How managers can survive the AI purge
By Dominic Ashley-Timms | Published: 2025-10-31 10:00:00 | Source: Fast Company – leadership-2
News that Microsoft will lay off 9,000 workers this year, with a focus on cutting managers, has shaken the business world. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said so bluntly this summer The advancement of artificial intelligence will lead to job cuts. So it’s no wonder that workers around the world, incl One in five Gen Z workers are “very concerned” that AI will take their job And in the next two years (the Americans will be more worried than the Europeans). 32% of US workers believe that artificial intelligence will lead to fewer job opportunities.
AI has evolved to include a wider range of skills, not just data-driven skills such as programming and debugging, but also more administrative tasks, including generating reports and managing schedules.
With this technology emerging on the heels of managers worrying about staying relevant in a digitally driven world, how can you future-proof your management role and survive the AI purge? The answer lies in your development People-centered skills.
Human-centered skills assessment
For many years, human-centered skills, such as empathy, active listening, and effective communication, have been diminished in value as “soft,” in contrast to “hard” skills like writing code or analyzing data, which can be more easily quantified.
In a world increasingly and rapidly being reshaped by artificial intelligence and automation, these distinctions are coming under scrutiny. We see that this is it difficult Skills that AI can imitate with incredible ease, while smooth Skills remain exclusive to humans and are increasingly important as managers need to guide their teams through disruptive change.
They’re so important, in fact, that they need a name change. It’s not soft anymore. These are now the inevitable ‘power’ skills that will future-proof your management career. It is more than just a semantic shift, it is a fundamental reframing of how “soft” skills are perceived and valued. These power skills are no longer considered inferior or trivial, but rather should be valued as the foundations of excellent management that will amplify the effectiveness of every hard skill you possess – think careful judgment, strategic thinking, authentic communication, and intuition.
In fact, power skills He can Be quantitative. We can clearly see its impact on the workforce when used effectively by managers. Because good management and participation are important.
Gallup’s annual State of the Global Workplace research shows that the manager is responsible 70% of the variance In employee engagement, which feeds into the truth of this At least one-third of the variance in productivity Between countries and companies due to mismanagement. However, once someone is empowered by their manager to recognize their strengths and use them daily, They’re about six times more engaged. Companies with highly committed employees Experience 78% less absenteeism and significantly lower turnover rates.
The answer is a question
So how can you develop these power skills and ensure you use them to truly engage the team you manage? The answer is to learn to ditch the command-and-control approach to management and use a leadership style Investigation-led approach instead of. Adopting coaching-related behaviors, which include developing situational awareness and knowing when and how to ask meaningful questions, is the basic premise of a popular new approach to management known as operational coaching.
Proven effectiveness In extensive research Conducted by the London School of Economics, adopting this new approach as part of a manager’s daily style was shown to shift the paradigm from directive management to facilitative leadership, while managers also achieved a 74x return on investment.
Learning to adopt an operational coaching approach to management is not about telling employees what to do, but rather about guiding them to discover their own solutions, leverage their strengths, and take ownership of their contributions.
At its core is the skill of asking thought-provoking questions. Instead of stepping in to solve every problem themselves, managers ask powerful questions that encourage employees to engage in self-reflection, critical thinking, and problem-solving. This approach enables individuals to take responsibility for their challenges and solutions.
It is then supported through active listening and empathy, strengths-based development, feedback and ongoing reflection. Described as the ‘missing superpower’, this style of management promotes critical thinking, which in turn builds confidence as employees are empowered to unleash their potential. They are especially well-suited to working with Millennials and Gen Z workers, who prefer a collaborative and supportive work environment over strict hierarchies, and crave purpose in their work through regular feedback and growth opportunities.
Operational coaching also helps managers reclaim their valuable time because it shifts the weight of routine problem solving from themselves to their team members. This capacity can be reinvested in higher value work, while enabling employees to develop their own skills. Measurable improvements in employee engagement levels, as a direct result of a change in their managers’ approach, lead to increased profitability, increased productivity and better business results, including, for example, sales and customer service.
A shift in what is valuable
In an era of rapid change driven by the democratization of knowledge through AI, human-centered skills that foster engagement, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking will be the key differentiator between managers who can and those who will be displaced from their roles.
By moving away from the typical directive approach, managers who adopt an operational coaching approach will cultivate environments of trust and psychological safety, where employees can experiment and take risks without fear of blame. As routine tasks become increasingly automated, our human value must shift toward how we think, adapt, interact, and lead. It’s time to stop viewing these traits as passive, soft traits, and instead value them as active, powerful skills that hold the key to securing your future role as a manager who can get things done by mobilizing and empowering the skills and talents of others.
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(tags for translation) artificial intelligence
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