Managing Agile Projects

Embodied Leadership

Until now, we have discussed leadership primarily as a cognitive skill. The leadership practices presented thus far can be assimilated by the agile manager at an intellectual level. But, leadership is more than a cognitive skill—it is also a personal presence that goes beyond cognition into the realm of the physical. Through a personal leadership presence, leaders embody the values and qualities that draw people and influence them to follow of their own free will. Followers accept leaders at a personal level almost unconsciously, because leaders embody and project openness, accessibility, integrity, and trustworthiness through their physical presence. This quality of the body to communicate through nonverbal or somatic language ...