3D Agile Leader Model — Introduction of the Three Dimensions

How to convert a traditional manager into an agile leader is a wildly popular and repeatedly discoursed management topic, given that existing managers themselves are often observed to be the stumbling blocks in organizations’ agile transformation.

Three-Dimensional Agile Leader model is a practical tool we can use to understand the multi-facets of agile leadership and thus properly measure the agility of our leaders or make agile leaders out of ourselves.

The three dimensions required of a “solid” agile leader — Servant Leader, Value Creator, and Intrapreneur — are the three critical roles a manager must assume in order to become an agile leader. Each dimension comprises three themes.

1. Servant Leader: The first dimension calls for servant leadership. To take the role of a servant leader, the manager must provide the employees with a clear, ambitious, and inspiring vision that keeps everyone moving in the same direction; he must continuously develop others by giving proper levels of autonomy and enabling informal leadership based on competency; he must also exemplify the most essential characteristic of an agile leader — authenticity — by building trust based on openness, sincerity, and strong moral values.