Agility, one of the four primary traits of this Digital Mindset Series, is essential for success in this ever-changing world of today. As technology and communication methods continue to evolve, individuals must be able to pivot and adjust in order to stay competitive. Agility is especially important in the digital landscape, where the pace of change is incredibly rapid. Those who cannot adapt are quickly left behind, while those who can, thrive.
To grow your agility and make it a brand of your own, focus on these key aspects:
Embrace Change
Change can be scary to some, but instead of fearing change, you must embrace it. Change is inevitable in the digital world, so the sooner you can learn to accept it, the faster you will grow. This means being open to new ideas, trying new processes, and taking calculated risks. A simple first step to accelerate this growth is to pause before saying “no” to anything new. Ask yourself if your decision is based in fear or if you truly feel there are better approaches. This single tactic will allow yourself to welcome new perspectives and grow your agile mindset.
Be Flexible
To be agile, you must be flexible. This means pivoting quickly when circumstances change, seamlessly working in different environments and with different teams, and actively listening to know which direction to flex towards. Combining your openness to shift abruptly with your active listening skills toward a continuous end goal will make your flexibility be that much more impactful.
Stay Informed
Almost the definition of our topic, you must stay updated on the latest trends and technologies. Read blogs, attend conferences, ask questions when you don’t know something, and follow thought leaders on social media. The more you know, the better prepared you will be to adapt to change. Utilizing this aspect of agility solidifies you to not just become a pinball with the agile trait, but keeping informed catalyzes your position of providing value at every turn.
Be Proactive
Agility is about being proactive and anticipating change before it happens. Stay ahead of the curve and anticipate change before it happens. Being organized also can play a part in stimulating your forward-thinking skill, quickly access data, recognize repeating situations, and provide responses/solutions proactively that you know are common for the situation.
Stay Customer-Centric
An additional trait that combines our initial 4 critical aspects above and has been seen to influence the agility mindset on a business-drive perspective. Here agility requires you to be able to meet the needs of your customers/managers/teams. This means showcasing active listening to their feedback and respond quickly, with value, to their changing needs.
Wrap Up
Developing agility takes time and effort, but it’s worth it. By developing your agility, you will be better prepared for anything thrown your way. You will be able to adapt to new situations quickly and stay ahead of the curve. By developing your agility, you will be able to create a powerful approach to navigating the digital environment, demonstrating value in every scenario.
Dive deeper in to our analysis of Agility by downloading the PDF article. If you’d like to have further discussions about how Agility affects your organization, reach out to Rich Bowers.