This post originally appeared in the Kenosha News as part of the column Sunday Mornings With Basil Willis – November 13, 2011

There is an old Wisconsin adage that says: If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. In today’s world the same can be said about almost anything, especially the workplace. The pace at which technology marches forward is dizzying and those who ignore it and are being left behind. For better or worse, the new economy rewards those who embrace change.

A recent new hire came into my office last week. He is a supervisor, an older guy who was brought on to herd cats in the plant and bring order to a specific area of operations. He had the air of being a no-nonsense butt-kicker who was used to people being intimidated by his presence, but this day he wore a sheepish look. “I’m supposed to get an iPhone today, but I don’t need it. I can use my own cell phone.” I asked him if he could get email on his personal phone, or if he could view our company’s web-based production dashboards, or if he had a barcode scanner app? “Uhh… no.”

He was visibly upset. I asked him to close my door. “You have to learn how to use this tool. That’s all it is, another tool on your belt. If you don’t, there is someone out there who wants your job that will.” I assured him that someone on my staff would give him personal training and he didn’t have to master it overnight. I also told him that once he learned how to use it, he would wonder how he ever lived without it.
As he left my office it got me thinking about my own career and how change has been central to it. The job I had out of college doesn’t exist anymore, replaced by Indians, commodity hardware, hosted services and ever increasing reliability. When I started out, my full time job was literally babysitting two fussy servers and a handful of computers.

Now a skilled technician can manage twenty servers, a hundred workstations and dozens of mobile devices by herself. My focus has become less about the nuts and bolts and more about how I can apply technology to make business better, customers happier and margins fatter. I have become of an analyzer of business strategy and process and an agent of change. I have found that most people fear and loathe change, and I don’t blame them. But I do worry about them.

While technology may be the face of evolution, change is everywhere and it is constant. The math that the accountant uses has been the same for millennia, but the codes and tools are always shifting. A mechanic who is my age has seen the automobile become infused with dozens of sensors and chips. An engine is still a spark, gas and air, but you need a computer now to diagnose and tune a modern car.

Companies are all trying to get leaner and more productivity out of each worker, refine every process and squeeze waste from every system. Those who will succeed (or simply survive) in the new economy will be the ones who are able to adapt to an ever-changing landscape. There are a number of ways to get there, but the single thread that binds all careers will be one of not ever getting comfortable.
My path, a generic bachelor’s education from Madison, was hugely beneficial. Very little of what I learned in college gets used now. I remember some authors, some interesting lab experiments and enough Spanish to order a beer in Cozumel. I’m pretty good at Jeopardy.

What I gained from school that proved to be most valuable is learning how to learn; how to quickly cram copious amounts of information into my brain and manage multiple tasks simultaneously, often doing so with very little sleep. It was great training, because that’s essentially what I’ve been doing for twenty years.

Tech schools are vitally important for other reasons. I want the guy that’s fixing the X-ray machine to know exactly what he is doing. They don’t teach you that at universities. I don’t care if he can speak to the American Dark Transcendentalists or has studied Pavlov as long as the images are clear. But know that the machine he is a master of now will be a relic by the time the warranty is up. Be prepared, and eager, to master the new machine. Or even a whole new paradigm.

That new supervisor grins at me now when we pass in the halls. He shows me apps he’s downloaded and is especially delighted with the GPS golf app that calculates yardage. “It posts my scores on Facebook too, if I want.” He has an incredibly annoying screaming monkey ringtone that can be heard throughout the entire office. I smile whenever I hear it; a reminder that an old dog learning new tricks can still kick butt.

Noted twentieth century philosopher Kevin Cronin put it succinctly when he said, “So, if you’re tired of the same old story, oh, turn some pages. I will be here when you are ready, to roll with the changes.” Keep on rolling.