Welcome back to another edition of The Tuesday Leader!
Well...it's been a minute since our last newsletter.
The last time we wrote on this blog, it was about a month ago, pre-Christmas, and we were revelling in the festive season, talking about some intriguing leadership lessons we can learn from the Christmas Baby--Jesus. Since then, so much has happened and changed.
First, it's a new year--obviously, so happy new year folks!
Second, if you haven't been able to tell already, we've changed over hands, so our lovely marketing director Safiyyah Abinet will no longer be writing for The Tuesday Leader, but you'll now be hearing from me, Rachel!
Don't worry, Safiyyah will still be working tirelessly in the background with other aspects of our marketing, but we decided it was time for a fresh change with the newsletter. So if you've already subscribed to my Forbes articles, that's great, because now you'll be receiving those articles straight to your inbox, in addition to my fresh take on all things leadership and career development in the Tuesday Leader.
What's different, you might ask? Here, I'll be sharing:
Personal stories from my management experience and career journey
Fresh tech round-ups for current and aspiring leaders and managers
Leadership news and trends analysis
How-to guides
Personal recommendations of resources for training and career development
And of course, if you haven't subscribed already, head here to sign up so you receive this every Tuesday.
Now, for the third set of exciting news this year:
Generative AI Will Change Your Job Whether You Like It Or Not
If you haven't noticed already, generative AI is taking global industries by storm. Big Tech companies are rushing to dominate the AI "gold rush" or AI boom, as it is commonly called, and businesses everywhere are jumping on the generative AI trend and developing an abundance of new tools, powered by generative AI technology, to supercharge workplaces.
This is not a short-lived craze. It's something that's set to heavily impact the future of work for several years, leading to another wave of fresh layoffs such as those initiated by Google, Amazon, and Citigroup this year. But not only that--it will create the demand for new jobs and a fresh set of skills for laid off workers to compete for this emerging roles.
Job descriptions as we know them currently, are being redefined. Coursera's Job Skills Of 2024 report notes that investing in AI-related skills remains an increasing priority for professionals at all levels this year--otherwise, you risk the FOBO (fear of being obsolete) becoming an actual reality.
Your career is on the line. And if you work in leadership or management, your leadership career, effectiveness, development, and progression are at risk if you don't take time to upskill yourself in this long-term workplace trend. You'll lose your employees and customers to competitors due to complicated and inefficient workflows, ineffective communication, team tensions, and low work-life balance, if you decide that AI does not matter to you, your business, or your department.
What Can You Do To Protect Your Business, Job, And Career?
Not long ago, I wrote a Forbes article, "71% Of Employers May Be Left Behind In The Generative AI Race," in which I highlighted the dangers that lie for leaders and professionals who choose to deliberately be in the dark about AI and how it impacts their work.
Leaders lack understanding as to where and how AI can be best applied to work processes
I noted that even though we are a little over a year from ChatGPT's launch, approximately 71% of employers are still facing challenges due to lacking the internal expertise on how to effectively use artificial intelligence, and specifically generative AI, as part of their non-technical workflow.
The reasons?
Lack of clarity on AI regulations
Little understanding amongst senior leadership teams
Concerns related to data protection and security
Simply being too busy and preoccupied with other important matters
Lack of understanding as to where and how it can be best applied
Additionally, research shows that although 85% of employees say they need training on how to use AI as part of their workflows, only 1 in 10 actually received any.
Can you imagine how many hours of tedious, repetitive work could be saved if employees knew how to use AI strategically in their workflows? For example, through simply using tools such as Grain, I've been able to dramatically halve my post-meeting time--the time I spend writing notes and sending follow-up actions via email. I don't need to do that anymore because Grain's AI tool records all my meetings, takes accurate transcripts, and summarizes actions within minutes of the meeting ending.
This is just one example of the many great uses of AI in your workplace.
To solve your skills and knowledge gap, there are four critical steps any leader or manager who desires an effective and engaged team should take in 2024:
Becoming AI-aware
Collaborating with external subject matter experts
Rolling out change management and focus groups
Implementing training at all levels
To remain relevant as a professional and as a leader, it's critical to remember that you cannot afford to rely on knowledge, skills, and experience gained in the past. To be truly exceptional, you need to jump on board by taking courses to upskill or reskill as the case may be.
Implement AI skills training at all levels
Focus your upskilling efforts for yourself and your team on a combination of technical and non-technical skills that are irreplaceable by AI, such as interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, leadership development, and critical thinking. Implementing training at all levels ensures that all employees have a thorough, ethical, and practical understanding of AI and how to use it to augment their work processes.
And that leads me to some even more exciting news...
Right now, I'm building an AI for work platform, AI Forward, that will enable you and your team members to rapidly and intelligently deploy AI across your work functions and processes, building the essential AI skills for the future you need, in a flexible learning, low-cost format. This platform will enable non-tech business leaders, managers, and everyday professionals to easily learn in-demand tech skills and apply them to the workplace, and we're starting with, of course, AI.
I'm excited to be partnering with AI professionals and organizations across the globe to make this platform to bring this platform to life by late summer 2024. But for that to happen, we need your input along the way!
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You have the chance to shape the future of AI Forward.
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If you complete this two-minute survey, you'll be the first to know when our platform is released and the first to gain access.
I'm looking forward to partnering with you this year to enable you and your team's career progression and continuous growth!
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As a LinkedIn Top Voice, Forbes Contributor, and corporate coach, I have had the privilege of mentoring and coaching numerous managers throughout my career. From recruitment to tech, non-profits to education, and even hospitality. I have seen first-hand the transformative power of effective leadership. Seven of my own employees were promoted and progressed to other roles internally as a result of my coaching leadership approach.
Imagine the incredible possibilities that await your organization when you fully leverage your existing talent. If you're ready to witness transformational results and take your business to new heights, join forces with me.
There are are a few ways that I can help you:
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