查尔斯·达尔文（Charles Darwin）的话至今仍然非常正确：“生存下来的不是最强壮的物种，也不是最聪明的物种，而是最能适应变化的物种。”适应性是雇主寻求的最重要的“人类技能”之一，也被称为软技能或基本技能。从历史上看，这些技能很少受到重视，但雇主们已经意识到，光有硬技能是不够的。员工需要能够沟通，谈判，与同事互动，批判性和创造性地思考，他们需要能够适应。

什么是适应性，为什么它很重要？适应性意味着一个人能够快速响应不断变化的趋势、创新、不稳定、行业转变等等。这种调整或转变的能力使员工变得灵活，这很重要，因为今天大多数行业都处于某种变化状态。例如，虽然人们关注人工智能如何影响自动化，但它的使用已经远远超过了制造业，因此，员工需要能够随着这种创新以及下一个创新一起前进。但这不仅仅是技术变革的问题。当一家公司的商业模式不再有效，收入下降时，那些能够通过削减成本、改变思维方式、最重要的是展望未来、看到前进方向来适应的员工，才是带领公司度过艰难时期的人。相反，坚持以标准方式做事的员工，最终会拖累公司。

你适应能力强吗？杰夫·博斯在《福布斯》杂志上发表了一篇题为《适应能力强的人的14个特征》的文章，他指出了适应能力强的人的以下特点：他们勇于尝试，在别人看到失败的地方看到机会，他们足智多谋，他们提前考虑，不抱怨，自言自语，不责怪别人。他们也不追求名声，好奇，开放思想，看到系统，并保持与时俱进。

If you do not possess these traits, there are ways you can train yourself to be more adaptable:

Change Your Thought Process

Let go of the “Well, that’s the way we’ve always done it” mentality. While change can be scary and intimidating, embrace it and look at change as an opportunity to improve, learn, and grow. It can open the door to creativity as well. This also means, however, being open to the thoughts and opinions of others, i.e. different perspectives.

Force Yourself to Take Risks

Little progress is made without risk. For some, the idea of risk is so adverse that they will run from it as fast as they can, but taking risks is key part of being adaptable. Start small and to increase comfort, discuss risk taking as part of team meetings, which can serve as a system of support.

Encourage Others to Be Open Minded

One of the best ways you can develop an open mind is to encourage others to do the same. This creates a more open atmosphere in and around you, thereby further encouraging your open-mindedness and to continue the cycle. It also serves as a means to shut down closed-minded thinking, such as “Well, that’s how we’ve always done it.”

Embrace Learning

As noted in the Forbes article, people who are curious and stay current tend to be adaptable. This means you need to embrace learning. Read up about new technologies in your industry sector, go to seminars on how to cut costs while maintaining efficiency and quality, learn about process improvement, connect with colleagues who have this kind of vision and learn from them, read what they read, etc.

Melissa Cory, the co-founder of the Women in Leadership Conference in Oklahoma and the director of Executive and Professional Education at Meinders School of Business at Oklahoma City University said at the above-mentioned conference, “Those who remain flexible and have the opportunity to adapt their thinking and behavior to circumstances possess an important skill.” She later added, “Turning moments of change into opportunity, however, means we need to be ready to embrace change, create a network that supports us and tools that help us navigate this change.”

This means you need to take some time to think about your adaptability skill level. If you are adaptable, then identify tangible ways to showcase it on your resume and on LinkedIn. If you are not, then actively take steps to train yourself to become more adaptable and document your progress. I also recommend you find an accountability partner to help you grow this important skill.Kind regards,