I get excited when we are right on target with what is going on in the business world. In our January release of our Adminology™ White Paper, we stated the following:

THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY

Various observers describe today's global economy as one in transition to a "knowledge economy." While in the past century, workers used tools or manufacturing to create goods to sell, in the 21st century workplace, knowledge itself can now be viewed as a product. More than just “who you know,” now it’s “what you know” which creates a bold line of distinction between workers.

There is this big wonderful world out there. It presents all of us with many challenges. We have to think differently, act differently, and yet maintain certain core attitudes, values and behaviors that have not and should not be changed. In summary, there are things to retain, new things to learn, and knowledge itself is now a commodity to be developed.

Here it is February and I'm reading an article on Bridging the Skills Gap: New Factors Compound the Growing Skills Shortage. Guess what it talks about? The knowledge economy. It says that for sustained high performance in the knowledge economy, we need:

Adaptability--the capacity to change in response to ever-shifting conditions in the economy and the marketplace, and to quickly master the new skills that changes required.

Innovative thinking and action--the ability to think creatively and to generate new ideas and solutions to challenges at work.

Personal responsibility for learning--the willingness of individuals to take responsibility for continually improving their work-related capabilities throughout their careers.

How would you rate yourself? Are you truly ready to sustain high performance? The key word is sustain.

(Article written by Pat Galagan, excerpt from T & D magazine 2010)