8 minute read
Jonie Graham
Columnist
Jonie Graham
Senior Consultant, BRC Partnership Ltd
Agility and the Fallacy of Fences
From coding to coaching, programming to project management, agility has become an increasingly valued attribute in the modern workplace and in some cases is even regarded as a necessity. Agility, however, needs to be more than a methodology or a development framework. Agility is required from us in how we lead and develop our teams, how we communicate to our customers and stakeholders, how we react to market trends and uncertainty and how we manage our time and priorities. Whether we lead a team, manage a project, market a product or provide a service, today’s economy demands that we incorporate some aspect of agility into what we do and how we do it.
There are a number of images that may come to mind when we think of agility. One thing that comes to my mind is a big cat. Perhaps a lioness engaged in a high-speed chase on the African plains. Her agility is apparent in the dexterity required for the chase, in the balance that aids with the sudden changes of direction, the speed required to react once the pursuit has begun and the strength necessary to bring down the quarry and ensure survival of the pride.
The agile professional will do well to reflect the lessons of this example of agility. When we consider the balance of the lioness, even the most casual observer will notice how she uses her tail as a counterbalance. As she veers left her tail swings right; as she negotiates uneven ground her tail is continually compensating for the change of weight distribution through her body. Here we must pause and ask ourselves: in our own desire for agility in our work and practice, who or what is our counterbalance? If we are bigpicture individuals do we have a detail guy who can help us apply the vision to the day to day? If we are those that are empowered by the buzz of having people around us all of the time, who is it that will challenge us to take time for quiet reflection on the wins and losses of the past year? If we thrive on busyness and doing all of the time, when do we take time to recharge our minds, rest our bodies and feed the soul? A counterbalance will always aid our agility. It will keep us fresh for the next challenge, aid our perspective and provide us with the clarity we need in detail and overview.
It is difficult to be unimpressed by the level of focus displayed by the hunting feline. She has total clarity of vision, eyes fixed on the target so much so that it appears they are in sync as they twist and turn across the plain. Once again, we reflect. The lesson for us here is focus. How well do we know our environment? How attuned are we to our target market, our customers’ desires or our team’s needs? Agility comes from awareness and awareness comes from our ability to observe, perceive and understand. The agile professional must be a student of their marketplace. To know the coming trends and innovations, to know what’s new and what has had its day. To know who the competition is and what they may do next. They also need to be in touch with the condition and mindset of their team. This means regular check-ins with the team, to be present with them so that when a need arises we are reacting with the synchronicity of the lioness.
As I travel from organisation to organisation and speak to various teams in different industries and sectors, regardless of what part of the globe I am in, I hear a similar complaint when it comes to that which might frustrate our agility. The complaint is that of bottlenecks or check points, road blocks to success or the timely achievement of a key deliverable. Usually these road blocks are put in place by other functions. Sales teams delayed by the availability of marketing resources, R&D teams limited by budget constraints, productivity hindered by compliance. You get the picture, I’m sure. Of course the natural reaction is to clear the blockage so that the process may be streamlined and the output continue uninterrupted.
It may well be the case that some of our red lights don’t need to be there at all, but I would urge caution before we simply push on with the process in the name of agility or seek to dismantle the roadblock before understanding why it’s there in the first place.
Agility should be prised as a value in today’s workplace, but not at the expense of wisdom, insight and understanding. Not to the detriment of determination, persistence and the experience brought by existential learning.
A Better Connected Northern Ireland
High quality public transport is essential for the economic, environmental and social wellbeing of our community, and Translink is committed to the ongoing transformation of the bus and rail network across Northern Ireland.
We have a number of key targets and ambitions in order to make public transport your first choice for travel, today, for tomorrow, and chief amongst these is our shift to a Net Zero network by 2040, which will help to deliver broader Net Zero targets set by the Northern Ireland Executive.
Climate change is still the most pressing issue facing society, and there is no more time to lose – Translink is leading the transition to Net Zero transport, with the delivery of high quality, locally-built Zero Emission buses. We are aiming to be Climate Positive by 2050, with the potential for knowledge sharing right across the transport sector.
We look forward to the introduction of a fleet of battery-electric vehicles on the Foyle Metro network in 2023, delivering the first fully battery electric city bus fleet anywhere in the UK or Ireland. We continue to transition the Belfast Metro fleet towards full Zero Emission status over the next few years, with an additional 100 zero emission buses delivered in 2022.
As well as our bus network, we are also actively planning the transition of the railway network to Zero Emission technologies; this will include the development of the flagship Enterprise service, and we are working to deliver both a faster, more frequent service and an enhanced fleet on the cross-border rail service, jointly operated with Irish Rail.
The reliability and improvement of the North-West rail corridor is a priority for Translink, and we are working with the Department for Infrastructure to enhance the track and signalling infrastructure between Derry~Londonderry and Belfast, which has the potential to improve frequency and journey times along that vital intercity link. We await the publication of the findings of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, with potential impacts on greater all-island connectivity and expansion of the network, and we continue to assess the possibilities of the UK Government’s Union Connectivity Review. As well as enhancing fleet and connections, we are investing in our infrastructure, notably in relation to Belfast Grand Central Station and Weavers Cross, in the heart of Belfast city centre, which will not only enhance connections and capacity but act as a catalyst for regeneration and deliver a new city neighbourhood. This major project follows the success of the multiaward winning North-West Transport Hub in Derry~Londonderry, and will be joined by planned station enhancements for Ballymena and Lurgan, as well as a completely new station at Lisburn West to meet growing commuter need. We are also seeking to grow our Park and Ride capacity and develop additional bus priority measures as part of a wider shift to sustainable travel. While climate change is a clear driver in our future ambitions, helping to reduce pollution and improve air quality, there are also social, economic and health factors. Public transport is key to decongesting our town and city centres, making them more attractive places in which to work, shop and socialise, with a greater focus on public transport, pedestrian and cyclist access. An effective bus and rail network is key to any economic strategy, driving footfall in urban centres and encouraging consumer spend. Pre-pandemic research conducted by Grant Thornton revealed that per-head spend when public transport is used for shopping is £46, rising to £50 when it is used for socialising.
However, the healthcare aspect is of growing importance – around 84,000 new cases of disease, directly linked to air pollution, are expected in Northern Ireland by 2035, at huge cost to our health service, unless we act now. Already, around 800 deaths in Northern Ireland every year are believed to be caused by air pollution. A shift to public and other sustainable forms of transport can help to reduce the risk posed by air pollution in our environment, driving a change towards a healthier, more active and better quality of life for future generations, as well as connecting communities and driving a modal shift, benefitting our environment, our economy and our health.
Translink services are truly crosscutting, impacting on all aspects of any Programme for Government and we will work with stakeholders at all levels to develop and enhance public transport right across our network, helping to make Northern Ireland economically competitive, socially inclusive and renowned as one of the top tourist locations in Europe for sustainable transport.
For more information, please visit www.translink.co.uk
