How to Be a Nimble Employee

There is one thing that’s certain: Things change.

While it’s comforting to do the same tasks in the same way with the same technology, that won’t help you be a responsive public servant. And it won’t help you adapt to emerging XaaS and other cloud offerings.

Employees must be nimble. But what does that mean? How do you become or remain nimble as circumstances change so that you are a positive force for tech innovation and not a witness or obstacle to it?

Don’t Be Afraid of Uncertainty — Explore It as Opportunity

Change doesn’t mean abandoning your old technology and jumping into an abyss. You’re jumping into something. From new visual analytics platforms to data extraction and management tools to virtual environments for enhanced collaboration, Kim Wittenberg has made her fair share of technology transitions.

As Health Scientist Administrator at the Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, she focuses on knowledge management and how new platforms preserve data. And after experiencing several transitions, she’s learned a few things about staying nimble.

“The biggest challenge is just the uncertainty of change, and the stress that goes along with the uncertainty,” Wittenberg said.

To feel grounded, focus on the mission — “the stable piece” — and look at change as an opportunity to better meet it, “to explore the opportunities that might be lurking within that change,” she said. That mindset will keep you calm.

Wittenberg also recommends taking advantage of technology trainings offered by service providers, colleagues or outside sources.

Keep Communicating

Some colleagues may be nervous about new technology, while others will power forward and become early adopters of it. Reach out to them!

Whatever you’re transitioning to, “there’s probably someone out there who’s already been using it,” said Wittenberg. Be open to both training and collaboration with someone who overcame new technology hurdles.

If you have trouble adapting and feel alone, know that you probably aren’t. Wittenberg recommends speaking up and making your colleagues, including leaders, aware of your challenges. Don’t let a problem fester or suffer alone in confusion. Instead, communicate, connect and problem-solve together.

Measure Outcomes to Assess the Difference

So, you’ve updated your technology and moved certain tasks to the cloud. You’ve met the goal, right? Wrong! The goal isn’t just change. It’s to change and improve. That’s why you need to measure the outcomes you’ve produced before and after experiencing something new.

“I think there [are] a lot of anecdotal thoughts about change, but it’s much more powerful if there’s already a baseline and you know what was going on before that change happened,” Wittenberg said. Knowing the “before” and “after” status of a project means you can identify what has or has not improved. “It’s helpful to introduce change in a way that’s measurable and under our control, so that we have the ability to react to it and adjust,” she added.

Create Stretch Goals

You’re learning new things and, after a few months, you’re more comfortable with your updated situation. But why stop there?

Wittenberg recommends cultivating an open mindset toward what could come out of the change, or the positive possibilities.

“With advances like machine learning and AI, you can think outside the box and create stretch goals, because many of the things that folks once thought were unattainable are now within reach,” she said.

Be Open to Evolving

Change is often difficult, but it can be easier when you have the right perspective and trust in the outcome. Remember to communicate with colleagues, look for growth possibilities, measure progress and create goals. You may not feel nimble initially, but cultivating these habits could help you lead the way during future agency transitions.

To see more of our experts’ ideas on using cloud and cloud-based services to help your agency adapt to change, download our guide. “How to be a Pivot-Ready Organization.”

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