The New Nimble

CHAPTER 9See the Opportunity

It's kind of fun to do the impossible.

—Walt Disney

Being nimble requires intentionality. When we pivot, whether when playing a sport, planning a vacation, or pursuing a target client, we're conscious in that moment that we are shifting our direction, our focus, or our strategy. If you're on the basketball court, when you sidestep an oncoming opponent, the action itself is reflexive, but your frame of reference of being ready to move is conscious and requires a heightened level of mental presence. You're mindful of your place, your role, and your objective.

When circumstances require us to shift, to find a new way, our reactions can fall into one of three categories.

1. We freeze. The very idea of change takes us by surprise.
2. We cope. We muddle through with a fatalist attitude as if the optimum outcome is simply our survival.
3. We refocus. We look for an opportunity to grow.

We can prepare ourselves for the next change coming our way through practicality and practice. Step 1: Accept that change is inevitable. Step 2: Build muscle memory for taking advantage of opportunities.

Saving the National Basketball Association (NBA) for last in this book was a slam dunk decision because the NBA's business model, its team nature, and its ethos all drive toward winning.

PROFILE: THE NBA (SPORTS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY) – WHERE OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND

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