WHEN you read most job specs you’ll notice a word that appears quite consistently – adaptability. Have you ever wondered why the candidate, whether an engineer, a financial director or a personal assistant needs to be adaptable?
The answer is clear for most successful people. The parameters defining a sector, an institution or a particular role for that matter, are not fixed. As organisations and relationships mature, the strategies required for continued success, change as well. In some cases, the new activities that must be performed are designed to avoid obsolescence, and in other cases, to move the organisation off a plateau.
This can be graphically illustrated by the S-curve, which plots the performance of any system from its start-up to the growth phase, followed by the maturity phase. Depending on the ability of the people operating within the system, the system could fall into decline or remain on a plateau, without fresh ideas or energy.
Ideas that were considered revolutionary a decade ago are now obsolete. Who relies solely on a PC to surf the Internet or tries to back up data on a CD? Similarly, many of the skills that are sought-after today will become obsolete in the future. With the true age of retirement steadily increasing, the average length of time one spends in the workplace increases, making it more important to remain relevant.
Someone considered an expert today will cease to be one as the industry around him or her evolves. So what does it take to ‘jump’ the S-curve and enter a new growth phase?
Being able to adapt is about more than continuing to be relevant in our current roles. It is about recognising that the organisation or industry in which we operate could itself enter a decline phase, forcing us to make rapid changes.
No one enjoys change being thrust upon them, so it is best to be prepared, and while we cannot predict every eventuality, two basic activities will help future-proof us.
Awareness: Make it your duty to know what is on the horizon for your industry or your company. Follow the news using Google alerts to stay abreast of changes and keep a robust network of people to understand any imminent revisions to your company’s business model.
Education: Never stop learning. Don’t be afraid to explore the latest technology or learn the new techniques that are being applied in you field. Imagine being a developer who refused to learn Java or a teacher who didn’t keep up with online resources.
We need to examine our own ability to jump the S-curve to be ready to permeate the boundaries of our roles. After all, who knows when we will be called upon to lead the change for our own organisations?
Details: www.theseedsa.org
