Steven Denning, who is a writer for Forbes, wrote a couple of years ago that the life expectancy of companies is getting shorter and shorter. 50 years ago, a Fortune 500 firm would have an expectancy of 75 years. Right now, that had dropped to 15 years and declining.

For one thing, that teaches us something about how tough it is to build a long lasting company, but that is not my point here. The take-away is that if the life-span of companies drops, being able to change and adjust becomes an even more essential skill to keep sharpening: big changes are always right around the corner.

Are you ready for the next big shake-up?