The No. 1 trait for those who have achieved great success, according to Harvard Business School professor Joseph Fuller, isn’t how quickly you climb the career ladder or how confident you are—it’s about how adaptable you can.
Fuller has spent much of his career working with and studying highly successful individuals, whether Nobel Prize laureates or Fortune 500 executives. The key is that a person is “open to unexpected opportunities and embrace change instead of fearing it,” he said.
Although creating timelines and setting goals can be useful, you shouldn’t close the door to achieving career successful via a nonlinear or unexpected route. Don’t fixate on a specific career path, he said, or you might overlook other fulfilling options.
Recent research from LinkedIn validates Fuller’s opinion, finding that the soft skill of adaptability is “increasing in demand,” as a result of direct changes to the post-pandemic workforce. Employers are looking for those who can adjust to changes, whether it’s the increasing spread of AI or working with multiple generations in the workforce.
