Leadership Agility: Five Levels of Mastery for Anticipating and Initiating Change

by William B. Joiner, Stephen A. Josephs

Leadership Agility is the master competency needed for sustained success in today’s complex, fast-paced business environment. Richly illustrated with stories based on original research and decades of work with clients, this groundbreaking book identifies five levels that leaders move through in developing their agility. Significantly, only 10% have mastered the level of agility needed for consistent effectiveness in our turbulent era of global competition. Written in an engaging, down-to-earth style, this book not only provides a map that guides readers in identifying their current level of agility. It also provides practical advice and concrete examples that show managers and leadership development professionals how they can bring greater agility to the initiatives they take every day.

Genres: Leadership, Business, Management, Nonfiction, Professional Development, Personal Development

336 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2006

Reviews

[Ralf Kruse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Agile Coaches are Catalysts. In this sense, this book helps to reflect your leadership style and helps to develop beyond heroic leadership styles.
The model with the dimensions Self-Leadership, Creative, Stakeholder and Context-Setting Agility gives clear guidance on where you are and where you could develop.
The book is full of great stories and I really enjoyed reading it.

[Nadya Ichinomiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woah, this was a very challenging book to read, not because it wasn’t good but because it was.

Very intense. Not the usual “easy-breezy“ business book. And not for the faint of heart who want some quick tips!

Had an almost constant feeling of “jaw-dropping-ness,” like when watching “The Matrix” for the first time.

For example, if you are familiar with Jim Collins’ book, “Good to Great,” you’ll know about the idea of the Level 5 Leader, someone who is at the pinnacle of leadership mastery.

Not so fast.

These authors posit that the Level 5 Leader is actually only at the Achiever Level, and that there are THREE (3!) more levels!

Will need to read this book again.

And, am lucky that I am in the middle of working on my Leadership Agility 360, so I can develop my own leadership and increase my level of contribution to society and the world.

Bracing and challenging stuff, enjoy the climb!

[Meg Lightheart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just for formal 'leaders' but for people in organisations and people who work with people in organisations, this book outlines a meta-framework that gives you a new lens to look through. Much needed in the world. HIGHLY recommended.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was written in 2007, so I give it some credit for reflecting the thinking of its time. If it had been written today, however, I would consider it a complete failure - based on my more than a decade of experience coaching and advising organizations and individuals in Agility.

The positive aspect is that the book does offer a collection of interesting ideas and information.

The first major issue for me is its use of five levels of leadership. I personally prefer the concept of levels of consciousness based on stage development models, such as the one introduced by Richard Barrett in The Values-Driven Organization. The foundational work referenced in this book from Ken Wilber’s A Brief History of Everything is also relevant. Both approaches are far more human-focused than the Agile Leadership categories presented here.

I also strongly disagree with the book’s monetary focus. According to the authors, Agile Leadership appears to be necessary primarily for profit maximization, for increasing personal status and income, and for climbing hierarchical ladders. I believe this reflects an outdated and narrow worldview. Modern organizations are human-centered, not money-centered.

My main critique, however, is that the entire narrative is built around managerial roles within a dominator hierarchy - especially CEOs. In my view, organizations based on dominator hierarchies are outdated. These structures may have been suitable 120 years ago when they contributed to significant economic growth, but times have changed. People have changed. Societies have changed. Mindsets have changed. Our environment has changed. And as the authors themselves note, we now live in a highly complex, interdependent, and interconnected world. Therefore, these old organizational models are no longer adequate. As mentioned above, I believe the future belongs to human-focused enterprises that operate without formal hierarchies and instead concentrate on human well-being. Leadership is still necessary, of course - just not tied to fixed positions in a hierarchy. It should be open to anyone who is able and willing to step into it when needed.

[Pete Behrens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bill Joiner is more than an author to me—he’s been a mentor, coach, and colleague. His work with Stephen Josephs bridged my own journey from the technical world of Agile frameworks into a broader understanding of agility as a leadership competency.

Their five stages—Expert, Achiever, Catalyst, Co-Creator, and Synergist—offer more than a model; they provide a developmental pathway for leaders who want to grow with the complexity around them. What I value most is their emphasis on post-heroic leadership: the recognition that effectiveness comes less from relying on one’s own expertise and more from creating the conditions where collective intelligence can thrive. This book has shaped not only how I teach and coach leaders, but how I strive to lead myself.

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in a few campaigns over a couple years which was not the best way to understand the book. That said, even if I plowed through in one sitting, I would have found the new jargon and plethora of people's names challenging to keep straight. Reading the case studies was fine, but don't ask me to remember Susie from the Achiever chapter and expect that to mean anything to me. I did take several things from this book and I do appreciate the research and thought that went into it.

[Joao · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably one of the best books on leadership evolution.
Very structured and objective with clear language and stories.
I would recommend this for current and future leaders, the assessment of the level to the models that are presented help to understand some of your past actions and may influence your future.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that he introduces mental models and vocabularies to discuss some of the less concrete components to leadership. His skills breakdown at each developmental stage is very helpful as is the strong backing in research and case studies.

[Liudas Mikal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely the best book on leadership I read. Especially for the people who have spent more time working on tasks that don't require much interaction and now need to grow in leadership field.

[Christopher Herbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. First 2 chapters lay out a nice progression of behaviors and mindsets that correspond with different stages of leadership, but the book is practically unreadable.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not your usual mumbo-jumbo. My expectations for business books are low, and this book did not disappoint in the overuse of poorly constructed stories to bring home key points (please leave the stories to the storytellers), overdetermined chapter structures that lead to needless repetition of key points, and, of course, excessive use of buzz words. However, this book still gets 4 stars because it included a more humanistic understanding of what it means to be a manager based on a developmental model. Now I'm not saying this is a seminal work of developmental psychology, but the fact that Harvard business grads are wrestling with how to integrate the advances in developmental science into a useful business model for leaders at every level is, in my view, admirable and unexpected. At its best moments, the book is advocating the belief that all our most human and personal sentiments - acute pangs of beauty, transcendental empathy, feelings of flow, being in the moment - can be used in a business setting to help us overcome resistance and relate to our fellow human beings in a more constructive (and profitable) manner.

[Edouard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book I had to read this quarter for my LPD class. This is another book that could be shorter if it went more quickly to the point. But I learned a few things about me and others.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just my cup of tea! Only a small percentage of leaders evolve beyond the Heroic models of Expert or Achiever, levels of human development typically achieved in our twenties. But those few managers and leaders who do become Catalysts, Co-Creators or Synergists create ripples that extend far beyond their expected sphere of influence. Joiner & Joseph do an excellent job describing the behaviors and providing analysis to help us all reach beyond where we are to our greater potential.

[Agile Kindergarten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just my cup of tea! Only a small percentage of leaders evolve beyond the Heroic models of Expert or Achiever, levels of human development typically achieved in our twenties. But those few managers and leaders who do become Catalysts, Co-Creators or Synergists create ripples that extend far beyond their expected sphere of influence. Joiner & Joseph do an excellent job describing the behaviors and providing analysis to help us all reach beyond where we are to our greater potential.

[Lori Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read book on leadership for knowledge workers, managers, directors, C-levels, and entrepreneurs.

[John Uzzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much here. Some examples useful

[Ron Hurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the model presented is important and requires careful consideration from a leadership development perspective. The qualitative style of vignette and story seems perhaps overdone.