At This Time In Our Evolution - What is Our Most Valuable Skill?

A World in Transition

Our world is an ever-changing one. It’s in a constant state of flux and re-invention. Sometimes that’s good and sometimes, not so good. In many ways, the world as we know it is shifting under our feet. Business, medicine, the economy, technology, communication, education, media, travel and a whole lot more. Like it or not, want it or not, some things will never be the same. In fact, most things will never be the same.

In the middle of all this change, one of the challenges for you and me is to adapt to our different world. The fact that, right now you’re reading this article from a computer screen is an obvious example of how differently we do things to say, a generation ago.

Unwillingness

Sadly, some people are dying because they can’t, or won’t, adapt. Not dying literally, of course, but dying metaphorically. Their businesses. Their careers. Their relationships. Their bank balances. Their plans. Their potential. And, in some instances, their mental and emotional health. Some people’s unwillingness to learn new things, to develop new skills, to have new experiences and to open their mind to the reality of life in 2011 puts them at a significant disadvantage on many fronts.

A Changing Landscape

The way organisations, and the people in those organisations, do business has changed immensely over the last decade. Technology has transformed the commercial landscape forever and, as a result, new types of businesses and careers are being born every day. At the same time, certain businesses and careers are fast becoming things of the past. Goodbye Mr Record Store. Hello Mr iTunes. Goodbye Mrs Book Store. Hello Mrs E-book. Goodbye Mr Gym Instructor. Hello Mr Exercise Physiologist. Goodbye Mrs unpublished writer. Hello Mrs published-everyday blogger.

A Thing of the Past

Many retail stores are dying because on-line stores can provide the same products at better prices because they enjoy much lower overheads than their bricks and mortar competitors. Maybe one day we will live in a world where all the physical retail outlets have been replaced with warehouses that simply distribute the products sold by a multitude of cyber-stores. An acquaintance of mine recently closed her sunglass(es) store to run her business entirely on-line. This means she can now afford to sell the same products for thirty to fifty percent less while making greater profit thanks to her considerably lower overheads.

The Fitness Industry

When I opened my Personal Training centre in 1990, it was the only one of its kind in the country. In many ways, it was easy to succeed because I enjoyed something of a monopoly. At that time, the concept of PT was ground-breaking and a big departure from what typically transpired in gyms. It was new. Innovative. These days, the fitness industry and the range of services and products offered within that industry is a totally different beast. In this country (Australia), the fitness market is saturated with trainers, gyms, PT studios, group exercise classes, outdoor programs and an ever-expanding range of get-in-shape options. To not adapt is to commit professional suicide.

Educationr
And then there are those people who go to college without actually… going to college. With many degree courses, the vast majority of work can be completed with very limited face-to-face (classroom) interaction. Almost none, in fact. Hmm, I hope my doctor of the future doesn’t qualify on-line.

The Haters

Of course, some people hate all this change but our world is what it is. And what our world is, is dynamic. Hating our new reality is a waste of energy. 1985 ain’t coming back any time soon, so complaining about the present and obsessing about the past is nothing more than an exercise in frustration and time-wasting. We don’t need to love all the changes but we do need to work with them. And around them. Saying that I hate email doesn’t change the fact that a business without an email address is a business with a major handicap. In most cases, anyway.

Twenty years ago we paid ridiculous fees to make a five-minute international phone call. These days, resources like Skype allow me to chat with clients on the other side of the world for free. For as long as I like. Like it or hate it, things are different. And they are getting more different by the day. Our world is a technological snowball rolling down a giant hill gaining speed and size as it goes. It’s inevitable, it’s unavoidable and it’s here.

A New World

What once worked in business, doesn’t work any more. For generations, business enjoyed a certain level of predictability and same-ness. For many organisations, those days are gone. Now, more than any time in our history, surviving and thriving in an ever-changing commercial playing field is about our individual and collective ability to adapt. Evolve. Learn. Change. In other words, it’s about our ability to read and respond to the needs and wants of a new world.

For those of us with a desire to advance ourselves professionally, it seems that – at this time in our evolution - our most valuable skill would be that of adaptability.