Successfully adapting to a changing world is one of the most important skills a company must have. And while many firms do a great job adapting their products and services, fewer are as effective when it comes to human capital. That seems doubly true at the top of these organizations, where leadership has failed to stay in tune with the world business climate and is left behind by companies with more forward­ thinking management.

What good does it do to operate a firm with apps and Cloud storage when the CEO is as out of date as a rotary phone? A strong, consistent program of corporate coaching is the most effective means of ensuring that your company’s operations are at the forefront of modern business. And unlike retreats and in­service training of the past, there’s no need to vacate the office for days at a time in order to get current. Instead, a wide array of online tools is available for effective manager training. That training helps in several key areas.

The Worker Changes

Modern workers are motivated differently than those of twenty or even ten years ago. Understanding what makes workers tick is the most critical skill in managing them. Would your employees prefer overtime or flex time? Would they prefer to stay at a single job assignment indefinitely or have frequent rotation? Are they interested in seeing your company get involved in philanthropy? Questions like these have a far different answer in 2014 than they did in 2004 or 1994. Yet the main managers in your firm may have been away from the rank and file assembler, coder, or sales associate for that much time or even longer. Good training for managers will keep them in touch with the things that drive the frontline worker to produce at a high level.

The Work Changes

Many firms adapt here or fade away. But there is still a distinction between those who grudgingly change their ways and those who eagerly embrace new technologies. That difference creates profitability and durability. Do you know what it takes to adapt to the amazing array of new opportunities out there? Have you conditioned your thinking to be constantly vigilant for the chance to surge ahead of your competitors? That drive to be the leader has brought us every innovation from cruise control in our cars to microwaves in our kitchens. When you retrain your mind to get a modern spin on everything you do, you and your company will succeed.

The Tools Change

Think about how you find workers. Most job­seekers are relying heavily on social networking to look for new positions. Are you able to find them there? Again, your personnel staff might have been in their current roles since the want­ad days. Have they adapted? Can you help them find better prospects by opening up new avenues of recruiting? The same goes for your marketing staff, your trainers, and everyone at every level. Nothing is done the way it was a very few short years ago, and just bringing everyone up to the 2014 level isn’t enough ­­because 2015 will be a whole new world. You need a sustainable system for keeping your people current on how things are changing, and on what you must do to keep pace.