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Bentley Lewis

The most important skill according to Darwin and Einstein

"The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” Albert Einstein

When two of the smartest people that ever lived agree on something, people sit up and take notice. Darwin and Einstein were right, the ability to change is critical to survival. But we don’t just want to survive, we want to thrive. Thriving requires you to be constantly changing how you do things and being receptive to new ways of thinking.


“it is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change”.
Charles Darwin.
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Shunryu Suzuki said in his book “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind” how difficult it is to keep an open mind, a “beginner’s mind” especially when we’ve been doing something for a while and consider ourselves expert at it. Adapting to change is the most important skill in today’s world.

When hiring, make sure you identify people who adapt to change quickly as not everyone can do it. Invest in people who can adapt and drive change, and assess how adaptable your employees are so you can help them change too. Investing in people yields great benefits.

In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.”
Shunryu Suzuki.
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There have been so many recent corporate failures due to inability or lack of desire to change I’ve lost count. Companies don’t get better by chance; they get better by change. It’s surely preferable to change before you have to. We find the best companies have a culture where new opportunities have the chance to emerge.

Companies are made up of people. Make sure you spend time identifying the skills that will drive you forward.

One of the hardest things is finding and hiring people with a high degree of adaptability to change. During the interview process I suggest considering people who are open to new experiences, and can help others navigate through uncertainty. They should love new experiences and have the mental flexibility to thrive in unfamiliar environments. Finally, they should be comfortable and be able to adapt to new situations and challenges.

Lewis Maleh, Founder
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