Don't forget to be likeable
You can outsource spreadsheets but not soft skills
In a galaxy far, far away, I worked at a company with smart people and fun problems. There was some kind of hairy and audacious project, and I remember quietly telling my boss that I felt the team was thinking about it in the wrong way. And she told me something that has stuck with me for many years.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re right. What matters is if people like you.”
As consumer applications of AI become more accessible and powerful, it will become easier and easier for companies to outsource hard skills. Spreadsheets, slides, models, memos, graphic design—most corporate work will be done by machines and in a fraction of the time. In turn, companies will cut more and more headcount. Whether you work in a boutique agency or a beige cubicle, the people that will survive will be the ones that spike on soft skills.
The ability to build coalitions and consensus, to move a room, to motivate a team, to get in front of a stakeholder and get the outcome you want—these will be the defining traits of successful people. What will matter is if people like you.
Remember people’s names and birthdays. Be interested in people’s stories, their kids, their health, and their happiness. Ask how your friend’s mom is doing. Ask questions altogether. Because while the machines may take some of our jobs, they can’t take our fundamental ability to be likeable.