Lessons in Agility from a Dancer Turned Professor

“Agility” has become a hugely popular management buzzword. But what does it really mean and how can leaders achieve it? Lessons from the world of ballet can instructive. Dancers and agile leaders share four capacities, which together add up to agility: core strength and stability in the midst of rapid and sometimes extreme movements; the ability to change focus quickly and having confidence you’re moving in the right direction; flexibility and range of motion in order to know when to step out of a space or forge ahead; and a clear sense of here you want to go, staying one beat ahead of the music.