Staying ahead of the change curve is important to both organizations and individuals.  Organizations need to be prepared and equipped to deliver what customers/clients will want, need, and be willing to pay for when they want, need, and are willing to pay for it.  We consumers are fickle and impatient animals - we move on if we cannot find what we are looking for.

As if that were not enough to worry about; economic, operating, and regulatory environments have become increasingly volatile and unpredictable.  Individuals have it no easier.  We live with the same uncertainty and vulnerability in a challenging job market.

Many would say that perceptions of employment loyalty as we may have known it have shifted.  Employees become increasingly readily dispensable to employers and employees don't hesitate to jump ship for better opportunities.  Gone are the days when someone stays in the same job doing the same things for the same organization for all that long.  Consequently, more and more people are and will be doing something "new."

Most competencies require lead time to either recruit or develop.

I won't claim to be a professional futurist; however, my instincts tell me that we will continue to live in an increasingly complex and resource-constrained environment for some period of time.  While every organization needs to prognosticate the unique competencies that will be critical in supporting its unique strategic objectives prospectively, my take on the competency/trait family themes that will continue to be important include:

• Resourceful project management
  
• Communication (including cross-cultural)
  
• Negotiation and consensus building
  
• Managing complexity and ambiguity
  
• Risk management (including the informed courage to still take some)
  
• Problem-solving and analysis
  
• Creativity and innovation
  
• Organization and prioritization
  
• Resilience
  

Benefits:

• Competitive edge as both an enterprise and as an employer of choice
  

• Enhanced customer/client satisfaction
  

• Optimized return-on-investment in leveraging investments (e.g. technology)
  

Actions:

• Involving those with responsibility for competency acquisition and development in strategic planning processes
  

• Identifying new competencies that will be required to support planning visions and respective time horizons:
  
  • Assessing and determining whether these new competencies can be developed in current employees or if new talent will be required
    
  • Updating development plan strategies for those competencies that can be developed internally
    
  • Updating talent acquisition materials and processes for those competencies which need to be externally acquired via recruitment, contracting, or outsourcing
    

• We as individuals are wise to keep a watchful eye on what organizations appear to value and keep our competency portfolios current and aligned accordingly.
  
  • Monitoring industry forecasts, developing new competencies, and keeping up with technology are all things we can do to avoid becoming stale.
    
  • While specialization is indeed valued, some degree of competency portfolio diversification is perhaps prudent.