‘Agility’: the much needed flexibility of humans in 21st Century Organizations
Roles and functions change faster than ever. This requires continues adaptation from the people that are executing those roles and functions. Being this ‘agile’ is not considered very pleasant by most people. Yet, companies need agile employees to be able to innovate at a fast pace and to remain economically relevant. Marleen Boen, Managing Director and founder of Training & Coaching Square’, explains ‘agility’ as a multi-layered concept.
Marleen Boen: “Compare the introduction of the first car, with launching a product today. Today launching a product can happen in a couple of hours. It is all about speed and changes that occur quickly, after one and other. This is the very first time we see this happening in our history. We used to go look for information, today we are drowning in it through the internet. We can not process those amounts of information and we feel overwhelmed by it. On top of that we are now capable of physically moving quickly, communicate all the time and have electricity at our disposal that prolongs our days. This means we have more time than we ever had to spend the way we want to spend it.” And voracious as we are, we want to make all of our days count, so we over plan our agenda’s full.
How do we remain agile? Marleen: “Personal Development is the keyword. To develop yourself it is important to know: ‘What am I capable of?’, ‘What is my added value?’ and ‘What is my life purpose?’. All of these questions can be answered if we spend time observing ourselves and reflecting. Everything is possible if we have access to everything. As an individual, as a professional, you need to find your life goal.”
In connection with your true self
According to Marleen, it has not been accepted for a long time and now it is allowed again: having a purpose that is aligned with your heart and soul and openly talking about it. Marleen: “This connection with our true self, makes it so that we expect more from a job than just making money. The job, and by extension the chosen organization, needs to fit the purpose of the individual. That individual needs an environment of co-creation, where they can collaborate with others based on a shared interest in each other. The hours you spend at work can ‘nurture’ you. An Agile individual knows how to spend the time they have, taking into account their life purpose that nurtures them. It is a perspective that puts a lot of responsibility with the individual: he / she becomes the director of his / her own life.”
Belief in your own story
Marleen: “Agility is the opposite of choosing to be a victim. It is a choice to adopt a courageous attitude, based on your belief in your capabilities to achieve your life goals. It also means slowing down, recharge yourself on moments of success and being proud and cherishing momentum. If you believe that you can write your own story, in connection with yourself and others, you succeed at being ‘agile’ in all the options life (and your organization) are offering you.
Training & Coaching Square measures agility in 5 subdimensions: willingness to change, innovation, reflection, connection and realization. This analysis offers a detailed mirror for self-reflection on the road to courage, hope and cherishing every stop – every moment of personal evolution.