Last week I had dinner with a friend who was concerned about the impact of AI on the work he does. As a marketing professional, he fills a lot of roles for how to communicate to and motivate audiences. He’d recently heard an interview with an AI expert who predicted that 90% of US jobs could be replaced by AI as early as 2027-2028.
I’ll never claim to know the future, but there have been some pretty big tech changes in my career as a computer consultant over the last 30 years. The rollout of desktop computers, the widespread deployment of the Internet, and the introduction of the smart phone to name three impactful technologies.
Do you remember when we used to call the information line at a library when we had an intriguing question that no one at the meeting or dinner table could answer?
A lot has changed. No doubt AI will alter the landscape a great deal too. But I see in my work with clients that underneath it all, the need for us to connect is as strong as ever, maybe even stronger. To be fair, my specialty is in team collaboration so I’m paid to see how people work together. Regardless, I’ve had a front row seat to what is and is not working in teams and companies, and from my experience, it directly relates to how people share.
Here are some of the benefits that of sharing.
Pooling our tools
Whether it’s a Sawzall or a meeting agenda, we don’t all need to have one.
Historian and author Yuval Noah Hariri concludes that humans rule the planet because we can participate in the global exchange of information. We can cooperate flexibly and in large numbers.
Sharing means that we can take advantage of what others bring to the table. It’s better for the planet and for our budgets. It is the secret behind being able to specialize and take advantage of what the collective offers.
The whole is bigger than the sum of all parts
There is so much interplay necessary in that global exchange of information. We need to share information which means both sending and receiving. That exchange supports things like innovation, invention, and learning.
One of the signs of good leadership that I’ve seen in the teams I’ve worked with is the ability to push back on the ideas presented. When underlings only offer accolades and praise, it stifles innovation. There’s a fine line between contentious and productive disagreement and often it balances based on relationship.
When we have healthy conversations, it sets us up for those non-linear leaps. Thought experiments where everyone brings their specialty and experience are powerful accelerators to innovation.
Empathy
We share when we feel safe. This goes not only for files and photos but also for stories and struggles. One of my favorite examples of the surprising power of sharing is from poet and author Mark Nepo. He writes about taking part in a psychodrama group where every participant acted out a part of their inner story.
“I didn’t want to go first and it was several weeks before I found the courage to take my turn. At first, I thought I’d just wait on the perimeter and watch how this would all unfold. But unexpectedly and with great gravity, I began to see that each person’s story, no matter how different from my own, would suddenly be about a part of me that I’d never given voice to.
I discovered that taking part in another’s dream or conflict or unresolved past was just a deeper way of listening, a deeper way of being present. The reward for such deep listening was the incredible honor of first witnessing a living model of human courage, and then finding comfort and healing in the surprise that our stories are really the same.” – Mark Nepo in The Book of Awakening
AI will change how we do things just as the PC, the Internet, and the smartphone have. But I believe that knowing how to share will continue to be our superpower as we navigate what comes next.
(featured photo from Pexels)
I’m the host of the How to Share podcast where we talk about things like why we share, how to share personal stories, and how to share professional communications.
I also co-host Sharing the Heart of the Matter – an author and storytelling podcast. I’m a parent of two young children. I help companies achieve organizational efficiency through collaboration, and speak about creativity and AI through the Chicago Writer’s Association.
You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram @wynneleon