Agility in a New World

I like to look for the best in things, or at least to take what is given and look at it from a greater perspective in relationship to the whole. We tend to be pretty narrow-focused when in the midst of a crisis or challenged when we feel we don't have answers.

Taking all the bias away from who or what Klaus Schwab is, he's in a position of power and authority to help shape our future. That is unquestionable as the Executive Director of the World Economic Forum. Let's go a little deeper into the transcendence he offers in his book COVID-19: The Great Reset.

In speaking toward business challenges, he states that companies and corporations need to be agile. Those who cannot or hold to 'old' ways of doing business will more than likely fail. Let's look at the word he uses - AGILE. It's a buzz term in corporate philosophy.

Business agility is the ability of an organization to: Adapt quickly to market changes - internally and externally. Respond rapidly and flexibly to customer demands. Adapt and lead change in a productive and cost-effective way without compromising quality.

It would seem that AGILE ought to include our current evolving knowledge of how connected our lives and the planet are, business needs to consider the ISO 26000 Social Responsibility Standards on a go-forward basis. Like B-Corps, the ISO 26000 is intentional, where all other ISO certifications are quality-driven with documentation of 'system' adherence as proof.

Don't we need to be more intentional? Aren't we being asked to look at a greater order? Even the recent reveals of Military videos of unidentified aerial phenomena means there is a bigger picture than we might have thought possible. This also, on a deeper level, speaks to the possibility of a greater order as well, one that we haven't recognized because of our obsession with patterned behavior and desire to get ahead.

On a personal level, then, we also need to be AGILE in all the best ways possible. We deserve to be all that we are, right? Agility means that we are able to navigate the ocean of emotion together and find safe harbor as a global villagers who've learned how to play together better. Imagine the joy in that and the increase in all the right things for us all.

Isn't it obvious that all the discordant patterns and ill-be-gotten agendas are surfacing for acknowledgement (many have been in denial) and transcendence? Whether it's your own ignorance and misbehavior or our international leaders, corporate, government and military. Life is precious. We've got abundance, just not good management of it. Controlling a population isn't the answer; empowering it is.

Agility commands our best and demands performance beyond words. Unfortunately people are usually unappreciated, underpaid and overworked to meet goals. It's a drive for production that nearly eliminates any joy in the workplace, it's all too serious. Leaders and owners forget about their internal customers - their suppliers, vendors and workforce. Change has been seen as too hard and a laborious process with way too much resistance.

I don't know about you, though I get the sense that self-fulfilling prophecies abound as a result of that style of unconscious leadership and management. We get lost 'in' the business and neglect to work 'on' it from a human capital standpoint. People are PRICELESS! Both employee and management MUST agree on that fact and act accordingly. We call that interpersonal and emotional intelligence in learning organizations and holistic systems thinking.

For many years as a coach and consultant for business affairs, the truth is revealed of happy people getting more done with less supervision and exceeding expectations given the power to do so. Any critical thinking and deductive logic reveals that fact. It's repeatable across the gamut of industry, government and military. Of course, happy people don't tend to go to war, either. Everybody has what they need and the ability to perform to their potential. Our collective potential is harmony among people and planet. Why not give that a try?