Why Supporting People Matters—Especially in a world of AI
You don’t have to work in executive search to know that relationships are the bedrock of the workforce.
In our line of work, the best relationships are built by supporting people first. It's a daily commitment, whether you’re walking a candidate through an offer, advising a client on their next hire, or helping a colleague manage their workload.
But then, AI enters the scene. We are now watching a technology develop faster than any other technology has before, with new realities previously only seen in sci-fi movies unfolding on a weekly basis. Amidst the noise, it's easy to jump to immediate conclusions about how its use could affect us. "It's good!" "It's bad!", "It's going to take our jobs!"
I keep finding myself reflecting on how we, as individuals and as part of professional organizations, fit into the equation.
What's the best way to think about these tools?
How can they affect executive search and talent?
What does this mean in the long term?
…and most importantly…
What can we do to support each other and our networks throughout?
Supporting people starts by building strong foundations, applied not only to the processes and policies that an organisation holds, but also to the foundational skills of the professional who is one part of the whole. To ensure any new AI strategy succeeds, both need to be rooted in the very heart of that strategy to guarantee long term success.
Creating a Person-Centered Approach
While it's tempting to focus only on the technology, a people-centered approach is what will truly make your AI-implementation strategy stand out. Going back to our relationship centric "bedrock” analogy, rethinking how your org approaches policies and procedures for the future ALONGSIDE that technology is paramount.
This can start with a few critical questions:
How do our communication channels support clients, candidates, and colleagues?
Can we use AI to improve our communication? If so, how?
How are we encouraging engagement during this pivotal time of change?
How are we speaking to our team re AI and ensuring they are part of the conversation?
What internal structures are in place to recognize, build, and retain talent?
How we are ensuring retention rates stay high?
Will bringing AI into our process genuinely benefit the human experience? If so, how?
How are we being INTENTIONAL with our tech investment?
Developing Skills for the Future
A recently published Harvard Business School article, and its corresponding commentary, "Why Soft Skills Still Matter in the Age of AI," explore how the creation and curation of a skill set is wholly dependent on the base they're built from.
The article speaks to how the acquisition of specific skills is contingent on having a foundation of general, prerequisite skills. Imagine trying to make a beef wellington with no prior concept of how puff pastry bakes, or trying to plant a garden without learning which plants grow best in sunny (or shady) conditions. In the context of the workplace, the study points to findings that suggest while compensation is strongly tied to proficiency in specialized skills (not surprisingly), any promotion relies heavily on strong foundation “prerequisite skills” that are developed over the course of a career.
As we enter this new world of AI, it's tempting to focus only on how to become AI experts. If we are only focused on developing new AI skills, there's a risk we might lose some of the those foundational skills essential to our long term success as professionals.
Consider:
Identifying those those softer skills amongst your colleagues. How will they be utilised in the future?
Don't forget more ‘traditional’ learning and development planning. Make sure to retain programs focused on key areas (like building relationships with clients)!
Create bespoke talent management plans for your team. Identify specific ways they can continue developing their skill set to become 'SUPER USERS’ in their roles or functions with the use of AI.
Reiterate as needed!
Once you have the answers, it's time to take action:
Create a vision for success. Clearly define what success looks like for your interactions with clients, candidates, and colleagues.
Involve people and key stakeholders. Get the right people on board early to help you build your people-centered strategy from the ground up.
Establish clear roles and communication paths. Set expectations to avoid confusion and keep things moving forward.
Integrate tools that showcase your commitment. Be ready to test, re-test, and adapt new AI technologies to find what works best.
Empower teams. Provide training so your teams can act with consistency and compassion.
Address challenges and commit to continuous improvement. This isn't a one-time initiative. Emphasize the need for ongoing review and adaptation based on people’s experiences.
Conclusion
Embracing AI isn’t just about adopting new tools—it's about strengthening your core commitment to people and ensuring you're right there with them throughout this journey. By creating a person-centric approach and developing both foundational and specialised skills within your team, organizations can truly empower and uplift from within.
When you build with people at the center, the technology you choose will only amplify your success.
What's one small step your organization can take this week to put people first in your AI strategy?
