A consistent theme in these reports is workforce availability and development. As a CEO, getting and keeping the employees we need is top of mind. There’s one aspect of workforce development, though, that I don’t think gets enough attention: ongoing skillbuilding to ensure that the employees you have right now are the ones you’ll want to retain.

I recently read an article that compared the CEO’s role in this era of disruptive transformation to both a martial arts master and the leader of a jazz band. I like those images because they convey not only flexibility but speedy reflexes and keen awareness of what’s happening around you.

Digital disruption. Business transformation. Transform now or be left behind. Today is the slowest rate of change you’ll ever see.

Everyone knows the labor market is incredibly tight these days, and every month these reports show it. What’s less clear is how to set one’s company apart to get, and keep, the employees you want.

These reports paint a picture of a rapidly-changing business landscape: new companies starting, new deals being made, new technologies gaining a foothold. And every business leader is aware of how his or her own industry is being transformed. But how much are we relating these developments to the seismic social and technological shifts our society is experiencing? And how well are we preparing our people – our greatest asset – for the changes that lie ahead?