In the Age of AI, get great at Being Human

Hi there,

Have you heard the trope-du-jour?

?AI won’t take your job; someone using it will.

It's unnecessary fear-mongering ??. And it's missing an important point.

Of course, we should aim to master our Generative AI skills. But AI will only impact WHAT you do. There is a vast opportunity to outshine the bots (and their operators) when it comes to HOW you do it.

I like to call these Bedrock Skills. It's as if they form a bedrock – there to stay, acting as a foundation for our overall capability and underpinning our success. Otherwise known as Soft Skills, Power Skills or Human Skills. They are what set us apart from an algorithm.

Think:

We've all seen it: the people who master these skills are the ones who drive success regardless of sector or industry.

They achieve results with technical excellence of course. ?But also because they know how to

• motivate others
• adapt to change
• listen carefully
• solve problems creatively
• protect the well-being of others (& their own)
• collaborate to find outcomes that work for all

They do better work for customers. And they make work better for colleagues.

These capabilities will never be redundant.

And even better news? The vast majority of behavioural upskilling can be done through the job you’re already doing and by observing others.

The 70:20:10 model* for learning and development says that 70% of what we learn happens while we’re on the job, 20% happens through absorbing knowledge from others and 10% from formal classroom-based activity. It’s a decent rule of thumb. And here’s how I like to apply it…

1) Let your goals be your guide

Think about your big career goals and work out which bedrock skills will be most important. If you foresee a challenge, learn strategies to build resilience. If you want to lead people, learn how to build emotional intelligence and communication skills. If you want to innovate, you'll want to ace creativity and problem-solving.

??Pro tip: Choose one skill at a time (you are human afterall) and focus on honing that.

2) Start with the 10%?

Once you decide what skill you’d like to improve, nerd up on what good looks like in theory.?

Yes, 10% of what we learn comes from formal classroom settings, but I think of it as an important 10%. To get value from observing others and practicing on the job we need to be really clear on what we are looking out for.

There are so many resources at our fingertips these days: from podcasts to endless web-based content. Find the way that fits best with your routine.

?? Pro tip: LinkedIn for Learning have launched a brand new professional certificate on this very topic. You can find it here: Human Skills for Modern Managers .

3) Look out for best practice

We learn so much through what we observe in others. Once you know what you’re looking out for, you’ll start to notice what good looks in your everyday life (as well as what no-so-good looks like!). You can be intentional about this by connecting with people you admire and who hold the skills you are trying to build.

?? Pro tip: See if you can find a mentor – someone who has the skill you are trying to learn down to a tee, and understands the context of your work.

4) And then, it’s all about the doing....

See if there are stretch objectives you could sign up to, new projects you could join, or mini-assignments you could take. Anything that allows you to practice the skill in real life during your working day.

?? Pro Tip: A great way to accelerate your learning on the job is to ask for feedback from trusted colleagues along the way. But asking for feedback can be hard. That’s why I love this tip from Dr Gemma Leigh Roberts : instead of asking for general feedback, refer to a specific situation and ask what you could have done even better.

A final benefit of proactive up-skilling is the boost to self-efficacy (the belief we have what it takes to get through what lies ahead). It’s a brilliant way to ground yourself during the uncertainty of any disruption (yes, even the AI scare-mongery).

You can learn more in my LinkedIn Learning – Preparing Yourself for Change ????.

So, tell me in the comments below ????: what bedrock skill would you like to hone this year?

Bye for now,

Erin

*The 70:20:10 model was developed in the 1980s by leadership experts Morgan McCall, Michael M. Lombardo and Robert A. Eichinger. It's not an empirical model (i.e. not scientifically tested). That's why I think of it as a useful rule of thumb, rather than a set-in-stone solution.

This newsletter is part of a series to help you find ways to change your experience of?work?for the?better. Subscribe and you'll find it in your inbox every month.

And if you'd like to check out more ideas about how to make work better, take a look at my courses on LinkedIn Learning here .

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