Agile. Nimble. Flexible.
The opposite of rigid and fixed.
When I think of agility, I think of the world of Agile project management and Scrum. Yes – iterative project practices, smart technology. An approach to collectively getting things done that is planned yet fluid and evolutionary.
My very personal association with the word agile is physical agility. It’s a swimmer’s view. The way I slice through water when I swim. The ease with which my body moves. The way I flow with the current. Note it, seize it, use it to advantage.
Work with the elements, don’t fight them. Get out of the way of what wants to happen.
I have an apartment in a new city – Setubal/Portugal. I now swim in a new gym, Supera, instead of in the pool at my Florida condo. There are life guards here. There is lane sharing. There are peak times and off-peak times. There are bathing caps. There is a whole new pool etiquette.
This is the fun part of agility, if you will. There is also chasing down furniture orders that never arrived. My laptop malfunctioning. The air-conditioning breaking down. I’m in the midst of daily lessons in personal agility.
Success today requires the agility and drive to constantly rethink, reinvigorate, react, and reinvent.”
Bill Gates
I see it, again an again. I am responsible for my attitude about what unfolds – that’s the mental part – and my emotions. These two are intertwined.
I think of the many, more routine workplace situations where the need to adapt quickly isn’t so clear-cut. When things kinda sorta work but never excel, never become great. When mediocre is the standard we have become used to, when complaining about the way we do things is the norm but nothing is bad enough to scream change now. When the everyday is a steady drip drip drip drip of more frustration morphed into uninspired routine.
What does personal agility look like in the face of that? How do I stay agile when nobody demands that I be more agile? Here are a few personal guide-posts to help you sharpen your own everyday agility:
I stay present. I stay aware of the emotions that kick in. Instead of stuffing my emotions, I consider what may be causing them. Considering my emotions will lead me to indicators about my own thinking (internal clues) or relationships with collaborators (external clues) that may require adjustment.
I choose to stay calm under pressure. More importantly, I do not ignore pressure. I have a healthy pressure-meter that can distinguish between necessary pressure and debilitating pressure. I do not succumb to prolonged debilitating pressure. I know the difference between pushing through and changing a course of action because what I’m doing is not working.
I do so quickly. I do not hide when the going gets tough. I approach professional challenges with a sense of healthy curiosity. Most importantly, I view seeking help as a sign of strength. I seek help freely and am mindful of whose insights may be most pertinent when an adjustment in process or strategy seems necessary.
I understand that multiple inputs will produce a better new course of action. I am not afraid of the complexity that may be invoked by multiple viewpoints. I know that embracing complexity will lead to more fully considered next steps. More fully considered steps accelerate the likeliness of success.
I understand that changing course and adapting quickly to changing circumstances is the only way to release forward-moving energy and create momentum. This may be the most crucial of these 5 points. I don’t get locked into the jail of this is what I had planned or this is how it should be. Taking swift action is my friend. I welcome this friendship.
There are many ways to define illuminated leadership. Mental and emotional agility hang at its very core. Great thing is, we can practice this agility every day. Each encounter at work, at the supermarket, at the airport, in our personal relationships is an opportunity to practice agility.
Yes, I have a swimmer’s mind. I love the sense of forward motion that I experience in water. It feels so very, very good. An agile mind helps me to experience this sensation in every aspect of my life.
So, stay agile. Practice diligently and practice with an open mind. Notice how wrong effort will start to disappear.
How liberating that is.
