Opportunity and Agency

Opportunity abounds. We just need to cultivate our own agency to attract it.

In my MBA class the other night, the students and I were looking at the forces and trends shaping the future of work and careers. The discussion naturally led to what the implications were for them, and how they might act or think differently as a result. Most believed that the trends, while unsettling and disruptive, also presented huge opportunities for how they could positively shape their careers in the years to come.

But, how to capitalise on these opportunities?

On the board, I drew a big circle:

This represents all the opportunities out there.

Then, I drew a smaller circle in the middle:

This represents your agency: your ability to act to attract and capitalise on opportunities.

It’s kind of like Covey’s Circle of Influence. But different.

The point being it is our agency that makes the difference to what opportunities we can see and capitalise on. The more agency you have, the more you can attract, create and act on opportunities.

How do you enhance your own agency?

1. Understand yourself. Your strengths, talents, passions, drivers. Jim Collins’ Hedgehog Concept is a useful frame here. What are you passionate about? What strengths do you most enjoy using? Use those as a starting filter.
2. Cultivate a diverse and thriving network to help you identify and shape new ways into opportunities.
3. Take courageous action. And then do it again. And again.

I think the last point is the key. When I have built a strong sense of agency, it is simply because I have decided to do something. And done it.

And when I have had a strong sense of agency, life feels good. When my sense of agency is diminished, life is harder. To me, that makes it a concept worth paying attention to.

How about you?

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