An uncertain world is a world that needs soft-skills expertise.

When it’s harder for organizations to see what’s coming—thanks to economic, political, technological, and social changes—your staff and association’s members are likely feeling the stress. Where should they dedicate their energies? What are they actually equipped to be working on, and is it worth training up on new skills to handle it?

I think about this in light of Inc.’s latest annual CEO survey, which found that the biggest challenges leaders face right now have to do with the culture of their organizations. According to the survey, 59 percent of respondents said that retaining good employees was their top priority—well ahead of recruiting top talent (46 percent). Moreover, leaders’ biggest hiring challenge is matching applicants to culture, while nearly half of all respondents say burnout is the biggest challenge to the workforce.

So in some ways, it’s Covid all over again, just without the social distancing. In that light, leaders might do well to think more about taking the pulse of their people, in terms of how they’re adapting to disruptive times, and what tools they might need to get through the next storm.

Inc. suggests that one way leaders can help at the moment is to get a better grasp of their employees’ ambitions. One firm asks them “to share a list of their dreams and aspirations,” which the employer then works to make a reality when they hit major goals.

This sets off all sorts of flashing, noisy sirens in my skeptical gen-X brain—telling your boss your dreams and aspirations can be awkward even in a healthy office. But there is something to be said about understanding what your people’s needs are beyond the project schedule and task list. Are your wellness offerings fit for purpose? Does the return-to-office mandate make sense right now? Does everybody have the tools and training they need to be successful? (That last one applies for both staffers and members.)

To that end, this is also a good time to be bolstering everybody’s soft skills. At Harvard Business Review, a group of business scholars stress the point that “foundational skills” like adaptability and the ability to work well in teams are more valuable today. And overall, supporting those skills, they’ve found, better position people for future success.

“Invest in early-career development that strengthens communication, collaboration, and learning agility—not just technical proficiency,” they write. “Social skills like critical thinking and empathy…develop over years through school, peer interaction, and mentorship. To build a workforce that can adapt to future disruption, organizations—and society—need to support foundational skill development from the start.”

Associations have to train their members and staffers around what’s new in the field, of course. And everybody these days can benefit from better understanding innovations like AI. But ultimately what you want to train people on is the ability to be flexible and open to change, and the ability to work with others to find solutions when change is overwhelming. The tools that keep your people engaged and renewed are the ones that will help them navigate that change, not just administer the latest shiny object.