Natalia Hatalska, a futurologist and founder of infuture.institute, was recently interviewed about the most important competencies to develop in today’s world. She named emotional resilience and independent, critical thinking as key skills.
However, these answers may not be entirely sufficient in a world where disruptions are becoming the norm. Emotional resilience is often based on the assumption that one can return to their previous path after a setback.
Understanding Megaruption
Megaruption refers to the overlapping and interacting disruptions that produce consequences difficult to separate. The International Monetary Fund’s World Uncertainty Index shows that uncertainty has become a persistent condition across 143 countries.
Returning to the previous path can be the worst possible response, as it may lead to continuing in the wrong direction. Critical thinking, while important, is not a standalone future skill, but rather part of something more demanding: learnability.
Learnability and Reinvention
Learnability is the ability to recognize that what you know may no longer be enough and to adopt new and disrupting technologies. It requires questioning one’s expertise, unlearning outdated methods, and changing behavior as a result.
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Many people are willing to learn as long as the new knowledge confirms their existing identity, but real learnability asks more. It may require an experienced manager to become a beginner again or a specialist to move beyond their profession.
Learnability alone is not enough, as one can understand that the world has changed and still do nothing. This is why the second essential competency is reinvention, the ability to turn learning into a different path.
Reinvention means changing what you do, how you create value, and sometimes, how you see yourself. It applies to everyone, from chief executives to employees whose roles are being automated.
A New Approach
We often prepare people to endure shocks and return to normal, but normal is refusing to return. The two competencies we need are learnability and reinvention: the capacity to understand that the path has changed and the courage to choose another one.
The future will not punish us for failing to bounce back, but for bouncing back to a world that no longer exists. As Hatalska’s interview suggests, it’s time to rethink our approach to learning and development in a world of constant disruption.