Get More Human

Fifty percent of jobs done by humans today are vulnerable to replacement by robots, according to a McKinsey report. Are they going to make us irrelevant? Bill Gates was recently interviewed about his belief that robots should be taxed in some way. In this interview, he highlights that we should be celebrating the fact that this shift will be happening in our world. He states that ‘human empathy and understanding are very very unique’. That the freedom given to us (as robots take our jobs) will give us time to focus on those in society who need us e.g. higher teacher to children ratios and helping people with disabilities.  

But in work cultures I often see ‘computerised behaviour’. Treating people like widgets, denying people’s feelings or minimising empathy. Surface level communication hides the ‘real’ conversations, reducing our impact and influence as we stick to safety. People become disengaged because the conversation is less ‘real’ and we see the result in loss of productivity and increased costs.

It yet again made me think, in these times of increased automation, we need to foster and build our very very unique skill set – if we want to stay relevant.  Let’s get more human. We must get underneath the habit of surface conversations. The unspoken undermines your progress.

Amy is an expert in communication for influence. She works with teams and leaders to get underneath the surface and change the real blocks to growth. Join Silverlinings to get tips and tools for growth and engagement at work. Click www.dramysilver.com for details of programs and download free offers.