The Importance of an Adaptive Processing Mindset

By: Brent Longnecker & Brittny Tillman

There is a great truth to the adage:

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” - Diane Kalen Sukra

Over the past forty years, I’ve been in consulting; an adaptive processing mindset is one of the most significant skill sets needed to be successful. However, I find it highly frustrating that schools are not teaching this as they should and are positioning students for failure. I have been on the boards of and consulted with academic institutions for years, so I have seen what I am sharing up close and personal. Some factors that inhibit the school’s ability to address this include:

• Traditional Curriculum Emphasis: Schools too often follow a structural curriculum that places too much emphasis on academic subjects and standardized testing. This primary focus on core subjects and testing leaves limited time for incorporating and teaching adaptive processing skills.

• Time Constraints: Schools have fixed schedules and limited instructional time. The after-effects of COVID in the classroom have made this even more complicated and more complex to overcome. This has educators prioritizing teaching fundamentals and skill sets within the time constraints, leaving little time or motivation for teaching adaptive processing skills.

• Limited Teacher Training: Teachers may also receive limited training in explicitly teaching adaptive processing skills or need exposure to the latest research, developments, and/or practices in this critical area. Bottomline, if all schools care about is the "graduation rate,” the standardized test scores, and other statistics, it can be challenging for even the best educators to incorporate these skills into their teaching.

• Assessment Emphasis: Schools too often prioritize assessing students' academic performance - particularly in core subjects and standardized testing - as crucial success measures. This primary emphasis on testing and specific educational outcomes is steering the focus away from developing the adaptive processing skills needed for life.

• Varying Priorities and Expectations: Finally - and I am sure my list is not exhaustive - educational systems vary across states, regions, and countries. The priorities and expectations set by those in educational leadership and policymaking, along with standardized tests or university/trade school requirements, are heavily influencing the content, the focus, and the teacher training today, which is becoming quickly outdated for the world we will be living in for years to come. It's time for the priorities and expectations to include adaptive processing skills.

Einstein once said: “The value of education is not the learning of many facts, but the training of the mind to think.”

Incorporating Einstein's perspective on education as training the mind to think underscores the importance of nurturing cognitive skills beyond routine memorization. Educational institutions can better prepare students for success in an ever-changing world by prioritizing adaptive processing skills.

Adaptive processing recognizes that the landscape of work, technology, and society is constantly in flux. Rather than resisting change, individuals with this mindset actively and boldly seek opportunities within it. They view setbacks as learning experiences, leveraging the conditions presented. This mindset also supports collaboration, as adaptable individuals are more open to diverse ideas, challenges, and approaches that foster continuous improvement.

In essence, the importance of an adaptive processing mindset lies in its ability to equip individuals with the agility needed to navigate uncertainty and capitalize on opportunities as well as look at issues thru multiple lenses. It rewires the brain toward proactive and creative thoughts that build on one’s professional and personal growth in ever-changing environments.

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In summary, I have six amazing daughters (one helped me co-author this article); all have received or are getting their college degrees. I have hired thousands of young people over forty years of consulting with KMPG, Deloitte, and Longnecker & Associates. In every instance, I wished I could have done a better job working with them, including excellent adaptive processing skills - not just for work - but for families, relationships, and the unexpected. Life lessons, if you will.

The world is evolving rapidly, so change is a given. There needs to be an increased recognition and focus on the importance of adaptive processing skills for the 21st-century society and workforce...and the time to start is now!