_{Note: The generic masculine chosen in this work refers simultaneously to the masculine, feminine and other gender identities. For better readability, the use of masculine and feminine forms of language is dispensed with. All gender identities are explicitly included as far as the statements require this.}

In this text I would like to tell what fascinates me and also motivates me to act in the agile field. I also describe my opinion of what agility really entails and what measures need to be taken in order to really live agility.
Agility should be the most normal thing today, because our, continuously and rapidly changing world and society, a strong adaptability is an absolute must.

Our times are both challenging and uncertain, but also hugely exciting. Customers, through their, fortunately, increased self-awareness and higher expectations, have an ever greater influence on the way providers operate.

I come from an entrepreneurial family, so I was taught appreciation, empathy, but also the importance of the customer at a young age. Even in my later professional career I have always worked with clients.

A typical phenomenon of today is the fact that customers always want to have the latest and the hipest. As a result, an existing product is never finished because the competition never sleeps and the customer is always on the hunt for new exciting and cool features. You therefore always have to have an ear to the customer so that you understand the customer and can respond ad hoc to wishes and needs. This is true in B2B as well as in B2C, because in our social transformation B2B and B2C are merging as H2H (Human to Human). 

But (e-)commerce & marketing are only a part of the relevant topics.

For a company to be able to build resilience in order to remain steadfast in the market, it needs a healthy company culture. A culture based on mutual respect, appreciation and trust. A community that works together across departments and levels. Positions and roles become more and more irrelevant, because responsibilities become more and more important.

Managers become leaders who trust the people in their teams and thus empower them to develop their own ideas, make their own decisions and take their own responsibility. The leader supports the team by communicating regularly and giving valuable, appreciative feedback. This also requires the courage to make mistakes and to see mistakes as a source of learning. This is an important factor in agile thinking and living.

This makes the people in the teams more motivated and courageous to develop their own ideas, because confidence in their abilities promotes entrepreneurial thinking. This in turn results in better products/services for the customer and even exceeds customer expectations.

This is because the customer is always the absolute focus in daily business. This can be signalled to the customer by interacting and communicating with the customer to find out directly from the source what the customer really wants and needs.

This approach shows the customer that he is valued, respected and that his needs and wants are taken seriously, because these are the expectations of today’s customers.
Customers want to be perceived and respected as a human being, as an individual, rather than as a customer number pushing products in the shopping basket/using and paying for services.
This empathetic and respectful interaction with the customer not only ensures that the customer is satisfied, but that the customer becomes a real fan and thus a promoter.

And my motivation is to help shape this agile awareness and also the benefits of agility, so that customers always get exactly what they need and expect and even a little bit more.