Leaders Need Agility Now More Than Ever to Succeed

In what ways have you had to be agile this year?

Certainly, all of us have had to be agile in navigating the uncertainty of COVID-19. For me, that has meant adapting how I facilitate programs and coach teams. Also, much of the country has dealt with storms and fires, not to mention social unrest. These significant events have required us to remain flexible too (and accepting of) changes. As leaders, we must continue to create an environment and culture that provides clear expectations and empower our teams to work autonomously.

Agility is a characteristic leaders need to successfully adapt to today’s uncertain environment and create high-performing teams that continue to achieve results even in the face of unexpected and uncontrollable change. Agility includes:

• Changing focus quickly
• Exercising extreme flexibility to adapt to changes
• Knowing where you want to go
• Exhibiting core strength

Changing focus to meet changing needs

Life is continuously in flux, so the ability to adapt to shifts is a skill that helps everyone remain flexible and open to possibilities. For leaders, changing focus is understanding that the path to success you thought was the correct one has changed. Remember, your vision or desired outcome probably doesn’t change. You have to be confident in seeing alternative approaches to success and being open to the multiple ways of getting to the end goal.

Exercising flexibility

As a leader, you need agility to know when and how to adjust your leadership approach to fit your team’s needs. Agile leaders can demonstrate flexibility in a variety of situations to change focus when necessary. They are also receptive when receiving new ideas from others and experienced using their data-driven expertise for problem-solving. Leaders can acquire this kind of flexibility by listening effectively, communicating clearly, and learning continuously.

Knowing where you want to lead your teams

To be effective, especially now, leaders need to have a vision of where they want to go and what they want to accomplish to lead others toward success. Even if you don’t have a clear path to reaching your team’s goal, the destination itself must be established. In fact, by collaborating with your team to complete the picture of how you will achieve the desired results, you create a foundation of trust and an environment where new team members can contribute to their full potential.

Utilizing core strength

Agility in the physical sense requires athletes, for example, to have a strong back and abdominal muscles to perform to their optimal abilities and also provide stability amid rapid movements. While leaders may not have to have physicality in their work environment, agility requires recognizing core strengths or values, i.e., what they stand for and what provides them with purpose in their work life. This kind of core strength is essential when developing high performing teams.

How do you become more agile?

Ultimately, one of the most formidable advantages of agile leaders is their ability to give employees a sense of optimism about the organization. As a leader, if you want your teams to be agile, you must display agile behaviors and actions first. Let me help you find the solutions to help identify and develop self-directed and agile leaders for your organization.