Over the past week, I’ve had to think long and hard about what it is that I’m doing for clients as the national economy grinds along and opportunities remain scarce for all of us.

The work in the area of literacy, lifelong learning and a comprehensive educational pipeline is, I believe, so very important. But what is the ultimate goal? I believe it is helping people have the tools to be resilient, versatile and adaptable.  These words are not synonymous entirely but pretty close.  In a changing world where employers come and go in the blink of an eye and technology changes just about the time we figure out how to use it, we must all be constant learners and know when to move on from old ways.

I worry about so many of my generation and colleagues I work with who seem to be stuck in a way of working that does not adapt, is not versatile and leads to defeats or disappointments that require resiliency that is being used up in enormous chunks to the point of exasperation.

We must all learn from the British-led invasion of Gallipoli in 1915 where the British figured out how to crush the Germans by hitting its soft underbelly through southern Turkey.  The disaster was brought on by attempting a brilliant strategy using outdated, rigid tactics that doomed 20,000 men.  The book “Military Misfortunes” by Cohen & Gooch is a great description of the worst that can happen when leaders are not versatile, adaptable and resilient.

The pace of change is so rapid that we must all strive to find and nurture the skills needed to be adaptable, versatile and resilient.  If we can help others do that, we are making a sound contribution.  All the while we must nurture our own skills and be ready to embrace the need to adapt and change.