This document discusses building a self-sustaining agile organization through leadership-driven transformation. It emphasizes that leadership must consciously develop leaders at all levels by training and coaching others, and that organizations must focus on developing the next generation through deliberate hiring and training strategies. A self-sustaining organization is able to discover new ways of working without relying on outside expertise and will continue improving after leadership departs by sustaining agile values and principles rather than specific practices.

1. `
B U I L D I N G A S E L F - S U S T A I N I N G
A G I L E O R G A N I Z A T I O N
A L E A D E R S H I P - D R I V E N
A P P R O A C H
SEAN D U N N, C D , PEng , C SP, PMP
sean.dunn@ihs.com
@SeanDunn10

2. About me
• Internal Enterprise Agile Coach
with IHS Inc.
– Provides data and analytics
to a variety of industries
– 8000+ people internationally
• I’m based in Calgary, AB
• Developer, product owner, accidental Agile coach
@SeanDunn10

3. @SeanDunn10

4. Full Metal Jacket, 1987, Warner Bros
@SeanDunn10

5. @SeanDunn10

6. @SeanDunn10

7. Mission Command is the conduct of military operations
through decentralized execution, using mission orders
to enable disciplined initiative within the commander's
intent. Done well, it empowers agile and adaptive
leaders to successfully operate under conditions of
uncertainty, exploit fleeting opportunities, and most
importantly achieve unity of effort. Importantly, it helps
establish mutual trust and shared understanding
throughout the force. Mission Command is
fundamental to ensuring that our Army stays ahead of
and adapts to the rapidly changing environments we
expect to face in the future."
- GEN Raymond T. Odierno, United States Army
Chief of Staff,
5 May 14
@SeanDunn10

8. I detest the word “Agile”

9. TECHNICAL
EXCELLENCE
TRANSFORMAT
IONAL
LEADERSHIP
LEAN PRODUCT
MANAGEMENT
• CODING SKILLS
• DESIGNING SOFTWARE
TO ACCOMMODATE CHANGE
• DEVELOPMENT ECOSYSTEM
• INCREMENTAL VA
DELIVERY
• SHORT-FEEDBAC
• WHOLE-SYSTEM
OPTIMIZATION
• INSPIRING
OTHERS
• DEVELOPIN
G
LEADERS
• BUILDING
TEAMS
• LEAD BY
EXAMPLE
@SeanDunn10

10. Alex Krivitsky
@SeanDunn10

11. Build projects around motivated
individuals. Give them the
environment and support they
need, and trust them to get the job
done.
but, how?
@SeanDunn10

12. TRANSFORMATIONAL
LEADERSHIP
• “EMPHASIZING INTRINSIC MOTIVATION”
• “HIGHLIGHTING IMPORTANT PRIORITIES”
• “ENCOURAGING OTHERS TO LOOK BEYOND SELF-INTERESTS”
• “PROMOTING COOPERATION AND HARMONY”
• “PROVIDING INDIVIDUAL COACHING AND MENTORING”
• “ALLOWING FREEDOM OF CHOICE”
• “USING PERSUASIVE APPEALS BASED ON REASON”
Bass, B.M. (1998), The Ethics Of
Transformational Leadership
@SeanDunn10

13. TECHNICAL
EXCELLENCE
TRANSFORMAT
IONAL
LEADERSHIP
LEAN PRODUCT
MANAGEMENT
• CODING SKILLS
• DESIGNING SOFTWARE
TO ACCOMMODATE CHANGE
• DEVELOPMENT ECOSYSTEM
• INCREMENTAL VA
DELIVERY
• SHORT-FEEDBAC
• WHOLE-SYSTEM
OPTIMIZATION
• INSPIRING
OTHERS
• DEVELOPIN
G
LEADERS
• BUILDING
TEAMS
• LEAD BY
EXAMPLE
@SeanDunn10

14. There is no such thing as “Agile
Leadership”
- only “Leadership”
(Agilists are people too)

15. HOW DO WE
ENSURE OUR
VALUES AND
PRINCIPLES
PERSIST
FOR GENERATIONS?
@SeanDunn10

16. C O N S I D E R
10 YEARS FROM NOW,
YOU RETURN TO YOUR
ORGANIZATION
WHAT WILL YOU FIND?
@SeanDunn10

17. Q: Where do Generals come from?
A: They are made.
@SeanDunn10

18. LESSONS
FROM THE
ARMY
 Leadership is consciously developed
early in career
 Training others is a critical skill that
must be taught and practiced
 Personnel development is a top
priority
@SeanDunn10

19. Hack (noun): A solution that solves
the immediate problem, at the cost of
long-term maintainability.
Scrum – A collection of
“organizational hacks”?
@SeanDunn10

20. SCRUMMASTERS SHOULD
NOT BE MANAGERS
conventional scrum wisdom:
ORGANIZATIONAL HACK?
WHAT IF:
MANAGERS == LEADERS == SCRUMMASTERS
@SeanDunn10

21. Now consider:
Where do come from?leaders
CEOs
product owners
managers
directors
vice-presidents
A: They are made.
@SeanDunn10

22. Common Anti-Patterns
• Outsourcing:
- Engagement
– Leadership development
– Agile training

23. If your leaders can’t teach it,
How well do you really know it?

24. C O N S I D E R
1 0 Y E A R S F R O M N O W,
Y O U R E T U R N T O Y O U R
O R G A N I Z AT I O N A N D
D I S C O V E R A P R A C T I C E
T H AT R E S E M B L E S
N E I T H E R
S C R U M N O R K A N B A N
HOW DO YOU REACT?

25. A B I L I T Y T O D E V E L O P T H E
N E X T G E N E R A T I O N ?
L E A D E R S H I P ?
T H E P A S S I O N F O R
D I S C O V E R Y ?
T H E P R I N C I P L E S ?
THE METHODOLOGY?
W H AT W I L L S E L F - S U S TA I N ?
maturity

26. To confidently walk away from
an organization, knowing that
they will continue to discover
new and better ways of
developing software
my success criteria:
@SeanDunn10

27. SOME PATTERNS
• Bring leadership into the conversation
• Focus on behaviours – let delivery be a consequence
• Accept short-term risk
• Develop leaders – at all levels – to be Agile coaches
• Create training and development plan, courses &
materials
• Developing others is a value – rewards and promotion
are based on
• Be deliberate about your hiring strategy
@SeanDunn10

28. IN CONCLUSION
• Building a self-sustaining organization requires
deliberate thought, effort, and investment
• Sustain the values and the principles – not the
practices
• Agile values are organizational values
• Culture is leadership driven
• Lead by example – model the desired behaviour

29. More Resources
• Turn the Ship Around,
Capt (US Navy) David
Marquet
• Team of Teams, General
Stanley McChrystal
• Leaders Eat Last, Simon
Sinek
• Leadership, General Rick
Hillier
• The Generals, Tom Ricks
@SeanDunn10

30. Next time….
Agile Architecture,
by Chris Edwards
@SeanDunn10