I know you’re tired of hearing about AI but unfortunately, it’s not going to go away. And you’re probably more tired of hearing about Strategic competencies (especially from us ) but we’re not going to stop talking about it. What’s very interesting is how the two are intersecting and the intersection has two slightly different flavors to it.
The first is one you’ve probably heard before which is that as AI is taking on more and more of the routine and mundane tasks, the best way for career protection but more importantly career progression is to have Strategic competencies because those are the hardest to replace with AI.
According to Aneesh Raman, Vice President at LinkedIn – “the economy is entering a new phase he terms the “relationship economy,” Nikkei Asia reported on Friday. This era will require workers to leverage uniquely human skills such as communication, empathy, and collaboration, which AI cannot replicate.” He goes on to point out that “AI will drive innovation through collaboration, enabling diverse skill sets to work together for business success. He stressed the importance of agility
If you need more convincing, look at what ADT (one of the leading training and development organizations) recently said-“Eighty percent of our survey respondents shared that soft skills are more important than ever with the evolution of AI.” We have started using a term with our clients recently called Future Proofing and one area we apply it to is Talent. Interestingly, ADT uses a similar analogy-“Looking to the future of work in an increasingly technological world, our survey respondents reported that communication and leadership are the top ranked skills needed in the workplace, followed by adaptability”.
But let’s move on to another even more important aspect of this that is emerging. To be more effective in an AI world, you need more soft skills (Strategic Competencies)!!!
Here’s Aneesh from Linked in again-“Unless you are becoming an AI engineer, engaging with AI is not a digital skill set. It’s a communication skill set,” he said. Raman cited Goldman Sachs as an example, noting their interest in hiring. engineers with backgrounds in philosophy to incorporate ethics and morality in technology development.
This is a significant nuance that is being missed by many. To be a better AI engineer, you need more soft skills. Further, to get the most out of AI, you need more of those Strategic Competencies. According to Kathleen Walch in Forbes-“When it comes to AI systems, and in particular genAI, your ability to communicate clearly and precisely is key. Better communication enhances interactions and improves the results.” What this means is that gaining Strategic Competencies is not just a defensive move but is an offensive move to gain more out of AI. If you are looking to invest in AI, then to get the most ROI out of it, you need to enhance the Strategic Competencies of your organization as well. Otherwise, you are leaving significant money on the table? Kathleen goes on to say- “you no longer need to be an expert in math, engineering, or data science to get great value from AI. Instead, you need to increasingly apply soft skills such as problem solving, adaptability, critical thinking, and communication.”
Readers of this blog and audience members at various forums have heard us talk about the importance of these types of competencies under the label of Strategic Competencies and you can find tons of material on this topic on this blog. If you have not received a copy of our recently published Trends report, then ask us for it. You will find lots of recommendations on topics like AI and Talent Development and Future Proofing. But get moving soon.
