Twists, Turns & Success

At work there are always twists. You perform the consequent turns. If done well you dance your way to success.

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Every leader / manager does this each day. Many times. Schedules change. Agenda changes. People leave. Teams change. Client demands change. Priorities change. Budgets change. Policies change. Competition changes. Political changes happen. Small changes. Big changes. Tactical change. Strategic change. The list is rather long.

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A key determinant of success is how well you manage the twists. By executing effective turns. Something like a dance where the partner changes the step. Or the music beat is altered. Or the crowd moves in a different direction. And you cannot stop or leave the stage. You have to keep dancing – preferably with fluid and graceful movements.

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Ever wondered what you can do to execute these turns better? Here are the three most powerful qualities that you need. At a dance or in the business world!

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Anticipation

If you can see or feel what is going to happen next you can move in a better way. It is like being in the present but with an eye on the future. Is there a way to become better at anticipation? Yes, there is. It is a skill. And a skill becomes better by practice.

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Many managers are focused entirely on execution. Fixated on today. They just want to get through the here and now. There is no conscious attempt to become more aware of the environment, anticipate trends and connect them to their business. They have no mind space for future gazing. They also tend to overvalue experience. ?Experience can be an obstacle if completely new things are to be done. And since they are constantly evaluating ideas and decisions on the anvil of experience the ability to anticipate gets compromised.

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What can be done to strengthen anticipation? Here are the top three.

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• Be on the lookout for early signs of future trends. They are fuzzy. They are untested. But some of them are going to be big. So keep a constant eye on them.?
• Trends on their own are interesting. They become useful only when you connect them to your business. That has to be done – consciously. Connect the dots.
• Question your own assumptions about the future.?Without fail. More than once. There is a reason they are called assumptions.

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Here are a couple of useful links. There is plenty more on the net. But the key is not more knowledge. The key is more conscious practice.

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https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/anticipation-is-the-key-to-success/399433

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/anticipating-future-new-imperative-business-daniel-burrus/

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Adapability

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Anticipation is not the only quality needed. If the music changes, there is a new beat to be adapted to. That needs the willingness to change. The willingness to unlearn and relearn. The ability to let go of the past -- even as you use the relevant learnings from there.

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A ‘reason’ given often by good managers is that their job leaves no time. That is simply not true. Being adaptable is not about having more time. It is about having a different mindset. ?And how much time is needed to change your mind? When it happens, it happens in microseconds. What is needed is courage and risk taking abilities to take a new path. ?

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Here are some ways to increase the ability to adapt.?

• Be open to change and try to respond enthusiastically to new plans.?The key is ‘enthusiastically’. Most managers I have had the chance to work with are fine with embracing change. But many do it have when there is no other choice. Adaptable managers create change not just embrace it.
• Be receptive to different perspectives and opinions.?Take feedback with open eyes, open ears and a closed mouth. ?Almost everyone I know ( and that includes me ) sees themselves as being receptive. Few actually are. The conditioned response to a new ?opinion is one of opposition. And more often than not, the ego wins in the war with reason.
• Taking on new challenges can help you become more adaptable.?The key words here are push yourself out. It is natural to remain in the situations we are comfortable with. Taking the first few steps is tough. Once the momentum for change is built most managers I have worked with report a positive experience.? It was not so difficult, they feel. This cuts across levels, industries and type of change. Focus on why you should move instead of why you should not move – and see the magic happen.
• Resilience is one core ability that helps adaptability. It is often underrated or taken for granted. ?Not many people I have worked with consciously work on enhancing their resilience. They give up too soon. Because of difficult conversations and situations.

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https://www.executiveagenda.com/resources/blog/how-adaptable-are-you-take-adaptability-quotient-aq-test-and-find-out

https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-increase-adaptability

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Agility

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There is a final A in the twist and turns story. Everyone changes. Eventually. But that is not enough in the real world. Speed of adaptation is as crucial as the adaptation. That is where agility comes in. The ability to understand, think and move quickly. To move quickly often means having the ability to take risks and intuitive decisions. Because the twists that have come up often have no history or data.

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This is where the difference between good dancers and great dancers starts becoming clear. You can see it in the moves. Some are graceful. Others are laboured. They look contrived.

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The agile manager anticipates, adapts and moves quickly. Does not look around too much to see who is watching. The not so agile looks for past experience, gets more data, discusses longer – and hence is last of the mark. In a sprint the difference between the medal winners and the also rans is in milliseconds. And that depends on who gets of the mark first. Nothing can replicate the first mover advantage.

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Managers that I have worked with often take refuge in the relative safety of data. They do not trust their intuition. That needs confidence to face the consequences of quick decisions. That is what distinguishes great managers from good managers.

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https://www.agileleadershipjourney.com/leadership-journey/leadership-agility

https://www.testgorilla.com/blog/agility-in-leadership

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You cannot control the twists. But you can manage the turns better – with anticipation, adaptability and agilty. Not just on the dance floor but also at work.