Culture 55%
General Resistance to Change 42%
Pre-existing non Agile Framework 40%
Personnel w/Agile Experience 39%
Management Support 38%
Sources: VersionOne State of Agile Survey 2016
Culture

11. • These same reasons have shown up!
• Just some mild shuffling around in percentages and
order.
• Consistently at the top is inability to change
organizational culture
Sources: VersionOne State of Agile Surveys 2010-15

12. “Culture eats Strategy for breakfast.”
- Peter Drucker

13. Decisions  Habits  Culture
Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change,
Richard Nelson & Sidney Winder, 1982

14. Most organizations don’t make fully rationale decisions
those decisions are unknowingly steeped in their habits.
Evil is committed
by
the well-meaning
The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg

15. Decisions  Δ Habits  Δ Culture

16. • How do we lead this change?
• How do I begin to take action?
• How do I do this when I am not the CIO or other
executive?

17. "The only definition of a leader is
someone who has followers.”
- Peter Drucker

18. This means anyone can be a leader.
Corollary: you only have the authority
granted to you by others;
meaning you have constraints imposed
by their willingness

19. “It’s often easier to ask for forgiveness
than to ask permission.”
- RADM Grace Hopper

20. Start with decisions where
permission is unnecessary.

21. For meetings you conduct, could you do ANY of these?
• Post purpose and agendas in room
• Send these out in the invite
• Make these agenda items questions to answer vs bullet point lists
(“In what way will we measure the impact of this solution?”)
• Send out read-aheads before meetings
• Create a parking lot for off-topic items
• Use time-boxes on particular discussion points
• Use exercises vs free-form discussion
• Provide a visual means for seeing progress during the meeting
(Checklist, Meeting Kanban, pile of index cards with the topics on
them)
• Solicit input ahead of time for the agenda and find out concerns
• Use the invite lines: Required, Optional, FYI (that it is occurring)
What of these are synergistic? Which ones require another
one to be in place?

22. When learning information from another, could you
do ANY of these?
• Ask open-ended questions (Turn yes/no questions into --
what options do you think we have?)
• Ask about what things are most important
• Repeat/paraphrase what you heard and ask if you have
it right?
• Listen for changes in HOW the person tells you the
answer, not only what they say
• Be mindful of your own facial expressions or body
language

23. Something to remember…
Leadership in a traditional sense
tends to view it in terms of linear
transactions and roles, not organic
relationships between people
exerting influence.
-Gerald Weinberg
(paraphrased)

24. • In 5 min, by yourself, write down in WHAT WAYS
my examples (for learning info from another or
conducting organized meetings) may exert
influence.
• What are some examples you can share?

25. For the next two slides,
record each concept you can
do where permission is
unnecessary.

26. Some other
Liberating
Structures
TRIZ /
List what you can do to get the worst possible result
Doing any of that? (be brutally honest)
Create actions to eliminate these behaviors
Appreciative Interviews /
Have another tell a story of something most proud of…
What made that possible?
Five Whys /
Ask why at least 5 times
Gets to root-cause
Lean Coffee /
Generate topics of interest
Prioritize
Openly Discuss in a timebox
Decide on actions to take
Vote to continue or dismiss
WINFY /
You generate what you need
ID who you need it from
Get unambiguous responses
from providers
The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures – Lipmanowicz & McCandless
Open Space /
Get a space
Create an invitation
Right people
Right time
Over when over
Only thing that could happen
Law of Two Feet

27. Some Fearless Change Patterns
Fearless Change and More Fearless Change – Manns & Rising
discuss the ideas at Brown Bags as everyone enjoys food
find an interested Guru, convert them, so they are on Your Side
get a Champion Skeptic,
someone that is a critic on the inside
create a Big Jolt by giving a well-known person
an invitation to present on the topic
periodically reflect to have an Evolving Vision
Piggyback on other ideas, work, or meetings to get the idea heard
show Sincere Appreciation to those that help you
show your passion as an Evangelist
find the Go-To Person for different critical issues
where you need help
Advertise Your Successes

28. 16How many of the sixteen did
you record?

29. approaches as
these low effort
Think of

30. = lower riskand

31. occur in
that you will lead
The changes
Environment
Support
Trust
Where did that come from..?

32. Build projects around motivated individuals.
Give them the environment and support they need,
and trust them to get the job done.

33. Environment ∆s
climate and structures,
Examples: the set of
communication paths, authority for
decisions, safety for open
discussions

34. “Leadership is the process of creating
an environment in which people
become empowered.”
-Gerald Weinberg

35. Example Environment Questions:
What stands in the way of change in terms of -
• team size?
• how management conveys direction?
• what happens when mistakes are made?
• rewards to people?

36. Support ∆s
beyond infrastructure needs…
how communications are conducted
and the resulting decisions

37. • Cognitive Empathy
• Curiosity
• Commitment
• Congruence
• Work towards shared
mental models
• Ask questions; look for
root-cause (not blame)
• Follow-through on
decisions
• Conversations and
dialogue about change
and alignment

38. Trust ∆s
how risk taking, and thus opening
vulnerability, between co-workers, and
between co-workers and supervisors
(granting authority) improves the climate

39. “Leadership is a two-way street,
loyalty up and loyalty down. Respect
for one's superiors; care for one's
crew.”
- RADM Grace Hopper

40. Trustor’s
Propensity
Trust
Perceived
Risk
Risk Taking in
the Relationship
Authority
Benevolence
Integrity
Factors of
Perceived
Trustworthiness
Outcomes
Model of Organizational Trust
“An Integrative Model of Organizational Trust”; Mayer, Davis, & Schoorman;
Academy of Management Review; 1995; page 715 (available at JSTOR)
Vulnerabilty

41. Trust-Building Examples:
Small (low risk) assignments
Promises made & kept (integrity)
Congruence with stated intention (benevolence)
Decisions made and not over-turned (authority)

42. Environment
Support
Trust

43. Trustor’s
Propensity
Trust
Perceived
Risk
Risk Taking in
the Relationship
Authority
Benevolence
Integrity
Factors of
Perceived
Trustworthiness
Outcomes
How Fearless Change & Liberating Structures Fit
“An Integrative Model of Organizational Trust”; Mayer, Davis, & Schoorman;
Academy of Management Review; 1995; page 715 (available at JSTOR)
Vulnerabilty
TRIZ
Small Changes
Lower
Advertise
Successes
Just Do It
Ask for Help
WINFY
Sincere
Appreciation
Use a
Champion Skeptic

44. Environment
Support
Trust
Open
Space
Five
Whys
Appreciative
Inquiry
More How Fearless Change & Liberating Structures Fit

45. • Opens up more engagement
• Uses our normal networks to spread ideas
• Improves culture, trust, and ultimately change at a
natural pace
• Helps people align with purpose

46. These can be found at –
https://www.excella.com/insights/author/paul-
boos
• Becoming a Catalyst, Part One
• Becoming a Catalyst, Part Two

47. What questions do you have?

48. Paul M. Boos
http://paulmboos.com
paul.boos@excella.com
@paul_boos
703-307-4322 (mobile)
Games for Agility, Learning,
and Engagement (GALE)
Agile Dialogues