A ninja needs to be light on their feet, able to respond with deftness to new opportunities or threats.”

Ninjas have extraordinary capacities. Ninjas are mythical humans. Besides the fact that they wear a badass costume and mask and carry tools I couldn’t begin to know how to use, they provide a common language for greatness. Ninjas give us a high bar to aspire to. Ninjas don’t have super powers given to them at birth. Ninjas train, practice and develop skills to do their job. We too can train, practice and develop skills to do our many jobs. Deftness is defined by Merriam Webster as “ease and grace in physical activity; subtle or imaginative ability in inventing, devising, or executing something.” Ninjas develop the skill of being light on their feet to remain stealth and be able to pivot and respond quickly in physical form. In our work we can apply deftness to our ability to respond with ease and grace in the myriad encounters with our team. More importantly, we can see deftness as the second definition. I love the use of subtle and imaginative in this definition. It brings to mind inner work and the quiet, stealth, mindful attention that allows for inventiveness and creativity in our daily responses. We invent when we coach and mentor our team. No situation or person is ever the same as any other and our responses are inventions based on necessity. We bring deftness to the invention when we train, practice and develop our skills. To devise is “to form in the mind by new combinations or applications of ideas or principles.” Devising takes into account our values as well as our ideas. It depends on our experience and our knowledge of self. Executing is getting it all done. Finishing, not just imagining, starting or working. Deftness is a skill we can train, practice and develop. Once learned it can be applied mindfully to our work as a manager, supervisor, leader. Let’s take the time to learn ninja skills like deftness. The world might just be a better place because you did.