New and Old: Blending Timeless Leadership Skills with Modern Realities
Over the past few weeks, I have had the privilege of being a guest speaker for two very different groups – a class on Business and Professional Ethics (an Augsburg University MBA class) and a group for Vantage Executive & Career Services. The topics – vastly distinct. There was, however, one common question asked by the participants.
Maybe it’s because of the job market – uncertainty has taken over. Maybe it’s the news cycle – quite negative in orientation. (My topic for the Vantage group was Stop Reading The News.) Maybe it is because of the underlying phenomenon of Job Hugging (see https://www.abelnmagy.com/blog/cracking-the-job-hugging-trend-insights-from-executive-search).
The Question
The question I was asked related to skills I thought would be needed for career success in the future. My answer – AI (pursue a webinar, seminar, class or certification) and Public Speaking (become part of a Toastmasters group or some organization relating to public speaking).
It was only a bit more than a year ago – I would ask professional groups if they had taken a class or program relating to AI. I would get about a 10% – 15% ‘yes’ rate. Today that same question yields an 85% – 90% ‘yes’ rate. I think it should be 100% at this point of the AI adoption curve. Conversely, very few people have any training in public speaking.
In all of the Executive Searches we have conducted, we ask candidates about how they stay up-to-date in their profession and industry. Stating that they are an avid reader is not a great answer; it is one we hear, however, most commonly. We want candidates who have an orientation toward continuing development both professionally and personally.
A Coincidence – An Article on Must-Haves for Effective Speaking as a Manager
I am a daily reader of the MSP (Minneapolis/St. Paul) Business Journal e-mails. They contain links to articles on varying topics. Most relate to business updates for this geographic area. On November 6th, there was an article that struck me differently from the typical MSP articles, but that was indeed impactful. The title was Five Must-Haves For Effective Speaking As A Manager. The first two sentences from the article caught my attention:
- Leaders must communicate well. That’s true whether you’re speaking to your staff or you’re presenting to a large outside group.
Glossophobia – the fear of public speaking. There are many studies over the years that include the not-so-funny anecdote, “people would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.” I don’t want to stay in this theme, but I recently led a memorial service for a friend who had passed away suddenly. Three family members were asked if they would be willing to read a prayer at the service; they politely turned down the request. All said the same thing – they do not speak in public.
Yet we are judged heavily by how we sound.
Back To AI
I am not (yet?) an expert on AI. I use it daily for professional and personal reasons. I have a healthy distrust of the results and actually caught it making up a name as part of a response (a name that I knew was incorrect) to a professional/work related inquiry. I politely called my ChatGPT account out on this, and ChatGPT apologized and thanked me for pointing out its error. It then gave me the correct name and context. (Was ChatGPT testing me or did it just give me a random name?)
I continue to hear the following – unsure if it will be true forever. AI will not replace people on the job, but it will replace people who do not know how to use AI.
And Back To Old And New
One skill that seems to be going away is how to talk on the phone. We have caller ID so we can answer the phone differently than we would have in the past. We text or message. We use acronyms and ‘shorthand’. We are more casual. Yet the phone is a powerful communication tool. We need to go back to using that skill.
While on the topic of old, written notes are coming back into popularity. In our world of instant communication through too many technologies to mention, getting a snail-mail letter that someone took the time to hand-write makes a great and lasting impression. Writing a note is another skill we need to dust off.
We Are Approaching 2026 Quickly
As we get closer to the end of 2025, we focus on the holidays, family and close friends. As we look to how we will be better in 2026, many people will make a resolution (or two). I recommend you resolve to grow professionally and personally – take a class/learn a skill/try something that currently makes you uncomfortable.
My recommendation – pursue AI and Public Speaking. Both will serve you well in the future.