I was recently discussing the impact of AI with some friends. This conversation came on the heels of watching Microsoft lay off a third of its staff, alongside news that an associate company in Africa had also laid off 500 employees. In other words, AI is officially here—slowly but surely reshaping our world.
In response to these concerns, one of my friends noted that the importance of people, leadership, and networking skills has never been greater than it is in this AI era. Things we ordinarily didn’t pay much attention to will now become everything. For example, old boys’ (OB) reunions, fundraising marathons, and face-to-face church or mosque gatherings have become priceless in helping build secure, meaningful connections.
In the era of AI, human connection and relationship-building will be the most critical leadership traits. Yes, AI can offer complex analysis and execute many tasks incredibly fast. But how does a machine negotiate, obtain buy-in, collaborate, syndicate, mobilize resources, implement strategy, resolve conflicts, establish joint ventures, or seek equity investors? AI can help you identify many of these important factors and leads, but it takes a human to close a deal. AI can give you all the data you need at your fingertips, but without people, negotiation, and selling skills, one will struggle to secure investor finance.
In other words, human connection remains at the center of all enterprise undertaking. A deal has to be closed in person; there needs to be a face to remain accountable, rather than just a number coming through a screaming algorithm.
The interesting thing is that you won’t typically find these concepts taught in a university course. Most schools are wired to turn out “hard” skills, not “soft|” skills. Yet, what is clear is that the time has come not just to harp on machines, but to figure out how we make machines subservient to us through human connection.
Those who figure this out will be the ones to survive and flourish. A hotel can hire humanoids to take over its kitchen and customer service, but people will still need to experience the genuine human touch. A resort can use AI to get clients but without that exotic human experience they will look for another pleasure resort. A firm may win clients through AI leads but retention would demand a human touch. That is the vital element—and your ultimate survival strategy.