Today more and more women are entering the field of technology, but not all of them are becoming software engineers. 

Within the industry Agile has emerged as a growing sub-industry, and it calls for an entirely new set of non-technical qualities. Companies from startups to large traditional organizations are employing this approach in an effort to make impactful changes to the way we manage organizations. These core qualities and values can’t readily be taught in a classroom or acquired by reading a textbook because they’re generally innate qualities including communication, creativity, collaboration, empathy, compassion, and the desire to effect sustainable change in the world.

This emerging field offers a career path for anyone with the desire to have a positive influence over individuals, teams, and companies, the desire to change the way we do business, or the desire to improve some of the most impactful processes across the board. Unlike other roles in technology, professionals in these roles are getting the support and resources needed to make sustainable change for both the health of the business and the emotional well-being of its employees.

Skilled professionals in these new roles are highly sought after because they can help companies leaders and decision-makers bridge the gap between senior leadership and the workers who serve as the ‘boots on the ground’. They are able to make connections across an entire organization to improve communication, transparency and productivity.

As you might have experienced in your life, ailing organizations with overworked and stressed employees – people with very little say in the overall vision of how things get done – are often falling behind the competition. Their teams are stretched thin, with little room for creative problem solving, or time to improve the way they work. 

Agile can successfully address these issues, sometimes spectacularly so, which is why so many companies are spending millions of dollars to hire individuals with these non-technical soft skills to help enable their technology teams to not just perform, but to thrive. Industries hiring for these positions include finance, insurance, automotive, consumer, publishing, and real estate (to name a few).

While technical skills aren’t needed for these leadership roles, the challenge of overcoming organizational barriers to change requires a very specific set of qualities:

    • Prioritizing collective benefit over ego

    • Desire to serve others

    • Passion for creating trusting relationships

    • Understanding of value and impact

    • The ability to visualize gaps in systems and processes (systems thinking)

    • The capacity to understand and respect multiple viewpoints

    • Servant leadership - The ability to serve first and benefit those under your authority

    • Drive to improve the world

    • Dedication to a growth mindset

Responsibilities include:

    • Facilitating collaborative sessions

    • Improving workflow

    • Coaching leadership (in how to prioritize people over process, for optimal productivity, etc.)

    • Empowering all team members by giving them a voice and a vote on team matters