And if you focus on skills and understand the skills of your existing workforce, and where you need to go as a company, there’s a huge opportunity to help your top talent find different roles inside of your company instead of learning and leaving. I truly believe that your next top employee is most likely your current employee. Ever since our co-founder Reid Hoffman first introduced the concept of “tours of duty” (the opportunity for employees to take on rotational assignments that provide access to new skills, experiences, and connections), we have always embraced a growth mindset and empowered employees to explore different career paths.

Once you have those employees in the right roles with the right skills, it’s equally important to continue investing in their career progression and skills.Īt LinkedIn, this was embedded in our culture well before I became CEO. Companies that focus on skills and shift away from more antiquated signals like degree, pedigree, or where someone worked previously, will be able to ensure they have the right people with the right skills, in the right roles, doing their best work. This is the essence of adaptive leadership and it all starts with how you hire and grow your teams and adopting what I’ve been calling a skills-first mentality. While this can seem daunting, there’s always opportunity hiding in plain sight for those willing to look for it.Ĭultivating a culture of constant iteration and learning is the new gold standard that will set your business apart in a world where disruption is the norm.

We’re all making decisions on a daily basis that no one in the role before us ever had to make. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently told me “leaders don’t wait for the perfect pitch or perfect weather to perform, you’ve got to take the hand you’ve been dealt, and deal with the constraints.”Īnd former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts gave me similar advice when I asked her about leading through challenging times: “I’ve learned more in the valleys than I have on the mountaintops.” Many of the most successful business leaders I’ve encountered have already adopted this mindset of playing up and spotting the opportunity amidst turbulence. How you adapt will look different for each business, but the key is to embrace this notion that the hard times are when you can test and learn fast. For us, this meant rolling out new features to help members who suddenly found themselves out of a job and in need of support, unveiling a new approach to hybrid work where our employees are empowered to work however is best for them and their teams, and even re-evaluating and enhancing our company values to ensure our culture truly reflects the current needs of employees. In 2020, this all came to a head but instead of retrenching, we saw an opportunity to rise to the moment by adapting and trying new things. This means seeing change as a growth opportunity and not shying away from making bold decisions, even when it goes against what others around you are doing. Meanwhile, adaptive leaders are playing up, playing to win.

We were undoubtedly in turbulent waters and the waters remain choppy still–but navigating these unpredictable tides has driven us to move faster and to think up new ways of doing things.įacing negative headwinds, many businesses instinctively play to the lowest common denominator and see change as a tax or burden to be dealt with.

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