Adapability Skills Career Retention

Adaptability Skills for Global Career Retention and Advancement

Lesson 2.2.2

You may know Steve Jobs as the co-founder of Apple®. Born in California, he had a passion for computers and engineering. He is known for his role as co-founder and CEO of Apple, but Jobs also was a former chairman of Pixar Animation Studios.

Steve Jobs started his career in electronics and computers and helped Apple become a global leader in the computer industry. Under his direction, Apple branched well beyond desktop and laptop computing and into the world of music, communications, fitness, and more!

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Steve Jobs

Indra Nooyi was born in India and moved to the United States to pursue a second master's degree from Yale University. She held positions with the Boston Consulting Group and Motorola®, eventually becoming the PepsiCo® soft drink company's president and chief executive officer (CEO).

She helped make PepsiCo® a success by reaching beyond soft drinks into the restaurant business and more while pursuing international expansion.

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Indra Nooyi

Both Jobs and Nooyi found their strengths and used them to the fullest. They had to be adaptable to transition across diverse industries. They had to take risks, face failures, and show leadership in the business world. Think about what skills might have helped Jobs and Nooyi find success in their careers.

The measure of intelligence is the ability to change."

-Albert Einstein

​Albert Einstein was one of the most brilliant scientists of all time. However, he does not credit intelligence to natural talent or ability. In the quote above, he describes intelligence as the ability to change.

Adaptability is the willingness to change and adjust to a changing environment. In reference to the workplace, adaptability means being able to respond quickly to a change in demands or priorities. Can you think of examples where companies have to adapt?

For example, think about how the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world. The pandemic was a significant social and economic disruption that caused businesses to adapt quickly. When companies have to adapt, so do their employees.

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There are many things that can contribute to changes in the workplace. On a global scale, it may be due to larger political or economic changes. On a local scale, it may be due to competition from new businesses or problems finding employees with the right skills for the job. Whatever the reason, one thing that is constant is that the workplace will continue to change.

Because the workplace is constantly changing, employees must be willing to change and adapt as well. To do that, it is important to continue to try and learn new skills and be willing to seek feedback from others that can help you grow personally and professionally.

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As stated in a previous lesson, lifelong learning refers to a passion for acquiring new knowledge. Lifelong learning is essential to ensure you stay up to date on general trends in technology and more specific trends within a chosen field.

For example, learning new technology is important even if you work in a non-technology career, as computers have become involved in almost all career fields.

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Multiple Select

Why is it important to continue to be a lifelong learner?

Select all that apply

• to improve time management

• to stay current with new technology

• to keep current with skills and certifications

• to be adabptable and flexible through change

Soft skills describe how you work and interact with others. Skills such as communication, teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving are often called soft skills.

For example, if you had a career in marketing, you would need good communication and creativity skills.

Soft Skills

​Hard skills are the technical skills you need for a specific job.

For example, if you had a career in marketing, the hard skills you would need might include specific technical skills, such as being able to analyze and present market data.

​​Hard Skills

For any career, you need both hard and soft skills. Unlike hard skills, which are often technical and job-specific, soft skills are more about personal attributes and behaviors.

Many soft skills can be organized into four categories. Press through the screens below to learn more about how each of these soft skills can help you in a future career:

• communication

• collaboration

• critical thinking

• creativity

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Soft Skills

Edio | Commonwealth Charter Academy

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Categorize

Options (4)

A Sales representative must present a new product or service to a client

A software developer works with a team of egineers, designers, and programmers

An IT support specialist has to troubleshoot to solve a technical issue a client is having

An employee at a manufacturing company comes up with a new process to improve workflow

Sort each of the following scenarios into the correct category based on the skill being used.

Communication

Collaboration

Critical Thinking

Creativity

Edio | Commonwealth Charter Academy

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Multiple Select

Which of the following skills did you see more than once in the job postings you looked at?

Select all that apply

• critical thinking or problem-solving

• collaboration or teamwork

• communication skills

• creativity

Helps everyone stay on the same page. It helps employees understand why things are changing, how it will impact their job duties, and what they need to do

Communication

Working as a team helps each other figure out the best way to handle change. Makes it easier to adapt

Collaboration

Creative thinking enables people to develop alternative strategies and unique ideas and ways to solve problems.

​​Creativity

Those that have strong critical thinking skills can evaluate the implications of changes and allow for more thoughful and strategic approaches to adaptations

Critical Thinking

Remember that skills are the ability to do something from training, experience, or practice. If you do not believe you possess adaptability skills or if you need to improve your skills, you can! Ways that you can improve your skills include:

• engaging in group activities such as clubs;

• seeking feedback from teachers, peers, or mentors;

• setting goals to motivate personal and academic growth;

• reading across genres and topics; and

• volunteering.

There are many other ways that you can develop new skills or build upon your current ones. Talk with your teacher or a trusted adult if you need help.

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Open Ended

What is one skill that you want to develop or improve on to make you more adaptable? How are you going to do it?

You can start your response with:

• I want to improve on my ____ skills. I will do this by . . .

• I do not have any _____ skills, I want to develop some. I can do this by . . .

Categorize

Options (6)

Communication

problem-solving

teamwork

typing proficiency

spreadsheet proficiency

fluency in more than one language

Sort the skills below into two categories: soft skills and hard skills.

Soft Skills

Hard Skills