Leadership In Organization (BFT 316/3)

If you have tried to implement Agile in your organization, you have probably learned a lot about development practices, teamwork, processes and tools, but too little about how to manage such an organization. Yet managerial support is often the biggest impediment to successfully adopting Agile, and limiting your Agile efforts to those of the development teams while doing the same old-style management will dramatically limit the ability of your organization to reach the next Agile level. Angel Medinilla will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of what Agile means to an organization and the manager's role in such an environment, i.e., how to manage, lead and motivate self-organizing teams and how to create an Agile corporate culture. Based on his background as a "veteran" Agile consultant for companies of all sizes, he delivers insights and experiences, points out possible pitfalls, presents practical approaches and possible scenarios, also including detailed suggestions for further reading. If you are a manager, team leader, evangelist, change agent (or whatever nice title) and if you want to push Agile further in your organization, then this is your book. You will read how to change the paradigm of what management is about: it is not about arbitrary decisions, constant supervision and progress control, and the negotiation of changing requirements. It is about motivation, self-organization, responsibility, and the exploitation of all project stakeholders' knowledge. We live in a different world than the one that most management experts of the 20th century describe, and companies that strive for success and excellence will need a new kind of manager - Agile managers

Since the first edition of this book was published in 1998, many events have occurred which impact significantly upon the nature and practise of leadership – and the assumptions we hold about it. The dramatic increase in sophisticated, highly-coordinated global terrorism, conducted by passionately committed people, not afraid to die in the process, has demanded a fundamental re-think in counterterrorism responses, at the highest levels of political, military and business leadership. Geopolitical studies of the dynamics of power and power shifts, globally and locally, confirm the three classical sources of power – violence, wealth and knowledge and the changing interplay between them – as major determinants of both international and national leadership response policies and strategies. The goalposts and ground-rules are changing faster than ever, yet responses remain largely piecemeal and unco-ordinated.

Based on the popular Developing Leadership Talent program offered by the acclaimed Center for Creative Leadership, this important resource offers a nuts-and-bolts framework for putting in place a leadership development system that will attract and retain the best and brightest talent. Step by step, the authors explain how alignment with strategic goals and organizational purpose and effective developmental experiences are the backbone of a successful leadership program. An authoritative and useful book, Developing Leadership Talent is an essential tool for any leadership program.

Todays business leaders have much in common with President Kennedy. They face monumental decisions in unpredictable times; their actions have implications far beyond their own organizations; and they are judged mercilessly and incessantly by both their constituents and the media. Professionals, then, would do well to study the leadership traits that made Kennedy one of the most respected, beloved, and influential world leaders in modern history. John F. Kennedy on Leadership analyzes what made Kennedy, both before and during his Presidency, a unique and dominant force who would serve as the standard by which future leaders would be judged. Readers will learn the value of: * Planning and decision making: Consult widely, then act. * Crisis management: Dont let events manage you. * Building a team: Find your own "Bobby." * Independence: Dont follow the crowd. * Mistakes: Learn from them and move on. This timely (and timeless) book will be of interest to anyone involved in leadership.