“Education is inoculation against disruption.” Robin Sharma

I read this line in The Wealth Money Can’t Buy and it immediately recalled two things for me.

First was how different Black Friday is from a decade ago. There are no more newspapers filled with fliers in the days before. No more long lines at stores before the sun rises.

In my very unscientific survey of a few people I know, most of them did their shopping online. The few who did go to a store did it later in the day.

The second was a conversation with the general manager of a local business. He confessed that he had no idea how to manage and motivate the youngest members of his team.

That’s not surprising to me, because you can’t manage everyone the same. Generations are just one of the many differences in our workforces that require adapting one’s leadership style in order to be effective.

Changes in shopping habits and workforce are disruptions. And, as Sharma points out, education is how you stay ahead of those changes. Retailers who don’t learn how to sell the way people want to buy won’t be in business long. And if you don’t know how to adapt your leadership style to the diverse needs of your team, you won’t be very effective.

So, what are you doing to inoculate yourself against all the other upcoming disruptions? How are you learning today in preparation for tomorrow?