soft skills, hard truths
Hi ya,
Not to be dramatic, but I genuinely cannot remember the last day I didn’t have to talk about AI.
Like, what happened to weather small talk? Celebrity gossip? Hobby chats??
You know what’s worse than talking about AI every single day, though?
Going to the dentist. And guess what I did this week? BOTH! 🤪
But hey, we’ve reached the halfway point of the week, my teeth are cleaner, and we have another fun ✨mood boost✨ for the week!
AI is changing which skills get paid, employees still want to know where they stand, and performance management is...a circus. No surprises here.
So let’s get it started, you know the drill!
(BOOOO currently kicking myself for the accidental dentist pun)
🗞️ Here’s the Tea:Copy anchor linkCopied
🔍 AI may diminish demand for high-wage skills like data analysis, research finds
The TL;DR: Stanford research says AI might shrink demand and salaries for high-wage skills like data analysis. Meanwhile, soft skills like communication, coordination, and teaching are becoming the real MVPs of the workplace. BTW I hate “soft skills” because those are anything BUT soft, what should we call them instead?
My POV: This is your reminder to balance technical skills with other strengths! If your talent strategy doesn’t value things like empathy, clarity, and collaboration, AI won’t save you, it’ll just expose you.
The future of work is still human (and I will die on this hill), it just has a robot assistant now.
🎙️ Mic Drop Moment:Copy anchor linkCopied
“Employees know who the high performers and low performers are way before senior leadership does.”Copy anchor linkCopied
On the mic this week: Jessica DeVlieger is the CEO of Incompass Labs and a seasoned leader who believes authentic human connection is the ultimate business advantage. She’s scaled a $10M startup into a global agency, driven growth for Fortune 500s, and tripled Incompass Labs' customer base in just one year. Her superpower is helping organizations see themselves clearly so they can actually get 💩 done (with heart and strategy).
Pin this:
- Feedback is a skill, not an instinct. People are bad at it because no one teaches us how to give or receive it well.
- Traditional performance reviews are outdated, biased, and often more about politics than progress.
- Employees don’t just want a number. They want grounding, direction, and honest, actionable clarity.
- A high-performance culture only works when leaders actually reward the behavior they SAY they value.
My H*ly Sh*t Moment: Finding out someone got promoted in a calibration session when they should’ve been on a PIP? That’s when it hit me: performance management sometimes isn’t about performance at all. It’s about who tells the best story in the room...and lemme tell you, some people came with a novel!
📊 Data Is My Love Language:Copy anchor linkCopied
Stat: 59% of workers now feel uneasy taking time off
My spiral: It’s not just that so many employees feel uneasy taking time off, it’s why they feel that way that should make every HR leader pause.
We talk a big game about boundaries and burnout, but when folks are afraid to step away because they think it’ll make them look uncommitted or replaceable? That’s a culture problem disguised as a policy win.
If people are afraid to rest, how can we expect them to show up fully at work?
YOU CAN’T!!!!!!
🗣️ UNMUTE YOURSELF
Sooo many of our systems were built in a completely different era of work.
We’ve duct-taped, patched, and "quick-fixed" our way through years of change.
But what if you had a blank slate?!
Here’s the question I want you to sit with:
“What’s a system or process you want to redesign from scratch?”
Not just tweak, but an intentional revamp for the way you actually want things to work!
🛠️ TRY THIS TOMORROW:
I want you to try something ridiculously simple tomorrow:
"End your day by writing one thing you’re proud of, even if it felt small."
No disclaimers and no “but it wasn’t a big deal.” Just reflect on a moment that made you pause.
You helped someone. You solved something. You didn’t lose your mind when someone sent you a calendar invite with no context. That counts. Write it down.
Watch how it shifts your energy!
👂 OVERHEARD IN SAFE SPACE
Well that’s one way to make your feelings heard.
What do you think??
Safe Space members chimed in and had some thoughts.
Apply for your spot to join us and contribute to the convo!
See ya on Friday!
