2020 has forced people to become more Agile, whether they wanted to or not. As the pandemic spread, companies were forced to change how they conducted business and these changes happened swiftly.

So what prevents people and companies from taking action and adopting these same practices overall? Because change is difficult. Change feels uncomfortable, and as human beings, we don’t like to feel uncomfortable. In fact, in my years of experience, I’ve only seen people truly change at their core when circumstances became too uncomfortable to maintain the status quo.

In March, due to the lock down, I realized I wasn’t going to get to take my grandson to see the Easter Bunny for his picture. Although he was only two, it was an important “tradition” we were creating and it made me sad to not give him this experience (even though I know he wouldn’t really remember it). This change in our way of living forced me to consider my options.

Rather than give up our tradition, I bought a bunny costume and kept our tradition alive. I also went to a couple of assisted living homes and dance on their lawns to bring smiles to the residents’ faces, visited a few local stores so patrons could snap a photo, and gifted a dozen kids in our neighborhood a personal visit [with treats] to keep the spirit of hope alive.

Instead of letting life control you (and your team or company) through forced changes, what if you began to inspect, adapt, pivot, and go with the flow as a way of improving control. What if you only made plans as far out as you know you can manage them? And what if some of the ideas you have, that are in the future, are just that, ideas, so that you can respond to changes as needed? This is part of adopting an Agile mindset and a new way of life. Enjoy!

All my best,

Paulie Skaja
your mindset muse 🙂