Being effective means adapting to a changing environment
I Ask
Agile? Me?! What do you mean? I have built stable relationships with my customers and increased my competencies to serve their needs as effectively as possible.
For the past year I have supplied them with the products they have asked for and had no queries and no complaints. Now you imply that it’s that it’s not good enough…!
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I Answer
The need for adapting to a changing environment applies not only to you, but to the company as a whole in order to thrive and be successful in business.
Agility means effectiveness – one has to be able to adapt to the environment as it changes. In such an envirinment one needs information to make quick decisions.
An agile company is often characterised by being lean and mean, and operating in terms of virtual teams.
Getting another team on board is an example of adapting to a changing environment. We had to go through a process of change to get the new team integrated and effective at their jobs.
We had particular challenges with people considering midlife career change.
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I Ask
Ok, decision making and dealing effectively with change are key aspects of adapting to a changing environment. But isn’t there perhaps a key skill on which I can focus that will put me on the road to becoming agile?
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I Explain
Individuals in successful agile companies have at least one thing in common:
The intent and ability to listen effectively to customers.
Maybe the diagram below will help you to understand. At any moment in time your business and the role of active listening can be represented as follows:
I Advise
You don’t know what active listening is? Why not actively read the relevant section in this book and enhance your own understanding?
