Our world is rapidly shifting. With the onset of the pandemic, and with technology as well as globalisation, there is a real need for workplaces to be agile to remain effective and viable.
In the old days, a good employee was someone who turned-up promptly at 9am, sat at their assigned table to take instructions from their managers, and followed the rules. This type of employee would show up rain or shine, and would appear to be working hard till 6pm.
But today, employers don't need "bums on seats" anymore, and new modalities of engagement have arrived. Many companies have formed teams with members even living in different time zones. You will find yourself answering emails, attending online meetings, and working on reports from home, outside your normal working hours.
Employees need to work smarter and not just harder.
Managers are also seeing their role change at the workplace. You don't need to constantly supervise your team, and tell them exactly what needs to be done. The role of manager has evolved. It is no longer supervisory, but has progressed into a more nurturing role of clarifying goals, enabling teamwork, and developing collaboration. The primary job of an agile manager is to serve and support their team.
These changes in modern workplaces means that your organisations need to be nimble enough to find the most suitable and competent way of getting things done. Being agile requires organisations to get work done with maximum flexibility, and minimum limitations. Therefore, creating an agile environment becomes priority for all companies.
Your company's milieu must be one that ensures that people can be at their best and most productive at all times to remain competitive. And, all your workplace modalities have to be directed to improve energy levels and productivity. Remember, agile workplaces are here to stay.
But how do you, as an employee, show more agility at work?
Don't be afraid to change course. At the core of personal agility, is your ability to change and adjust depending on what's happening around you. This means being acutely cognisant of the needs of your customers, growing technology, market place changes, workforce fluctuations, and industry trends.
Learn to listen. Agile professionals listen closely to people and movements in the market. This is a criterion for you to consequently respond properly, or maneuver accordingly. When you don't, or refuse to "listen", you will be left behind, and will struggle to change course. This phenomenon doesn't just afflict individuals, but even one-time gigantic corporations have been brought to their knees, simply because they didn't listen to the market.
An agile individual is ever ready to collaborate. It is all about sharing knowledge with your co-workers and colleagues. Realise that you cannot survive on your own, on every idea, project, or task. Modernity breaks down hierarchical power structures and unnecessary barriers, so that everyone is free to explore, create, experiment, and drive outcomes.
This is what the best organisations are deftly doing at present.
Practice being proactive. A company that prioritises and values agile employees, will develop a culture of dexterity that supports quick decision-making and fast thinking.
In this kind of setting employees have more autonomy and can act quickly by eliminating needless complications to growth and innovation. But as individuals, you must first show your bosses that you are ready for this. You have to be disciplined, self-motivated, and proactive, for your organisation to shift to this mode.
Next, work on your communication ability. Being agile at work requires quick responsiveness to sort any issue out. This requires you to be skillful at communicating your strategies or approach in an accurate and effective way.
You will have to be highly disciplined in an agile workplace. If your company creates a culture of agility at work, there will be less supervision on things like time management, and on daily or weekly tasks. The focus will be on larger outcomes, bigger projects and on deadlines. You need to have the self-discipline to produce results even as your performance isn't being monitored.
Agility necessitates maturity in you.
Learn to be resilient. The best agile professionals are also the most robust, and can think of immediate solutions to challenges. My experience shows that they never get discouraged by problems that arise. Instead, agile professionals instantly start strategising and collaborating for quick workarounds that sort problems out as they arise.
Finally, remind yourself to be committed to upskilling. Agility requires you learn new skills, be open to changing technologies and approaches. This ability becomes your most valuable asset. When you keep growing and expanding your knowledge, whilst acquire new skills, and information, you increase your capacity respond to challenges.
Are you agile?