In 1965 NASA sent its first manned spaceship, under the Gemini program, into space.

Operated by Gus Grissom and John Young, Gemini 3’s launch was so smooth that the astronauts did not even feel the lift-off. They orbited the Earth three times before re-entering and landing safely – a major milestone in NASA’s history-making journey to the moon.

More than 50 years later, another Gemini 3 is about to lift off, this time in the HR technology space.

As business leaders, we’re used to making data-driven decisions in every facet of our organisations, except, perhaps, for our people.

While the world of work is changing rapidly, there are still aspects where organisations generally do things the way they’ve always been done, such as the way they find candidates for roles, select new hires, and identify and develop top performers.

In my role at Hudson, I have a lot of conversations with senior leaders in businesses across Asia about the critical capabilities they need to hire to help their businesses adapt and change in a fast-moving world. No one wants to be the next Kodak.

What we keep coming back to is that businesses need people who are adaptable and flexible in their mindset and in their approach to work.

The role of the Agile Coach may have originated in IT, but it’s now in strong demand across other industries as organisations see the benefits of working in an Agile way.

If you’re in the field of program/project management and are looking to upskill for new and exciting roles, becoming an Agile Coach is a great opportunity to take the next step in your career.

As leaders, sometimes we can become so busy with our heads down, getting things done, that we can forget to look up and see how the world is changing around us.

In today’s volatile, uncertain, and ambiguous business environment, it’s important to use the leadership quality of vision, to gather information and make a critical assessment of whether we’re still heading in the right direction, so we can make adjustments if necessary and take advantages of opportunities in a more agile way.

I have a question for every professional reading this: Do you consider yourself a leader?

If your answer to that was “No”, it might be time to re-think how you approach your job and your career.

Congratulations! Your carefully crafted cover letter has managed to impress, your CV has demonstrated that you have relevant skills and experience, and you've been invited to an interview with your prospective employer in two days' time.

While you've already thought about whether you might be a good fit when you applied for the role, now is the time to reassess the reasons why you want the role and take the time to thoroughly prepare your case.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” So said Mahatma Gandhi and it’s the learning issue that has many of us breaking into a sweat. But there is a way out.

Do you feel you need to improve your skills? Hone an existing strength? Train up in new areas?

You’re not alone.

Hudson’s latest research reveals that only one in two employers are confident their team has the capabilities to deliver what will be required in the future. But before we even think about tomorrow’s technical skills and blue-sky predictions, we need to address what we can fix – and change, and enhance, and radically improve – right now.

The new Hudson Report: Today’s workforce demands tomorrow’s skills finds that significant numbers of employers across the Asia Pacific are concerned their people don’t have the skills required to perform in the workplace today, let alone tomorrow.

Want to find new hires who will perform and stay? Then don't follow these common practices.

In my 16 years in recruitment, I've seen the all-too-common mistakes many hiring managers make when they recruit for new hires. It’s understandable – time is limited and we all naturally fall back on the practices that seem most expedient and commonly used. But unfortunately, these don’t often achieve what you really want: a new hire that goes on to become a star performer in your business.