Adaptability is the capability

There’s plenty written on the skills we'll need for now, tomorrow and the next decade to remain relevant, employable, successful and smiling.

Predicting specifics for an uncertain future can be lottery-like: sure, we'll get the numbers right ... eventually, but just not all at once or all in the one game!

So it's not one skill or 30; adaptability is the capability.

It's having the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions. How well can you continue to see, listen, learn, connect dots, and then change your behaviour based on all of that information available to you?

The capability is adaptability. And plenty of people are just not that adaptable.

Adaptability is having a force and power of resourcefulness. To be able to switch from one thing to another or decide on different skills you’ll deliberately apply to solve a perplexing situation.

We all find ourselves in challenging environments and tricky situations - how well do you play a capability of adaptability?

Put the 'Changes Welcome' mat out

Do you put the welcome mat out during change or are you running off down a path with the gate locked behind you?

Welcome changes from customers, clients, end users, no matter what stage of the process of design, development, delivery or sale of your thing, product, change, transformation or service.

Welcoming changes is a philosophy of the software development field of agile. They welcome changes because they are on a path of iterating and editing and reviewing and releasing changed and improved versions of the software, website, app or technology. Even if it's later in the process, changes, comments, and responses are welcome. That means what they’re creating will be more useful, more suitable.

This is about acceptance, flexibility, adaptability. It's this input that keeps people engaged in what you're doing and makes what you're doing more tailored to the people who are using it.

When changes come to you today, tomorrow, next week, take a note of how you respond - if you're welcoming or you're locking yourself away from them.