Why a book on Agile Transformation got me emailing quotes to friends

This year I have been working with a client on improving fluency and general language proficiency. When he asked me if we could read this book together, “Agile Transformation: Using the Integral Agile Transformation Framework to Think and Lead Differently” by Spade and Modore, I agreed, but, quite frankly, not without some dread. With all due respect to the authors, the title conjured images of paint drying, people snoring, and those years at university reading through academic descriptions of language acquisition theory.

But when I began reading the book, Oh My Gosh, my world was rocked. They were writing about changing your perspective – not just on work and organizations, but on the world in general and on yourself. They were encouraging us to look at issues from different viewpoints.

What altitude are you operating from? 

The first three chapters are explanation-heavy as the authors introduce the Integral Agile Transformation Framework (IATF). This framework incorporates four quadrants that address multiple dimensions and perspectives, as well as a range of developmental altitudes, which represent different levels of maturity and consciousness.  By integrating these dimensions, the framework addresses both the technical and human aspects of change.



Fortunately for me, these chapters also urge us to think about the attitudes, feelings, and beliefs held by ourselves, individual team members, middle managers, or senior leaders, while understanding that we all have preferences. This was something I could sink my teeth into. What altitude am I operating from? What altitudes are we and the other individuals in our team and organization operating from?   

A quotable book

It was when I started reading Chapter 5, though, that I began sending out quotes from the book to friends and acquaintances who work in Agile or Transformation. The first quote I sent out was on page 84 of my version of the book.

"Organizations are being called to do more than create products; they and their leaders are being called to bring the consciousness of humanity into the workplace, into society, for the changes the world needs."

As someone who often wonders about my purpose in life, this sentence resonated with me. Having grown up in a world where a common type of leadership was authoritarian, this sentence gives me hope for a fresher, more humane leadership future. I like the idea of being part of something that contributes to the changes that the world needs.

To be clear, I don’t teach leadership skills, but I can discuss them with my clients during our Business English sessions. And in doing so, I learn so very much and hopefully, they do too.

We are only on Chapter 7 of the book, but I can recommend it without hesitation. I only regret that I am just now reading it. But then again, maybe if I had read it earlier, I wouldn’t have appreciated it as much. In my case, when the pupil (me) was ready, the teacher came.

If you would like to read the book, I am sure it is available at your favorite bookstore. (ISBN 978-0321885319)

If you would like to read it and discuss it together, let’s have a chat about business English language coaching that gets you thinking about leadership.

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