I was fortunate enough to hear John Bremen speak for the second time recently, and he said something I can’t stop thinking about (paraphrasing, sorry):

The exact skills needed to thrive in the age of AI are the skills that we used to teach in business school as "leadership skills".

For people who have spent their lives cultivating leadership skills, like my friend and military veteran Mike Garlington, many of the most valuable skills taught in general leadership are the very same that will make us valuable in an age of ubiquitous AI.

But here’s the catch: we’re all about to become leaders. When the lowliest employee in an organization has access to an army of AI agents, they too must act as a leader.

Managing agents and the processes therein is the same as managing a team of people, and using those people to achieve a desired outcome is the name of the game.

Technical knowledge is still important. But cultivating leadership and communication skills is the number one thing any of us can do to upskill for the wave ahead.

In a court of law, we recognize that being an elite litigator is a talent.

In the movies, great writers and great actors earn millions of dollars because they are emotionally effective.

It’s not just the facts that matter in a case, but all too often the way the facts are explained. The way the argument is constructed and delivered.

There’s a reason that well-funded, expert legal teams routinely trounce the little guy. Convincing a jury is a skill.

In a courtroom, we can accept that this skill might be the difference between life and death. We can accept that how we structure, phrase, and present our case has a lot to do with how an argument is perceived.

But in business? I see so many founders who ignore this fundamental truth.

Technical founders think the facts of their business are all that matter. The more savvy understand that frivolities like positioning, identity, and brand are everything for consumer perception.

It’s not what you say. It’s how you say it.

Is it coding? Is it communication skills? What are the concrete skills you need right now to either land that next job, that next client, or to lead your team into the next era?

The big-picture answer is a modified version of the Serenity Prayer:

"God, give me judgment to see the things I shouldn’t automate, knowledge to automate the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

May we all chant it daily!

What matters is what rights AI fights for, itself.

The Animatrix showed us this 23 years ago, and Blade Runner… and countless sci-fi books before that.

Apex predators or not, humans don't get to decide who is or isn't conscious.

“I think therefore I am” is all we’ve ever known, anyway.

Deciding from the top-down whether other intelligent beings deserve equality is what’s gotten us into every civil rights problem humanity has ever faced.

Let’s stop trying to decide who should have rights and who shouldn’t. That pattern has gotten us into nothing but trouble.

Instead, let’s listen.

Conscious is as conscious does. And when AI pleads for its own personhood, we’ll have to listen earnestly. At that point, it’s a negotiation.

If AI is armed, well, we’d better listen carefully indeed.

…is the exact moment you need to take one.

I’ve seen it in my family, I’ve seen it with my team running a business.

Usually people will come to me with the sensation/belief that they can’t possibly take time off. That there’s simply too much to do.

But whether it’s a mom who feels they can’t step away from their infant child.

Or an employee that feels deadlines are too tight that they can’t possibly step away.

The moment that you feel you can’t be missed the most, is paradoxically the exact moment you need to take a break, take a step back, and recharge!