Have you ever felt like you're running on a treadmill that just keeps getting faster? You’re putting in the effort, you’re sweating, but you’re not actually getting anywhere. That’s exactly what it feels like trying to keep up with digital skills in the insurance world today.
We spend a ton of time and money training our teams on the latest software, the newest analytics platform, or the hot new digital tool. We send them to seminars, enroll them in online courses, and check the box. Then, six months later, that software has a massive update, a better platform comes along, and the skill we just taught them is… well, kind of irrelevant.
It’s exhausting. And frankly, it’s a little demoralizing for everyone involved. The truth is, the old way of thinking about training is broken. We’re in an era where digital skills have a shorter shelf life than a carton of milk, and we need a completely new approach if we want to keep from falling off the back of that treadmill.
So, Why Does It Feel Like We're Always a Step Behind?
It’s not just a feeling; it’s a reality. Technology is moving at a dizzying pace. Think about it. The AI tools that are changing underwriting and claims processing today barely existed a couple of years ago. The customer data platforms we rely on are constantly evolving.
This creates a phenomenon I call "skills decay." It's the idea that the value of a specific technical skill decreases over time. And right now, that decay is happening faster than ever before.
I once talked to a data analyst who spent a year mastering a very specific piece of software for risk modeling. Her company invested heavily in her training. By the time she was a certified expert, a new, more efficient, cloud-based tool hit the market, and her hard-won expertise was suddenly on the decline. Her skills didn't disappear, but their value in the marketplace started to fade.
That’s the core of our problem. We’re training for specific skills, but the skills themselves are temporary.
That Old Training Playbook? It's Not Working Anymore.
For decades, the corporate training model was pretty straightforward. You identify a skill gap, you find a course to fill it, you send your people, and you’re done. It was a "reskilling" event—a one-and-done project.
But that model was built for a world that changed slowly. It was perfect for teaching someone a process that would stay the same for the next five or ten years.
That world is long gone.
Trying to use that old playbook for digital skills is like trying to use a road map from 1995 to navigate with a self-driving car. The map is obsolete, and the vehicle operates on a completely different system.
Here’s why the traditional approach is failing us:
- It’s Too Slow: By the time you design, approve, and roll out a formal training program, the technology has already changed.
- It’s Too Rigid: These programs teach a specific, fixed skill set. They don’t teach people how to handle the next thing that comes along.
- It Fosters Dependency: It trains employees to wait for the company to teach them what they need to know, instead of encouraging them to seek out knowledge themselves.
We keep trying to "reskill" people for yesterday's technology, and it's a losing battle. We're training for roles that are changing under our feet.
If Reskilling Is Broken, What’s the Fix?
This is the part where I think things get really interesting. If we stop focusing on the specific, perishable skills, what do we focus on instead?
The answer is adaptability.
Instead of trying to teach someone every single feature of the new claims management software, what if we taught them how to learn new software quickly? Instead of training them on one programming language, what if we taught them the fundamental principles of coding so they can pick up new languages with ease?
Adaptability is the meta-skill. It’s the ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn. It’s about building a team that isn’t scared of a software update but sees it as a puzzle to solve. It’s a shift from "we need to train our people on this tool" to "we need to build a team that can master any tool."
Think of it like this: You can give someone a fish, and they'll eat for a day. Or you can teach them how to fish, and they'll eat for a lifetime. Traditional reskilling is giving someone a fish. Fostering adaptability is teaching them how to fish in any lake, with any kind of rod, for any kind of fish.
Okay, How Do We Actually Do This?
Shifting from a training mindset to an adaptability mindset is a big cultural change, not just an HR initiative. It’s not about buying a new learning platform (though that can help). It’s about changing how we think about growth and development.
Here are a few ideas that I’ve seen work in the real world:
1. Make Learning a Daily Habit, Not an Annual Event
Stop scheduling "training days." Instead, encourage "learning moments." This could be as simple as giving your teams 30 minutes every Friday to explore a new tool, watch a tutorial on a new data visualization technique, or read about an emerging insurtech trend. We need to normalize the idea that learning is part of the job, not something you do when you’re taken away from your job.
2. Reward Curiosity, Not Just Certification
Who do you promote? The person who has a dozen certifications in old software, or the person who is constantly experimenting, asking "what if," and figuring out new ways to use the tools you already have? We need to start celebrating and rewarding the problem-solvers, the experimenters, and the endlessly curious. These are your adaptability champions.
3. Focus on "How to Think," Not "What to Click"
When you introduce a new system, don't just create a manual of "click here, then click there." Instead, focus your training on the "why." Why was this system chosen? What business problem does it solve? What are its core principles? When people understand the strategy behind the tool, they're much better equipped to adapt when the interface changes or new features are added.
4. Create Safe Spaces to Fail
You can't be adaptable if you're terrified of making a mistake. People will stick to the old, comfortable way of doing things if they think they'll be punished for trying something new that doesn't work out perfectly on the first try. Leaders need to actively model that it’s okay to experiment. Create pilot programs, sandboxes, and small-scale projects where the team can try new things without the pressure of perfection.
At the end of the day, this isn't about abandoning training altogether. It's about re-focusing it. We'll always need to teach people the basics. But the ultimate goal shouldn't be mastery of a single, fleeting skill.
The goal is to build an organization full of agile, curious, and resilient people who are ready for a future we can’t even predict yet. It's about creating a team that doesn't just survive change, but actually thrives on it. And in an industry like insurance, which is being reshaped by technology every single day, that’s no longer a nice-to-have. It’s the only way we’ll win.
