Navigating the Future: Skills for Human Employees and Choosing Your North Star Metric

Navigating the Future: Skills for Human Employees and Choosing Your North Star Metric

Introduction:
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance, it is important for human employees to adapt and acquire the necessary skills to thrive in a changing work environment. Microsoft has published a list of skills that will be valuable for human employees in 2023. Additionally, choosing the right North Star Metric (NSM) is crucial for businesses to track their progress and focus on what truly matters. Let's explore the common points between these two topics and provide actionable advice for individuals and businesses.

Surviving AI: Skills for Human Employees:

1. Flexibility: With AI integration in the workflow, human employees must be able to rapidly adjust to changes. Adaptability and a willingness to learn new skills will be essential in staying relevant in the workforce. Embracing AI as a tool rather than a threat can lead to new opportunities and improved work standards.

2. Emotional Intelligence: While AI can perform many tasks efficiently, human employees possess emotional intelligence, which allows them to understand and navigate complex human interactions. Recognizing when to leverage human capabilities instead of relying solely on AI will be a valuable skill in the future.

3. Analytical Judgement: On the other hand, human employees must also develop analytical judgement to determine when to utilize AI capabilities instead of human capabilities. Understanding the strengths and limitations of AI and being able to make informed decisions will be crucial for maximizing productivity and efficiency.

4. Creative Evaluation: As AI becomes more sophisticated, it will be essential for human employees to evaluate and assess the content produced by AI. This skill involves critically analyzing AI-generated work and providing creative insights or improvements. Human creativity and innovation will continue to be valuable assets in a world driven by AI.

5. Intellectual Curiosity: Curiosity is a trait that sets humans apart from AI. Asking the right questions and seeking new knowledge will be essential for leveraging AI effectively. Embracing intellectual curiosity can lead to discovering new ways to utilize AI and staying ahead in the rapidly changing technological landscape.

6. Bias Detection and Handling: AI is not immune to biases. Human employees must develop the ability to evaluate AI fairness in decision-making processes. Identifying and addressing biases in AI algorithms will be crucial for ensuring ethical and unbiased outcomes.

7. AI Delegation (Prompts): Directing AI with the right prompts will be an important skill for human employees. Knowing how to effectively communicate with AI systems and extract the desired results will enhance productivity and efficiency.

Choosing Your North Star Metric:

1. Understand Your Business Model: The choice of NSM heavily depends on your business model, how your product grows, and how it is used. Different types of companies prioritize different NSMs based on their goals and target audience.

2. Consider Your Company Type: Marketplaces and platforms often focus on consumption growth as their NSM. Paid-growth driven businesses prioritize growth efficiency. Freemium team-based B2B products commonly focus on engagement and/or customer growth. UGC subscription-based products emphasize consumption. Ad-driven businesses prioritize engagement. Consumer subscription products usually focus on engagement or customer growth.

3. Align with User Goals: An alternative approach to choosing an NSM is to identify the jobs that users hire your product to do. The NSM should measure what matters most when fulfilling the user's needs. Focusing solely on revenue goals early on may lead to suboptimal decisions and uninspiring team motivation.

Conclusion:
As AI continues to shape the future, human employees must adapt and acquire the necessary skills to thrive in this changing landscape. The skills of flexibility, emotional intelligence, analytical judgement, creative evaluation, intellectual curiosity, bias detection and handling, and AI delegation will be vital for human employees in the AI era. Additionally, choosing the right NSM is crucial for businesses to track progress and focus on what truly matters. Understanding your business model, considering your company type, and aligning with user goals will guide you in selecting the most effective NSM. By embracing AI and leveraging it alongside human capabilities, we can navigate the future successfully and unlock new possibilities for growth and innovation.