TAKE FIVE
Over my professional career , I have often heard the phrase , “ Speed wins .” Leaders shout it from the rooftops when discussing go-tomarket strategies and execution . It ’ s whispered in product development circles . And it has become the daily mantra in sales organizations . Everyone wants everything faster . In today ’ s world , no one ever says take your time , slow down , and do it right . Speed is preferred .
I don ’ t agree . Speed does not win ; agility does .
Nothing illustrates this better than professional football . The NFL measures speed through the 40-yard dash whereby the top 15 fastest times in the 40 are all below 4.3 seconds . Now consider that Jim Brown — arguably the best running back in history — was clocked at 4.5 seconds . And the record-breaking Jerry Rice was a 4.71-second wide receiver . Both went on to Hall of Fame careers and changed the way football was played , while more than half of the top 15 fastest players never made a dent in the NFL .
What was the difference ? Agility .
Brown and Rice could stop on a dime . They could accelerwith Atrion CEO Tim Hebert ate through traffic . They would often run a precise route on one play , and then on the next play break off their routes and respond to what was happening in the moment . They would read and react ; accelerate and change ; and never lose sight of the desired outcome .
This year we ’ ve been having many conversations about change — from identifying the opportunity for change to being a change agent within your own life to discussing the neurological factors that make change so daunting . When you think about it , agility and change go hand-in-hand . Agility speaks to one ’ s ability to act quick , to change as the circumstances change . To evolve . To see around corners and , as a result , drive an organization forward .
We all know that a flexible / agile mindset — this willingness to be nimble and adaptable — is the strongest recipe for propelling forward key change initiatives and true transformation . But if we know this , why do so many of us still struggle to embrace this approach both personally and professionally ?
We as professionals , leaders and individual contributors have to