Insight #200:
Welcome to AI time. That means now is the time to prove how valuable you are to your employer, before AI beats you to it. But that means now is not the time to do stupid things just to prove how valuable you are.
Like doing more and working harder.
OK, maybe these are not stupid tactics in the short term, but they can harm your future prospects. (But only if you are a manager. It seems the only way to become a manager is to do more and work harder. Go figure.)
I know it is tempting to do more and more yourself instead of delegating, but please restrain yourself. The ability to delegate effectively identifies you as a manager with leadership potential. In two ways: it calms your superiors to know that you can allocate resources; and it cheers your subordinates to know that you value them.
The ability to calm and cheer different people during times of fear and stress can be quite valuable.
As for working harder, well, that’s always a dumb strategy. This economy, whether it is growing or shrinking, is mostly a knowledge-based economy. (And that’s been the case even before AI popped up.) A knowledge-based economy calls for working smarter, not harder. More brains, less brawn. But you surely already knew that.
Then again, with AI’s help, you apparently need less brain and no brawn. What’s not to like?
I’ll tell you what you should like. Someone smart enough to do well the hard work you like to delegate, who calms you and cheers you, who makes you look smart. Someone who saves you from your boss and from AI. Better yet, someone who makes you look promotable.
Hang on. Something’s wrong here. Surely delegating smarter has always been, well, the smart strategy. AI or not.
Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.
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Quote of the Moment:
“Once upon a time, I worked harder by merely looking busier. But then IT made my boss smarter.” The Chief Nonsense Officer.
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