Stop asking if AI will take your job. Here's the real question
Let's be honest, the question is on everyone's mind. It hangs in the air during team meetings and comes up in quiet conversations. Will AI make my job obsolete?
It’s a valid fear, but it’s the wrong question.
Asking if AI will take your job is like a 1990s accountant asking if Microsoft Excel will take their job. The answer is no, Excel didn't take their job. But the accountant who refused to learn it? They became obsolete almost overnight. They were replaced by the accountant who mastered Excel to become faster, more accurate, and more strategic.
And there it is. The real question isn’t “AI versus you.” It’s “you with AI versus you without it.”
AI won’t take your job. But a person who has mastered leveraging AI absolutely will.
So, what’s the move? It’s not about out-competing the machine. It’s about building an irreplaceable human layer on top of it. Here’s how.
1. Stop Being an Answer Generator. Become a Question Asker.
AI models are the most powerful answer engines ever built. They can synthesize research, draft code, and write a marketing plan in seconds. Competing on the ability to generate first-draft answers is a losing game.
The new premium is on asking brilliant questions (aka: “prompting”)
Your value is no longer in having the answer, but in having the insight to formulate the perfect prompt. This isn't just about "prompt engineering." It's about strategic inquiry. It's about understanding a business problem so deeply that you can ask the one question that unlocks a breakthrough insight from the machine.
Tactic: For every task, ask yourself: "What is the question I can ask an AI that will get me 85% of the way to an exceptional result?" Get brilliant at defining the problem, not just executing the solution.
2. Master the "Last 10%."
AI is excellent at producing the generic 90%. It can write a decent blog post, design a standard logo, or analyze a spreadsheet. But it’s terrible at the last 10%, the part that makes something truly exceptional and accurately human.
The last 10% is where taste, context, brand voice, and strategic nuance live. It’s the final edit that turns a good sentence into a great one. It’s the creative risk that turns a generic design into something memorable. It's the human story you wrap around the data to persuade the executive team.
Tactic: Aggressively outsource the first draft of your work to AI. Then, dedicate your newly freed-up time to mastering that final, critical 10%. Become the best editor, curator, and strategic finisher on your team. The person who can turn AI's B+ work into A++ work will be indispensable. Know what “good” looks like.
3. Build a "Human Stack."
There is a stack of skills that AI, in its current form, simply cannot touch. These are the skills that build trust and drive action in the real world. Every professional should be deliberately cultivating their own "human stack."
This includes:
Persuasion & Negotiation: Convincing a client, aligning a team, closing a deal.
Leadership & Mentorship: Inspiring a team and developing talent.
Building Relationships: Establishing genuine rapport and trust with colleagues and customers.
Accountability: You can’t fire an AI for a bad result. The ultimate responsibility—and the authority that comes with it—will always rest with a human.
Tactic: Audit your week. How many hours are you spending on tasks that could be automated versus tasks that require your uniquely human skills? Shift the balance. Take a public speaking course. Volunteer to lead a project. Spend more time with your clients. Double down on the things that require a handshake and eye contact.
The age of AI isn’t a threat; it’s a clarification. It’s stripping away the repetitive, the mundane, and the generic, forcing us to focus on what we as humans do best: think critically, create originally, and connect genuinely.
Stop worrying about being replaced. Start focusing on becoming the person who skillfully pilots the machine. That job is safer than it's ever been.
If you need some more hand holding through this process, reach out. A coach can help you with this and many other career and personal development opportunities.