May 24th, 2023 update - I’ve added a more detailed and contextual comment from Christopher Lee that I feel adds nuance to this post. I’ve added it to the end of the article. Please take a look…
There has been a drumbeat for many years that we need more diversity in the ranks of corporate leadership—particularly women. It’s been increasing in tempo, loudness, and duration, but we still struggle. In this 2021 McKinsey report, women make up only 24% of C-suite roles, and women of color, only 4%--while we’re making progress, there is much work to be done!
The beautiful image of Fearless Girl in New York City immediately comes to mind when I think of this challenge to all of us to do better.
In a recent (February 2023) Moose Herd discussion, Wendy (not her real name) shared some fantastic news. As an agile transformational leader & coach, she had just received an invitation to the C-level table.
It’s something that potentially every agile coach wants—influence at the highest level of the organization. But to Wendy’s question, what do you do when you get it?
Gulp!
Herd Advice
Here were some of the advice ideas that came up in our Herd discussion—
Listen deeply and actively. Seek first to understand other perspectives.
Observe the power dynamics, influence dynamics, and trust dynamics, then integrate yourself as appropriate.
Build relationships; gain empathy; walk in other’s shoes.
Find a like-minded partner, just one to begin with; the point being—don’t go it alone!
Let go of any historical baggage you might have with the individuals in the room and Assume Positive Intent by everyone.
Be BOLD! Remember you’re in the honeymoon phase and have been invited for a reason.
Are all of the seats equal? Of course not. Find the value (Why) associated with your seat and lean into it!
Wrapping Up
I thought this was an excellent question and even better thoughtful brainstorming on the part of the Herd. Wendy seemed to appreciate the discourse and the ideas.
Now I put the question out to my network. How would you answer Wendy? What did we miss, and what did we get wrong?
Here’s a post about the importance of having a “real” seat at the table.
And there might be some relevant ideas for Wendy in—
Steve Peacocke’s book – Agile Coach to Chief agility Officer,
And Mark Schwartz’s book – A Seat at the Table – IT Leadership in the Agile of Agility.
Stay agile my friends, and GET that seat at the table,
Bob.
Christopher Lee sent this to me in LinkedIn on May 21st—
I read your blog post and a couple of thoughts occurred to me. A seat at the (C suite) table for a Fortune 500 might very well be different than a seat at a much smaller 1000-person firm. What might those differences be? Thanks.
This was my reply—
While I think this is a GREAT question, I'd invite you to consider writing about it and I'll post it on my blog. TBH, I love having "guests" ;-)
And this was his. I think I got more than I asked for. Thank you. Christopher for extending and deepening the conversation!
The differences between being part of the C-suite (referring to high-ranking executive titles) in a Fortune 500 company versus a 1000-person firm are primarily due to the differences in scale, complexity, responsibility, and visibility of these roles in different types of organizations. Here are some of the main differences:
1. Scale and Complexity: Fortune 500 companies typically have significantly larger operations with more employees, more departments, and a broader geographic footprint. This increases the complexity of decision-making and often requires a deeper level of expertise and understanding in managing large, multifaceted organizations. In contrast, executives at a 1000-person firm may need to be more generalist in their skills and often deal with less operational complexity.
2. Bureaucracy and Decision Making: In larger corporations like Fortune 500 companies, decisions often involve numerous stakeholders, including the board of directors, shareholders, and various department heads. This can slow decision-making processes and require a greater degree of political savvy. In contrast, smaller firms often have less bureaucracy, and decisions can be made more quickly, but this might also mean more responsibilities per role.
3. Stakeholder Management: Stakeholders in a Fortune 500 company usually include a broad range of entities such as shareholders, board members, customers, employees, suppliers, communities, and government/regulatory bodies. In a smaller firm, stakeholders are often fewer and the executive might have a more direct relationship with them.
4. Visibility and Public Scrutiny: Executives in Fortune 500 companies often operate under a higher level of public scrutiny. Their decisions and actions are regularly in the public eye, with more media attention and shareholder interest. This often requires a greater focus on public relations and reputation management. Executives in smaller firms, while not exempt from scrutiny, often deal with less public visibility.
5. Resources: Fortune 500 executives usually have more resources at their disposal, including larger budgets, more staff, and access to expert consultants. This also comes with increased scrutiny of how these resources are managed. Executives in smaller firms often have to make do with fewer resources and might need to be more creative and hands-on.
6. Innovation and Change Management: Innovation and change can be more challenging in larger organizations due to their size, established routines and processes, and resistance from within. Therefore, leading change and innovation requires exceptional leadership skills. In contrast, smaller firms are often more agile, allowing for easier implementation of new ideas, but they may lack the resources or influence to drive industry-wide innovation.
Remember, these are general differences, and there can be exceptions based on the specific context and culture of the company. An Agile coach having a seat at the table, particularly at the executive level, can be highly beneficial to an organization's Agile transformation and its continuous improvement. Here's what Agile coaches can do when they have a seat at the table:
1. Influence Strategic Decisions: An Agile coach can influence strategic decisions by bringing an Agile perspective to discussions. They can advocate for Agile principles such as transparency, adaptability, continuous improvement, and customer-centricity.
2. Advocate for Agile Transformation: They can drive Agile transformation across the organization by explaining the benefits and practicalities of Agile methods to the executive team, thereby gaining support and resources for Agile initiatives.
3. Educate and Enable: Agile coaches can use their seats at the table to educate other executives on the principles and practices of Agile methodologies. They can demystify Agile, dispel misconceptions, and show how Agile can be applied beyond just software development to benefit the entire organization.
4. Address Organizational Impediments: One of the key responsibilities of an Agile coach is to help remove obstacles that teams face in their Agile journey. Being at the C-suite level gives them the authority and visibility to tackle organizational impediments that could be hindering agility.
5. Drive Cultural Change: Agile isn't just about practices and processes - it's a mindset. An Agile coach at the executive level can influence the company culture, promoting values like collaboration, empowerment, and adaptability that are key to Agile.
6. Foster Alignment: An Agile coach can help align the company's strategy, structure, policies, and culture with Agile principles. This alignment is crucial for a successful and sustainable Agile transformation.
7. Establish Metrics and Evaluate Success: They can help the company establish appropriate metrics for evaluating the success of Agile implementation, ensuring that these metrics promote Agile values rather than unintentionally encouraging counterproductive behaviors.
Remember, while an Agile coach can bring significant benefits to the executive table, their success also depends on the willingness of the rest of the C-suite to embrace and support Agile transformation.