Be stubborn about your goals, and flexible about your methods.
Instead of fighting change, roll with the tide and embrace the transforming landscapes of life and work. There’s no doubt agility can help advance your career, so here’s how to make it part of your DNA:
Agility Defined:
A·gil·i·ty, noun,
- The ability to move quickly and easily
No, you don’t necessarily need to be a star athlete to acquire agility. What you do need is the ability to think on your feet, go with the flow and adapt to change. The people who exhibit this quality at work are typically risk takers with a hunger to learn. They are deeply invested in the future of their role, their company, and their world. When changes arise, they don’t get discouraged. These people are nimble, resilient and roll with the punches. They don’t just survive when workplace disruptions occur, they thrive. With the rapidly evolving landscapes in technology and business, this quality is essential.
How to cultivate it:
Channel your inner gymnast and start getting flexible. Be aware of how you’re reacting to change, both internally and externally. The capacity to let go is key- if you keep holding on to the way things were, it will only slow you down. Agile people are not anchored to the past. They realize that change is necessary and accept it as an opportunity to grow. So, when your organization reorganizes or upgrades its technology, be flexible. When you make a mistake, bounce back and let the problem go. Agility is the person pivoting without frustration when a project they are working on goes wrong. You can’t start a new chapter if you keep rereading the last one.
Whether it’s economic, political or technological, shifts in our world are inevitable, and the same goes for our careers. What happens when these changes arise? We evolve and adapt. That’s what it means to attain agility. It means moving with dynamic situations, learning from mistakes, and taking risks. It means always being innovative and forward thinking.
To cultivate agility in 2018, feed your hunger to learn and invest in the unknown. Read books or listen to podcasts on emerging trends in business and technology. Raise your hand for different projects and accept new team members. When you lean in to the unexpected, the results may surprise you.
