The toes advice came from a netball team coach, Lorraine. In a newly formed team of work colleagues, our enthusiasm really needed to be backed up with solid skills before we would be ready to compete in the local league. Lorraine became our coach.

She explained how physically being on our toes, or more accurately, on the ball of the foot, with knees slightly bent, provides a natural springboard for darting to a new position in an instant or being ready to receive, or intercept, the ball. A hint of complacency can lose the game.

In our professional lives, staying on our toes means keeping skills and knowledge up-to-date and relevant. We can then be ready to create or respond to a new opportunity – potentially expand our role, take on a new project or secure a new role – when the time is right.

Of course, it is crucial to keep pace with developments specific to our work, organisation, or in the wider industry, if we want to continue to flourish precisely where we are. But this is about developing and maintaining a springboard for change, whether we want that change to be incremental or substantial.