All too often, people respond to each trend separately. However, their interdependence redirects us to look at the whole and adopt coordinated strategies that unleash the power of a force multiplier: synergistic alignment.

Here’s a metaphor to visualize the power of synergistic alignment. Imagine three cords or strands. Each has a certain amount of strength to pull an object. When we braid them together, we unleash a force multiplier where the combined tensile strength increases, the load is distributed more evenly, and the structure gains flexibility and resilience.

By intentionally weaving together our strategic responses to the three forces, we can create a new, powerful multiplier that creates a modern, continuously improving and thriving 21st-century business.

Implications For Individuals

Most people are no longer working just to survive by earning paychecks; they want more. They examine the eight life essentials—health, financial security, relationships, careers, passion, purpose, lifelong learning and time mastery—and aim to maximize the ones that are important now and will be for their “future-self.”

As time passes, our interests, relationships and priorities change. Learning about life and/or for the next career is ongoing, and more options exist now than ever before. As a result, workers choose different work challenges to grow as individuals and lead more fulfilling lives. Meeting their growth needs is the key to the company’s continued success.

I believe the best way to achieve an integrated, holistic, fulfilling life today and tomorrow is to recognize the connection between these basic building blocks and leverage the force multiplier of synergistic alignment.

Implications For Companies

Business have even more strands available to braid. The three trends affect every core process, product, market and partnership. Moreover, because the trends are still in the early stages of a long cycle, over time, the specific challenges and opportunities within each will continue to evolve. It’s like repairing a plane in the middle of a flight: There’s no margin for error.

Synergistic alignment involves braiding the strategies for adapting to single trend-factors into new, vastly superior bundles. Let’s look at the traditional talent management systems as an example. A supervisor has an open job and defines its talent requirements, performance standards and skills needed to collaborate with team members. If the person can also grow into a leader of the department or other positions, it’s a fringe benefit.

This static approach was appropriate for filling factory assembly-line positions with individuals expected to retire between 50 and 65. With our reduced attention spans, technology advances and other opportunities, as well as the flexibility for doing the work based on travel and digital communications, few workers want to stay in one job for 20 to 40 years.

The modern total management system (TMS) takes a more expansive view of a worker’s capabilities and workplace opportunities (especially since businesses also change). It records the skills, interests and capabilities workers have that are not necessarily relevant to the entry job but might over time be invaluable to those willing to hire and develop the person.

Most importantly, the modern TMS views the worker holistically and identifies skills and interests that are “hidden,” developed outside the business role that could be relevant in the future. An assembly worker’s experience in sales could be very useful. The mother who raised money for schools, coordinated volunteers and guided the school’s adoption of a new AI curriculum could be highly relevant.

This TMS needs to be comprehensive and constantly updated to be relevant for tomorrow. To make it most effective, make sure it:

• Improves recruitment by capturing “hidden” skills and interests that enhance matching throughout a worker’s tenure.

• Guide long-term talent development by identifying continuous improvement opportunities for both existing and emerging roles.

• Strengthen retention by flagging candidates interested in continued engagement opportunities, even if they are no longer with the organization.

In sum, the TMS of the future must support recruitment, continuous development and retention—with retention extending into new roles, including part-time or project-based advisory positions that some retirees seek.

Your Leadership Opportunity

Today’s world is more complex than ever before. As leaders of our individual lives, and as business leaders, we must maximize our efforts and those of our support team in order to achieve success. Synergistic alignment is the force multiplier that can give you the competitive edge to succeed now and in the long term.