That idea was at the heart of a CBS Digital Future Initiative panel discussion in March on the growing role of AI in the workforce. Moderated by Stephan Meier, the James P. Gorman Professor of Business at CBS, the event asked panelists to unpack what it truly means to be a skilled leader in the AI age.
The panelists, including Assistant Professor of Business Tania Babina, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Business Jeffrey Schwartz, and technology consultant Angela Jung '20, agreed that while these skills vary depending on the job's specific roles, one skill is certain to be valuable: adaptability.
“The ability to innovate, take calculated risks, and learn about next-gen capabilities is crucial,” Jung said, adding that the “ability to ask the right questions and have a healthy dose of skepticism” is also important.
Schwartz, a professor in the School's Management Division, noted adaptability will only become more valuable as technology advances and the “half-life” of technical skills decreases.
Babina added that the ability to self-manage will also become more important, increasing the need for skills such as active learning, resilience, stress tolerance, and flexibility. As workers become expected to collaborate more and more with AI, the intersection of human skills and technical skills will be critical. That means skills in technology use, monitoring, control, design, and programming will be essential.
Regardless of AI, however, the most important thing for tomorrow's workforce is to prioritize growth and development opportunities, as well as the alignment of a company with values and compensation.
“What people are really looking for is an organization where they can actually grow,” Schwartz said.
Watch a full video of the event here:
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