I've been playing and coaching basketball for more years of my life than I haven't, and I've learned a few things that transcend domains. Footwork is a key skill in basketball. The ability to set your feet properly before shooting has a direct impact on the success of the shot. Your ability to maneuver your feet while trying to get to the rim will determine if you score or fall on your face.
When instructing young players, I've noticed that some take the time to do the steps correctly. They think through how to do each step, how far apart each foot is from the other, and what steps go in what order. Once they master this, then they do it fast!
I see other young players try to do complex footwork fast right away, before they've mastered the steps. These players inevitably look foolish or worse, turn the ball over.
Businesses have footwork, too. If your basic business footwork is wrong, your business is going to be off-balance when trying to score. You might get away with making shots when you are open, but when the pressure is on, you are probably going to miss.
Too often, businesses try to automate something they haven't bothered to sit down and master first. Mastering business footwork is about creating a shared understanding of the flow of information and work through your company. Notice I said shared, because if it isn't shared, then likely you've only mastered how you think it's done, not the reality of how it's actually done across the business.
With AI and automation imperatives coming from all directions, businesses are unfortunately acting like that young player who tries to do a euro-step in a game without ever practicing it first. They are making their existing problems happen faster and at scale. For example, if you are losing track of key information because it’s coming in through email, texts, phone calls, and hallway conversations rather than a structured workflow, then AI will not fix the chaos. It will only move the chaos faster.
Master your business footwork:
* Understand your business architecture
* Define with your teams how information and work flows today
* Redefine how you want it to work tomorrow
* Master it through execution
Then you are ready to start doing that business footwork like a professional. And you'll look like a star.
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