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When members of a development project are asked to become a self-directed agile team, some claim that leadership and leaders are obsolete. Or, is a different type of leadership exactly what agile teams need to truly flourish? Pollyanna Pixton describes collaborative leadership tools that gives ownership and does not micro-manage. It’s one that asks the right questions at the right time to generate new ideas and develop creative products that customers need and want.

Sue McKinney: “Backing into Agile Leadership”

Converting 25,000 developers to agile methods had its challenges. The agile teams struggled and needed support and understanding from the IBM Leadership at many levels. In the midst of this, as the global recession set in, Sue looked for tools for corporate leaders that would increase the productivity after cost cutting and unleash talent and keep fostering the innovation needed to deliver results.

In this talk, she talks about the approach and challenges to identifying what kind of leadership was needed and what tools would be effective in leading distributed teams as they adopt and deliver using agile.

Speaker Bios

Pollyanna Pixton
Co-Founder Accelinnova, President of Evolutionary Systems, Director of Institute for Collaborative Leadership, Co-Founder APLN

An international collaborative leadership expert, Pollyanna Pixton developed the models for collaboration and collaborative leadership through her thirty-five years of working in and consulting with corporations and organizations. She helps companies create workplaces where talent and innovation are unleashed—making them more productive, efficient, and profitable. Pollyanna is a founding partner of Accelinnova, president of Evolutionary Systems, director of the Institute for Collaborative Leadership, and co-author of the forthcoming book, Stand Back and Deliver: Accelerating Business Agility (Addison Wesley, 2009). She co-founded the Agile Project Leadership Network (APLN) and chaired APLN Leadership Summits in London, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, and Orlando. Contact her at ppixton@accelinnova.com.

Sue McKinney
VP Development Transformation and Integration, IBM

Currently responsible for development transformational activities with IBM's software development group, her major emphasis is driving adoption of Agile and Lean principles into the mainstream of software development. Previously, Sue was a Vice President of Development for the Lotus Division where she led world wide development for Lotus Domino, IBM Sametime and WebSphere Portal. In addition to driving transformational activities within IBM, Sue works with large clients to share IBM's experience and help them scope opportunities for their own transformational activities.

MEETING AGENDA:

6:30 PM: AGILE ORIENTATION: Scrum as described by Dan Mezick of New Technology Solutions

7:00 PM: Food and networking time. WITH LIVE MUSIC, from: Dan Hermes

7:15 PM: MAIN EVENT: POLLYANNA PIXTON and SUE McKINNEY

8:25 PM: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION OF MEETING

MEETING VENUE: MICROSOFT WALTHAM. REGISTER HERE for this meeting

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DIRECTIONS TO MICROSOFT WALTHAM.