Julia Dhar is BCG's North America leader of people and organization practice and a fellow at the BCG Institute.
Type A workers, rise up.BCG's North America leader of people and organization practice, Julia Dhar, says that success increasingly boils down to what she refers to as "a high-agency mindset."These are the proactive employees who actively seek to understand what's expected of them. They're also the ones who show up with a positive attitude and a belief that their actions will have an impact."They have some optimism about the future, even if they're not assured that everything in the future will be good," said Dhar, who co-founded BCG's Behavioral Science Lab and is a fellow at the BCG Institute.While self-starters may have always thrived in the workplace, that mindset may be more critical during a time of rapid technological transformation.BCG's 2026 AI at Work Research report found that 72% of workers say skill expectations in their roles have changed, and 88% believe they will need major upskilling in the next five years. Dhar said that employees who seek clarity about their roles and build new skills may be better positioned to keep up.Employees across industries are grappling with a moment in time when AI disruptions are fueling anxiety about the future of work. Rather than getting stuck in fear, Dhar said high-agency workers focus on what they can control and take action wherever possible.
