“In this era of unprecedented change, emotional intelligence, civility and an insatiable thirst for learning will be the cornerstones of success.”
- Suzanna de Baca, in an op-ed piece in The Business Record, a Des Moines, IA-based biz pub
Ms. de Baca calls out “learning agility” as the true differentiator in our new “AI-focused” reality and points out compellingly that we need not fear machine learning and all the chatter about AI killing our jobs and instead focus on leading in an adaptive workplace by focusing on the soft skills that data folks tend to scoff at.
She’s right, and it’s an excellent piece of thinking and writing.
The link is above, and it’s worth the read.
It’s also worth it to suck it up and lean into what makes us different. The difference maker in all of us lies in our ability to “notice reactions, inhibit automatic responses and communicate cleanly” (as de Baca cites from The Neuroleadership Institute).
These are times to make a difference by leveraging our experiences, interactions, and our caring for people, teams, and the environment we, as leaders, create for them. (See tomorrow’s post for how we can create an easy primer for that…)
Editor’s Note: Speaking of tomorrow, let’s hope I was so focused on learning agility that I forgot to click publish on the last two days’ posts. A) Dopey me. B) I apologize. C) It’s still the Daily Diff. Hopefully, Monday’s post helped make enough of a difference to last until today. As Homer Simpson would say, “DOH!”
Big Nick says
Good stuff outside of the last few days. You made up for it today. I, too, agree that soft skills and empathy will be huge this year given the amount of change that is happening in the workplace. I’d like to better understand your thoughts on the younger generations entering the workforce that have only communicated with others via a device and not as much face to face. Is this a big issue that is coming given the need for “soft skills?”
Steve Heston says
Nick, thanks for joining the conversation. It’s potentially a major concern, and one that several of my Clients are pondering, if not trying to be active in addressing. Interesting is the fact that there’s evidence that it’s not just the young pros entering the workforce (I can’t quantify that or back it up with data YET), but there’s an apparent erosion of the soft skills (empathy, compassion, curiosity and listening in particular) that has evolved in the generations ahead of those entering the bidness world. There’s a multiplier effect there, right? If the kids haven’t learned them, or had their experience skewed so badly that they haven’t had the exposure — it might call for more overt mentoring programs and talent development. At the very least, it’s a wake up call for all of us who lead!