There's so much buzz about AI these days—but the real power move in your career and organization? People skills. While knowing how to use AI is a must, let's ground ourselves in a more enduring truth for your career: Your people skills are your ultimate differentiator in this evolving landscape.

Why AI is Super Buzzy

Everyday, new headlines about generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) promise both that the future is brighter with more possibilities than ever AND that it’ll bring the world (or humans) to a painful end. A little balance, please!

It’s true. Experts estimate that up to 12 million jobs will be automated by 2030 (about 8% of the workforce). However, many more jobs will be reshaped or updated. We need to make AI our teammate, not our enemy. To do that, we’ll all need to brush up on new digital skills AND our human magic.

Why People Skills are the Ultimate Differentiator

With gen AI sucking most of the air out of the #futureofwork conversation, I wouldn’t blame you if you thought digital skills were your number one asset. But they are not... People skills are.

In fact, more and more employers are prioritizing people skills during the hiring process. The work we do ultimately revolves around understanding the needs of, working with, and delivering value to other people, whether that’s our coworkers, customers, partners, or any other stakeholder. As technology handles more of the technical "hard skills," what truly makes you stand out becomes your unique superpower. And employers agree that your ability to connect with colleagues, lead with empathy, navigate complex relationships and decisions, and communicate persuasively are standout skills. These are the skills that AI simply can't replicate.

Using AI to Free Up Time for People Skills: A Two-Step Approach

Instead of getting lost in the AI hype, consider how you can use AI to augment your intelligence and free up time for what truly matters: human interaction and impact.

• Step 1: AI or human needed? First, do a task breakdown for your day-to-day work. Then, for each task, decide whether AI can automate that task, augment, or assist you.
• Step 2: Update your work mix! You can think about work being three types of activities: transactional (tasks), relational (building relationships and collaborating), and transformational (applying expertise). Today, the average work mix for knowledge-based workers is about 50% transactional, 30% relational, and 20% transformational. Researchers suggest we should expect a 10-30% increase in productivity in the coming years by mixing more AI into our workflows.

By automating tasks and using AI to help you with your more complicated work, you should aim to cut your transactional work by over 50%. Yay! That gives you almost 2x more time to make work more meaningful and fun. Let your expertise shine!

The "Easy" 80% of People Skills: A Top 10 list

OK. Let’s dive into the core people skills that will boost your career and confidence no matter where you work. Thankfully, it’s not that hard.

Here’s a Top 10 list that will take you far

1. Listen: Truly take time to hear and understand what someone is saying.
2. Remember names: People love this (and hate it when you don’t remember!) Bonus points for remembering a fun fact about them as well.
3. Communicate clearly: Keep things short, simple, and focused on why it matters.
4. Show up on time: Be there when you’re needed.
5. Cameras on: Showing up and meeting people face-to-face builds trust. Have trust? Give people the grace to turn the camera off from time to time.
6. Give credit where credit is due: Recognize and thank others.
7. Ask insightful questions: And you’ll look interested, engaged, and smart.
8. Don’t pass the blame, and also don’t apologize frequently: Focus on what’s been learned and how to improve.
9. Ask if you don’t know: Most people like to help.
10. Don’t complain: OK, occasionally we all do it; don’t make it a regular habit.

Additional Pro Tip

There’s an endless debate about women being perceived as “bossy” or “aggressive.” We’ve been told, We’re not bossy; we’re the boss. Others say women are expected by both men and women to be softer and are rewarded when we fit the stereotype.

It’s all true. And it’s not. I recommend ignoring any advice in this category. Instead, focus on what truly gives you confidence. If direct language and a focus on data is your natural mode of operation, then do that. If a softer language and reliance on EQ is your jam, then do that. You can be strong and empathetic, and a good communicator in multiple styles. It’s confidence that’s the key.

The "Harder" 20% of People Skills: Moving Onward and Upward

Feedback. Self-Advocacy. Leadership

These are the people skills that are harder for most of us to navigate. BUT, they are also the skills that help us move onward and upward. Investing in these skills is totally worth your while. Let’s try it out:

Feedback. It’s supposed to be a “gift,” right? Insert eyeroll. Feedback’s often not delivered well and feels super personal in an ouch kind of way. Let’s flip the narrative. A different view: feedback is just information. It tells us as much or more about the person giving it as it does about us.

An example:

The Boss: You’re late getting your report to me every week.

Me: (grrrr) But you told us end of week is fine! And I sent the last one on Friday by 4:00.
The Boss: Other team members are getting theirs in earlier. And, if it was easy to read, maybe that’d be fine, but you could organize it better.

Me: (WTF!?! I used the Boss’s template!) Ok, I’ll work on it. (Double grrrr!)

After asking around and doing a little investigation on the down low, I discover that the real problem for the Boss is this: Their boss just added an early Monday morning meeting to go over team updates. AND, the Boss isn’t a fast reader, so they need a day or so to digest things. Rewrite:

The Boss: You’re late getting your report into me every week.

Me: (pause) Ok. Definitely want you to get it when you need it. Can you tell me what a good time is to send it over? And it’d help to understand what’s driving the timing for you.
The Boss: Hey, thanks. My boss is now asking for team updates first thing Monday morning, and I want to represent us well. If you could send it over by the end of the day on Thursday, that’ll give me Friday to prep.

Me: Gotcha. I’ll adjust my schedule to make it happen.

The Boss: Thanks! You’re always on top of things.

Ready to amplify your "human magic" and thrive in the age of AI?

Get the tips, tools, and truth to master these essential skills in my book, "Making Work Work for You." www.jomcrell.com/book

Now is the time to skill up… and the future’s yours