AI should be used to augment human potential. Unfortunately, some companies are already using it as a convenient scapegoat to cut people.
This week on Future-Focused, I dig into the recent Accenture story that grabbed headlines for all the wrong reasons. 11,000 people exited because they “couldn’t be reskilled for AI.” However, that’s not the real story. First of all, this isn’t what’s going to happen; it already did. And now, it’s being reframed as a future-focused strategy to make Wall Street feel comfortable.
This episode breaks down two uncomfortable truths that most people are missing and lays out three leadership disciplines every executive should learn before they repeat the same mistake.
I’ll explore how this whole situation isn’t really about an AI reskilling failure at all, why AI didn’t pick the losers (margins did), and what it takes to rebuild trust and long-term talent gravity in a culture obsessed with short-term decisions.
If you care about leading with integrity in the age of AI, this one will hit close to home.
Oh, and if this conversation challenged your thinking or gave you something valuable, like, share, and subscribe. You can also support my work by buying me a coffee. And if your organization is wrestling with what responsible AI transformation actually looks like, this is exactly what I help executives navigate through my consulting work. Reach out if you’d like to talk more.
Chapters:
00:00 - The “Unreskillable” Headline That Shocked Everyone
00:58 - What Really Happened: The Retroactive Narrative
04:20 - Truth 1: Not Reskilling Failure—Utilization Math
10:47 - Truth 2: AI Didn’t Pick the Losers, Margins Did
17:35 - Leadership Discipline 1: Redeployment Horizon
21:46 - Leadership Discipline 2: Compounding Trust
26:12 - Leadership Discipline 3: Talent Gravity
31:04 - Closing Thoughts: Four Quarters vs. Four Years
#AIEthics #Leadership #FutureOfWork #BusinessStrategy #AccentureLayoffs
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com