I had the opportunity to attend several “South by Southwest” events this week.  During one event Nancy Giordano said, “In the future 100% of jobs will need to be reskilled.”  I think the truth of Nancy’s quote is self-evident.  That quote really resonated with me and reminded me of the importance of creating learning organizations if you expect to be a successful organization.   As the pace of change accelerates this is even more important.

I’ve been in IT for 25 years and all the jobs that exist today require a different set of skills then were available when I started.  You may think that IT is the exception, but I believe that the need to learn new skills is much broader.  I’ll give you two other examples of job titles that existed 25 years ago that are still around today.  The first is a welder in a manufacturing operation.  Today’s welders understand much more about lean principles and problem solving than those in place 25 years ago, because successful manufactures understand the importance of engaging the entire workforce in continuous improvement to a degree that did not exist 25 years ago.  The second is a cashier in retail.  Automation has continued to make the cashiers job much simpler and more productive.  There are fewer cashiers than there were 25 years ago, and those that remain had to learn how to operate the new equipment.  Cashiers from 25 years ago have either adapted or found work doing something else.

My point is that no matter what type of organization you lead, it is imperative to create an environment where your team can learn and develop their skills.  That starts out with recruiting team members who have a thirst for knowledge, and a willingness to share what they learn with their colleges.  You need to point out that while you are focused on helping team members be happy and productive in their current jobs, that is not enough, because those jobs will be transformed several times during their careers.

Leaders must be proactive at identifying the skills they will require in the near to midterm future to meet their business objectives, and also what skills they will no longer require.  They should be transparent with this information so their people can be proactive in managing their own careers.  Opportunities to learn and practice emerging skills must be provided.  In today’s world, technology is making access to new skills training much more available and economical.  Team members (including the organization’s leaders) should be encouraged to learn the skills that will help them be successful in tomorrow’s organizations.

While emerging technologies will always require a certain level of recruiting to jump start the learning processes, highly effective organizations will develop a learning culture that allows team members to learn and grow with the organization.  This will allow organizations to maintain a high level of institutional knowledge while going through the transformations required to remain highly competitive.