Much is being written about artificial intelligence (AI)—including the fears, challenges, threats, opportunities, advantages, and disadvantages. In a Harvard Business Review article, Karim Lakhani describes how critical it is for leaders to develop a learning mindset. He compares how the Internet has evolved to what we should expect from AI. This is what Lakhani says to managers, leaders, and workers: “AI is not going to replace humans, but humans with AI are going to replace humans without AI …” He advises that everyone, not just tech workers, should seize the opportunity to experiment with AI, since that’s the future of workspaces.
In a recent online issue of Training magazine, I argued for a leadership skill that’s unlikely to be replaced by AI: how to make space for grief and to give people their grace during these uncertain times. Most leaders are not prepared or skilled to support grieving people, though grief is everywhere. The “Great Recession” of 2008 caused the loss of millions of jobs, shuttered hundreds of businesses and companies, and nearly collapsed the banking system. More recently, COVID-19 was devastating to workplaces. Before the pandemic, often neglected in the recitation of economic facts and data was the human cost associated with economically tough times.
Talking about loss in the workplace is still not the norm even though many aspects of life involve a loss or can trigger a sense of loss. Gary Greenberg in a New York Times opinion piece describes how “death is not the only occasion for grief. We can mourn the loss of anything to which we have become attached: a pet, a job, a home, a way of life.” Grief can manifest in many ways (sadness, irritability, impulsivity, etc.) and all affect workplace productivity, growth, and satisfaction. Greenberg notes grief seems to have become a permanent aspect of daily life, with war, climate change, politics, and other calamities keeping people in a constant state of unease.
Grief in the Workplace
But we still have to go to work. Organizations typically have policies allowing employees a few days to deal with the death of loved ones, according to a sliding scale of love: so many days for a spouse, a child, a parent, a friend. Bereavement policies are more like funeral leave depending on how long it takes to attend and return. Organizations like to quantify bereavement—though grief is impossible to quantify because there is no exact timeline. Policies usually don’t cover other kinds of losses such as pets. But quantifying grief doesn’t make it better and can make it feel worse because grief doesn’t have a timeline or finish life. Organizations focus on productivity and efficiency, and grief is problematic because it disrupts this focus. A journal article by Diane Bergeron concludes, “More than any other setting, the workplace exercises significant pressure on grieving individuals to be silent about and hide their grief.”
Since few leaders understand or have training to equip them to deal with loss and grief or other life events that manifest grief responses—serious illness; divorce; or the death of a spouse, partner, friend, or even pet—it is essential to learn how to transform grief into compassion and empathy. Interestingly, loss is even associated with many positive life events that are celebratory such as promotions and weddings. These positive events often are accompanied by a grieving process for the way life used to be and how relationships change. Future leaders need to learn in college how to be fully present for the bereaved without feeling as though they need to provide answers or advice.
Being Human Is Job Security
David Brooks wrote in an article in the New York Times titled, “In the Age of A.I., Major in Being Human.” Writes Brooks, “I am reminded of what I have that A.I. doesn’t: humanity. Our emotional and creative capabilities, the unique humaneness that we possess, distinguish us from A.I.” He continued to explain how A.I. probably will give us tools to help us outsource much of our current mental work. “But A.I. will force us humans to double down on those talents and skills that only humans possess. The most important thing about A.I. may be that it shows us what it can’t do and so reveals who we are and what we have to offer.”
Daniel Goleman, one of the leading authorities on Emotional Intelligence (EI or EQ), shared his observations in a recent article that reinforces the conclusions by Brooks. While increasingly more jobs will be replaced by AI, Goleman believes “the good news for us is we are quite likely to remain better than AI at human skills such as emotional intelligence—and that advantage is likely to stay…What AI is not so good at can be called ‘heart skills’, or more technically, ‘durable human skills’—basically human abilities largely in the emotional intelligence domain.”
Sahil Bloom, author of the book, “The Five Types of Wealth,” makes a similar point. In a newsletter, Bloom talked about how the emphasis is on what will change in the future. He said that is the wrong question. He said to ask, “What is not going to change?” He compiled his list of what he calls “timeless human truths that will not change in the future.”
According to Bloom, these truths will not be replaced by AI:
- Humans will want real, personal connection.
- Humans will want to consume things that make them feel good.
- Humans will be seeking meaning, purpose, and clarity.
- Humans will pay for things that reduce friction.
- Humans will seek out status and improved social positioning.
- Humans will be insecure.
To which I add, “Humans will die. There will always be death, dying, and grieving.” Learning the skills to navigate these situations and coaching others—including family members and friends—will always add value to lives, which, in turn, improves productivity, satisfaction, and growth.
