An agile mindset is more than agile practices, meetings and user stories – it’s a mindset that keeps you on point and helps you self-manage. Essentially a mindset is a way of thinking and being that you accept in order to adopt new norms.
One becomes an employee with an Agile Mindset:
- By making excellent mistakes
- By embracing diversity of thought
- By having fun
- By pacing yourself
- By being open to change
- By being frank and transparent
- Seeking out interaction
- By spotting anti-patterns
- By sharing knowledge freely
One becomes an employee with an Agile Mindset:
An employee with an agile mindset make excellent mistakes
Employees with an agile mindset know that if a sprint fails, it simply means that there are more improvements to be made. They see failure as an opportunity to learn. An agile mindset considers our processes and products to be growing, improving and expanding over time.
By embracing diversity of thought
Employees with an agile mindset welcome different points of view and allow for a diversity of thought. Cross-functional teams made up of a range of developers and experts makes for intense discussions and self-management. If everyone on your team is the same, they also share the same perspective. Mixing up the team can prove to be invaluable to the project.
By having fun
Employees with an agile mindset know fun when they see it. Fun is difficult to describe but easy to observe. When energy is high, people are motivated. People enjoy spending time with each other. People who have fun together, learn together.
By pacing yourself
Employees with an agile mindset create a sustainable workplace. They seek out a pace that is right for the team. They know that late turnarounds and unfinished items are indications that the pace is too fast or that there are too many actionable items. A sustainable pace keeps people engaged but not at the cost of keeping stress at a healthy level. .
An employee with an agile mindset are open to change
Employees with an agile mindset are flexible and adapt quickly. They embrace change and handle evolving conditions well.
By being frank and transparent
Employees with an agile mindset call for team members to be transparent with their work, including mistakes and failures. When you are struggling, it should be safe to admit it. When you make mistakes, it should be brought up as soon as possible in order to learn and grow from it. All failures are simply learning opportunities in disguise.
Seeking out interaction
Employees with an agile mindset seek out collaboration and communication. Leaders are simply facilitators. They have the urge to interact with other team members, reach out to people, network and connect.
By spotting anti-patterns
Employees with an agile mindset are aware when they’re using anti-patterns, which can be described as “ineffective but common solutions to problems that keep cropping up.” Teams with an agile mindset are aware of these anti-patterns and take a more active and open approach to problem-solving. .
An employee with an agile mindset share knowledge freely
Employees with an agile mindset share knowledge willingly and freely. They want to make sure that everyone is well equipped to deal with challenges and tasks. This is why knowledge sharing is a great indicator of an agile mindset.