Beyond the Promotion: Finding Success in a Leadership Role
Insights from Pete Behrens on the Agile Mentors Podcast
ALJ Founder and CEO Pete Behrens sat down with Agile Mentors podcast host Brian Milner to talk about leadership agility in today’s organizations and how old-school “leadership” (aka top-down marching orders) is no longer effective—if it ever was.
What Got You Into Leadership Won’t Help in Leadership
In his discussion with Milner, Behrens explained that organizations are still promoting people into leadership roles based on their technical skills rather than their ability to lead. Too many new leaders are thrown into the deep end without the training or support to develop those skills.
This isn’t just frustrating for the leader; it’s frustrating for the whole team. When leadership struggles, innovation stalls. People disengage. And instead of helping the organization grow, things slow down.
Leadership is a Team Sport
We tend to think of leaders as individual change agents, pushing their organizations forward. But real change doesn’t happen because of one person—it happens when leadership becomes a shared effort.
This isn’t just frustrating for the leader; it’s frustrating for the whole team. When leadership struggles, innovation stalls. People disengage. And instead of helping the organization grow, things slow down.
“The construct of leadership, we think of often as an individual sport, but truly the only way change starts to take hold in an organization is when we catalyze a choir—not just a soloist.” – Pete Behrens
In other words, if you’re the only one singing a new tune at work, people might just tune you out. But when leadership teams work together—aligning their efforts, reinforcing change, and supporting each other—that’s when organizations start see a shift.
Agile Leadership Matters More Than Ever
The workplace isn’t what it used to be. Change is constant, complexity is increasing, and the old “set a plan and follow it” approach just doesn’t work anymore. “You need to sense and respond to make appropriate decisions. It’s no longer available to us to simply follow the plan.”
The best leaders aren’t the ones with rigid five-year plans. They’re the ones who can adapt, course-correct, and help their teams navigate uncertainty.
About the Author
Betsy Piland is the Marketing and Communications Manager at Agile Leadership Journey. She has spent the bulk of her career working in the higher education, healthcare, corporate learning and development, and nonprofits—always looking to tell a compelling story that will inspire audiences into action.
When not at work, she can be found digging in her garden, baking something delicious, and spending time with her husband, daughter, and two rescue dogs.
Connect with Betsy on LinkedIn.
