“Don’t fear disruption, be smart – harness it.”

This is the advice to corporates from Karen Lawson, CEO of Slingshot, on the best way to compete with tech startups.

Lawson was the guest speaker at a breakfast seminar that Hudson recently hosted in conjunction with the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI).

I’m sure we can all think of a time we’ve worked with someone who wasn’t a good cultural fit. For hiring managers, you might even think of a specific person who you hired with high hopes, who turned out to be a square peg for a round hole.

I’ve heard of a case where only three weeks after starting, the new hire decided that the role and the company wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t share the values, nor did she feel challenged in her role. Yet when she was hired, she had the perfect resume, interviewed well and what she said seemed to point to the fact that she wanted to work for the organisation.

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.