disruption. It is rooted in personality traits like our openness to new experience, our confidence in our own abilities and our motivation to achieve. While our set point is rooted in our genetics, it is also shaped by our experiences—meaning resilient behaviors can be shaped and expanded—they can be learned. An individual’s natural set point is also influenced by the environment they work in (think our organizational culture). Agile organizations create an environment where workers can better cope. What I call “The Six Critical Traits of Agile Organizations” includes the presence of visionary leadership, collaborative decision-making, social support and an attitude that sees failure as a learning experience (rather than a performance issue). So, solving the skills gap in a post-COVID-19 world will start with solving the skills gap in each of us, and that begins with re-skilling our abilities to work at the speed of change. Leaders need to cultivate a culture that rewards innovation, offers psychological safety for risk-takers and engages each individual in achieving an aspirational vision that they can believe in. Individuals can start with an honest appraisal of their own coping skills and setting a learning plan to build on areas of weakness. Managers should objectively assess how their culture may be supporting (or hindering) future success. This pandemic has been devastating, but there is opportunity here too. Building a version of normal that is a better one for ourselves, our families and those we serve will start with building a more adaptive version of ourselves and our organizations. We can shape a better future, a better version of normal by building a better version of us. We should start now. ***** About the author: Rick Maher, President/CEO, Adaptive Human Capital, LLC. applies the science of Industrial-Organizational Psychology to the challenge of developing more adaptive human systems—at the individual, organizational and societal levels. He is a veteran of the human resources industry, and a recognized leader in the fields of managing organizational change and the strategic management of human capital. (BA, Seton Hall University; MS, Industrial-Organizational Psychology; Walden University).
40 | AFTER THE PANDEMIC