We trained ourselves into robots. Now the robots are better at it.
You know exactly what I’m talking about.
For decades, we scripted service. We systemised it. We KPI’d it until the warmth drained out and all that was left was the process. “Is there anything else I can help you with today?” said the same way, every time, by people who had long stopped meaning it.
We’ve made service robotic.
And now actual robots do scripted service better than we ever did. They’re faster, cheaper and never tired. They never have a bad day.
So here’s the uncomfortable truth. If your competitive advantage is efficiency, you’ve already lost. The only move left is to become more human, not more efficient.
Get back to the humanities
My advice sounds old-fashioned, and it is. Socialise. Play sport. Read a book, a whole one. Study music or learn a language. Sing, paint, and make pottery. Get outdoors and play.
Get out into the world. Be of the world. Create the world you want to live in.
These aren’t hobbies to squeeze in around the real work. They’re how we condition the parts of ourselves no machine can replicate: curiosity, judgement, empathy, humour, presence.
Value what makes us human
Everyone right now is carrying uncertainty. Yes, we need productivity. But we also need to feel that we’re OK, that we still matter in a world changing faster than we can make sense of.
That comes from human relationships and from human conditioning. It doesn’t come from another app.
We’re all going to need an edge in the years ahead. The world will reward what is special, original and genuine, not what is predictable and repeatable. Our memories, our skills and our knowledge need to be expressed in ways only we can express them.
Reorientate your time and effort
AI collapses time and effort; therefore, you can create space to double down on becoming fully human. I have seen how getting time back in my days as we continue to use AI to enable the business is already giving me time back.
- Personally, feed the parts of you that make you curious, creative and alive. For me, spending a day each month with my 2.5-year-old nephew, playing in the park, and a whole day with him each month is the BEST! Plus, during the week I’m really enjoying having time in the evening to cook more. When I travel I am always eating out, so being at home in the kitchen is my happy place.
- Professionally, bring your judgement, your warmth and your presence to every interaction. Stop hiding behind the script. I’ve really enjoyed this year letting go of the script and the facilitator notes, doing the preparation yes, always, and on the day, letting it go. Less performing, more presence. Less tiring and more energising.
- Communally, show up for the people around you. Service has always been relational. For me, I have started hosting monthly meditation gatherings at my home, inviting people to sit and meditate with me and feel the power of community when we are intentional and still.
The machines will handle the transactions. The relationships were always ours.
Become the best human you can be. Now.