The value of availability
The value of availability
Issue 207: On presence and being at the right place at the right time
The saying, “The best ability is availability” is attributed to NFL Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins1. No matter how talented or skilled a person is, those abilities only bring value if the person is consistently present and able to perform. This saying isn’t only true for sports and applies to any team or group activity.
In addition to the importance of showing up to perform, let’s expand on availability in professional craft.
1. Availability isn't the only ability
If there’s one thing from this I don’t want you to take the wrong way, it’s that simply showing up does not instantly give one credibility and merit. Availability is extensive to other abilities, not a gap filler for them. Just because I show up to an Olympic tryout would not mean I am an Olympian. What availability can offer you as you develop experience in your craft that if unforeseen circumstances arise you may have the opportunity—not condoning pulling a Tonya Harding. Availability is a skill of consistency and reliability, but only one of many you need to be great at your craft.
2. Availability matters if you are effective
It might be the availability to take on more scope or operate at a higher level, and what universally matters is you’re already effective at what you do now. Avoid stretching yourself too thin for the desire to have more. For an understudy to stretch into the opportunity of being the lead of a musical means they need to be the best understudy who can step in.
If you are ineffective, people will assume you’re not available. Avoid the busyness trap. I despise the word “busy” and nobody should take pride in being busy. The only way to counter being busy is being effective. Availability means you’re responsive and accessible. Whether it’s one’s goal to take on a new challenge or grow in more scope, good organizational leaders will not give you more scope if you appear too busy, inconsistent, or stretched thing in your current work.
3. Availability is out of scope
About 14 years ago I was working from the ExactTarget office in Bellevue. In the midst of heading back to Seattle, one of our account directors burst out of a conference room to the workstations and asked if someone can design a product UI as part of an account pitch. At the time, I was responsible for design production for email lifecycle marketing for clients, not software. The account was also not one I was working on as my time was spent looking at a lot of shoes for a company in Oregon. Since it was the end of the day, hardly anyone was at the office.
"I’ll do it," I answered to the director. Candidly speaking, I had no business being the person to do this work. I wanted to move into software design so bad I was willing to work on anything that would get me an inch closer to it. We headed to the conference room and white boarded the idea out. I unpacked my bags and stayed at the office to create mockups used to share the initial pitch. That small moment of being available and going out of scope opened an opportunity to show what I could do as a software designer.
4. Availability doesn’t mean being ready
If you talk to parents of children, many say you’re never “ready” to have children and answer the call of becoming a parent. It happens. In many aspects of life, there is not a full checklist you cross off before you begin a journey. Life is continuous and it’s up to you to keep up. Never being ready applies to the professional craft. There will be times making yourself available means it’s baptism by fire.
The first design management role you have might be because you’re handed the opportunity: there is a need, the manager left/got fired, or something else. Availability does not wait for you to be ready. It asks you to give a direct answer if you will say yes to the call of duty2. When I took on the responsibility to lead Marketing (and Design) at Replit, it was because there was an immediate need in the interim. Though I had experience in marketing functions, I never managed a department outside of design. My availability meant jumping on this wave now instead of waiting for the perfect one to come by.
5. Availability values longevity
This is the part where I completely contradict a lot of what’s been said. Oddly enough, the most important factor of availability is being intentional about unavailability. The skill of availability is not saying “yes” to everything that leads to burnout. You must be effective and sustainable in order to be available. Make the most of the off seasons you take, time with your family, loved ones, and your health.
As I watched Team USA Basketball win the gold metal at the Olympics in Paris, I’m in awe by the longevity of LeBron James. He is approaching 40 years old, won his third gold metal, and entering a NBA season playing alongside his son. It’s a reminder to us all that availability is not about one instance rather the sustainability to do it for the long haul.
Recap
Availability is a crucial asset to doing your best work of your craft. Like any skill, it must be nurtured and worked on. To recap:
Availability augments talent and ability, not replaces it. You must sharpen the blade and simply showing up isn’t enough.
In order to maximize availability to take new challenges, you must be effective in what you’re doing now.
If it’s a desire, being available to do work out of your scope is beneficial. Career progression is exceeding your work and not only doing what you’re told.
Being available for certain challenges means you may never be ready.
Availability is about longevity for the long run, not a single instance.
Remember the best ability is availability.
Hyperlinks + notes
A collection of references for this post, updates, and weekly reads.
Alissa Brigg’s talk Maps and Markers—go beyond scope to build favors that lead to great relationships
Control Freaks Win: A Paradoxical Power Position by
Becoming Future Fluent with AI, the Future of Work & Productivity by
10 Behavioural Principles and Dark Patterns in User Onboarding you need to know by
The other variation is, “Availability is the best ability” but I prefer the other one!
Not the video game
Loved this post - the Brian Dawkins reference got me 😂 haven’t heard that in a while.