Hey Reader -

A friend of mine has become the Queen of the Keep it Real Club. She’s such an astute communicator that she instantly sees flaws in AI-generated pitches.

What hits the slush pile? Phrases repeated from her LinkedIn bio. Bland descriptions about her industry. And a final ask to partner that’s meant to be personal but is clearly cut and pasted from someone else’s email.

AI may draft quickly, but no one ever promised it would enhance your professional standing. That’s because qualities like integrity and trustworthiness can’t be faked. Business Insider Editor-in-Chief of the Life team, Joi-Marie McKenzie, learned that lesson in a split second from Michele Ghee, President of PlayersTV.

At a recent conference, Michele provided feedback which was short, sweet, and a little startling. McKenzie recalled, “Michele was super direct, assertive, and bold. She didn’t want to wait until we were back in our respective offices to deliver the feedback, and for good reason. Critical feedback is often urgent.”

Joi-Marie was so inspired that she road tested a similar clear-cut heart-to-heart during her next newsroom conflict. She was stunned as everyone quickly worked through their differences, then casually went on with their day.

When they met up later, Michele wasn’t surprised by the results. She replied, “It’s OK to give responsible, direct, in-person, real-time feedback because it benefits everybody. It’s a common courtesy."

Make Clarity Your Friend

Scott Galloway recently said, “Real relationships require friction. What is usually the right thing is usually the hard thing.”

That idea feels like tough advice because having the right touch at the right time isn’t a talent you’re born with. It takes a minute to learn. But having real, even uncomfortable, conversations gets easier with people skills, like combining candor with knowing when to quit.

Keeping it real sounds obvious until you get pushback. So, here are four easy responses to keep in your back pocket. They frame your thinking to challengers without overexplaining:

And your prompt to link your personal judgment to AI is: Provide a list of simple ways to override AI with human expertise.

People Skills Take You from the Middle of the Pack to Memorable

In the May series, What AI Can’t Give You, we’ve discussed gaps in AI and how you can address the current tension and skepticism. The common theme about what AI misses is simple: Authenticity.

So, let’s recap the four topics and the skills to close those gaps. Using people competencies will help you maintain a reputation built on ethics and standards.

AI can’t give you:

1. Personalized Branding: AI may surface branding ideas, but only you know what works best in your surroundings. So, ensure your behavior matches your intentions. That’s how you’ll become the co-worker who jumps from the middle of the pack to memorable.

2. Communication without the AI Accent: AI can enhance your storytelling; however, it forgets to mention that no one likes long-winded tales or mind-numbing data. So, sharpen your communications by mixing in soft skill How tactics, like taking a creative approach and calibrating your delivery for your audience.

3. Optimum Productivity: Productivity theater is alive and well, but you don’t have to be a pawn in that game. People, not prompts, are what transform projects from miserable to manageable. So, get more done by mobilizing people with diverse talents and backgrounds.

4. Believability: Tough conversations are part of life, but they don’t have to get ugly. Stay truthful, accurate, and courteous—that’s how your integrity will take center stage.

Navigating new technologies at a breakneck pace feels overwhelming until you remind yourself that people are still at the center of every interaction, meeting, and project. So, take charge like the creative, wise CEO of your life—a Soul Boss—and fill in what AI can’t give you.

All the best,

Michelle Mains

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