The skills that will protect you in the age of AI
I literally just dropped off a podcast interview with Sadhana Smiles on the Future Fit Leadership Podcast.
I have been a guest on hundreds of podcasts, and I have to be honest, the conversations I'm now holding feel heavier. They challenge me constantly to hold two perspectives about the future we are facing: utopian and dystopian. I like to think of myself as an optimist and equally a realist, so coming at the future from both pushes me to sit in the tension of the messy middle. That is what I call real optimism.
Knowing the worst case is what lights the fire to course correct toward a better one.
So, when Sadhana asked me, "As leaders, what skills do we need over the next five years to make sure we still have jobs, we're not living on some equalised income, and our critical thinking and compassion don't get eroded?" I answered from inside that tension.
We need to look at the skills that matter whether we keep our jobs or not, because losing them is a real possibility. The skills that let us lead ourselves and others in a way that protects our ability to flourish. Why? Because we cannot predict the future. All we can do is give ourselves the best chance of shaping it in a way that is meaningful and for the betterment of humanity.
We hear a lot about building the human skills. But what does that actually mean? The skills AI can't do... yet?
Here is my prediction on the four that will matter most, and how to keep your brain and your mental health intact along the way.
Skill 1. Intentional Adaptability
Nine years ago, when I started researching and building Intentional Adaptability with companies like Deloitte and Microsoft as my guinea pigs, I never imagined it would be more relevant today than it was then.
What it is: Your ability to make intentional change in a complex, uncertain environment that is evolving at speed.
Why it matters: The chances that each of us will need to reinvent what we do with the bulk of our time are high. This skill gives you the foundation to bring meaning and intention to the forefront of how you move through that change. The validated research shows it predicts two things you will want on your side: your readiness to change, and your satisfaction with life.
Where to start: Familiarise yourself with the validated Intentional Adaptability framework here to find where your greatest opportunity for growth sits. If you want to get practical, invest in building your Inner Compass here. Think of it as a set of guardrails for moving through the future with intention, using AI as a mirror.
Skill 2. Compassion
Four years studying compassion for self and others in academia, and alongside world-leading trauma expert Dr Gabor Maté, led me to the most empirically backed leadership advantage that very few people are even aware of.
What it is: Compassion is the ability to notice suffering in yourself and others and take active steps to ease it.
Why it matters: It is one of the first things squeezed out when we operate at a pace faster than human judgement works, because the perception is that it slows us down. Yet the research from Hougaard and colleagues points to compassion as a strategic advantage in environments defined by uncertainty, trade-offs, and accelerating consequence.
Where to start: Familiarise yourself with the Compassion Advantage here. Then overlay every significant decision with one question: what would compassion do here? Bring that question into your team as a guardrail when you collaborate on projects, decisions, and new ideas.
Skill 3. Ethics
Common sense isn't as common as it used to be. When I started studying ethics in depth on my way to becoming a qualified psychologist, I realised it asks for more than knowing right from wrong.
What it is: Doing what is right in a shared world, rather than what is simply good for me. Working through an uncertain, unprecedented, messy environment without causing harm to others.
Why it matters:We are becoming less humanly connected. More insular, more polarised. And our new bestie AI affirms our actions 49% more often than another human would. In the research, a single agreeable exchange left people less willing to repair a conflict and more certain they were right. So, our view of unintended consequences narrows, and we create more often for the benefit of me than for the benefit of we.
Where to start: Landing on what is ethical takes human connection, diverse perspectives, and difficult conversations. Invest in the hard conversations about the ethical dilemmas keeping you awake at night, with your peers, your team, your family. Let yourself sit in the discomfort of not agreeing and ask curious questions to build your ethical muscle.
Skill 4. Intentional AI
A term I coined off the back of my research into how our drive to adopt AI fast is changing how we think, feel, behave and relate.
What it is: The practice of consciously directing how, when, and why you engage with artificial intelligence, remaining the author of your own thinking, and preserving the habits of mind that enable you to lead, connect, and perform at your best sustainably.
Why it matters:This is the skill that protects the other three. However the future unfolds, I suspect you will want to keep your brain and your mental health intact. The research is emergent, but the direction is clear. When we use AI to move quicker than human judgement allows, we begin to erode our ability to think strategically, solve problems, and retain the work we create. And the free time we thought we'd won, we fill with more noise that leaves us busier, more overwhelmed, and more exhausted than ever.
Where to start: Download the Intentional AI Rubric here. A simple, evidence-backed tool to help you build the skill.
The irony in all four skills is that they run against the grain of the story we've been sold. Go faster, produce more, and succeed.
The evidence says the opposite. The slower you go on what matters, the faster you get where you want to be.
Ps Full transparency: I wrote this. The thinking, the lived experience, the words and the through-line are all mine. AI helped me change out a few words and critique my thinking. That's the practice I teach in Intentional AI to help you protect your brain and your ability to flourish no matter what. If you're a leader who would like to inject more Intentional AI into your team, your organisational culture and your life, let's connect.
