Andrea Wasserman.
Courtesy of Andrea Wasserman
I'm an executive coach with clients who are working to advance their careers across retail, finance, tech, and media. Whether they're mid-career leaders or senior executives, many of my clients ask me some version of the same question: "What should I be doing right now so AI doesn't make me irrelevant?"People are watching AI tools do work that once took them hours. They're seeing companies rethink head count, productivity, and the value of certain roles. They're also hearing a lot of vague guidance about "embracing AI" without getting much practical direction about what that means. It makes sense why they're concerned about job safety.Here's what I'm telling them to do within the next month.Start by identifying the parts of your job that are most exposedDon't ask a broad question, such as, "Will AI take my job?" Get to more actionable answers by asking, "Which parts of my work are most likely to be automated, reduced, or happen faster?"Start by looking at your calendar. List the tasks that are repetitive, rule-based, or require a first draft. That might include summarizing meetings, writing status updates, pulling together research, drafting emails, creating presentation outlines, or analyzing large amounts of information.Second, list the work that relies on judgment, relationships, trade-offs, or influence. That might include aligning stakeholders, making a recommendation, coaching a team member, diagnosing why a project is stalled, or navigating internal politics.Third, list the work where AI can be helpful, but where your expert, human perspective needs to determine whether AI's output is truly useful. That third category is where most people should focus first because it allows you to complement your instincts and judgment with AI. It increases productivity and shows your manager you aren't afraid of the technology.
