This is For The Firsts, a weekly letter for the “firsts” navigating career, money & life without a roadmap. This is a special place, and I’m glad you’re here.
I spent last weekend in Austin, Texas for SXSW (South By Southwest), a conference that, even though I’ve been twice, I couldn’t really tell you what it is, or who it’s for.
That being said, I had a wonderful time. Beyond just being a great IRL hang for the many talented creators, agencies, and brands I interact with online for the work I do, it’s a terrific conference that brings together the best minds across media, culture, art, music, education, and technology.
I spent last weekend attending many insightful sessions on work, and the mixers and afterparties that followed. But one in particular was very gripping.
In a session titled “Gen Z in the age of Agentic AI” four women discussed the ways AI had changed how the younger talent they manage navigate their careers. One in particular laid out a common scenario that was pretty bleak:
When a young person applies for a job, the first few rounds may not even involve them talking to a human. Then, if they get hired, when they need help instead of talking to their manager or mentor, they’re submitting a ticket to an AI support platform. And if they get laid off, they’re sent a brief, AI-generated email before they lose access to their work laptop.”
This is what was called a modern-day empathy crisis. When we aren’t interacting with each other, learning from one another, and showing human courtesy and respect in the workplace, the workplace itself breaks down.
How can we ask Gen Z to be more engaged with a workplace that’s constantly telling them they aren’t worthy of human connection?
When I was in college, I learned the fundamental skillset of business. I took classes in marketing, project management, finance, and information technology, all core skills of any modern workplace. But none of these classes taught me how to better relate to my coworkers, build rapport with clients, or just ensure that my manager didn’t hate me.
I’m also a proud extrovert who was lucky enough to have a manager who advocated for me, and I’ve always felt comfortable in a social setting. But for those of you who didn't get as lucky, here are a few of my pointers for building the connections that may make the difference between belonging and isolation at work:
Show up before you need something: Most networking is done in reverse. You reach out to someone when you need a favor, and you attend a networking event to see if someone there can refer you. Real trust is built when someone knows that you’ve got their back. And that happens slowly in small, unremarkable moments, like checking in when you see them in the office, or asking how their presentation went, even though it’s not your department. You can’t build trust under pressure. You have to start before the stakes are high.
Embrace friction. It’s a feature: One of the best lines from that earlier session was “you shouldn’t bring a forklift to the gym”. If you outsource or avoid every hard conversation, awkward first impression, or disagreement with technology.. you won’t get the reps in. The friction of navigating asking for a raise, or approaching a stranger at a work event, is the workout. And you need to always be building your social muscles.
Admit what you don’t know: One of the panelists described what she called a "culture of rewarded vulnerability" as one of the most important things a workplace can be working towards right now. What this means, I think, is that you shouldn’t fear not knowing something at work. You should fear faking it, because admitting that gap is how you grow. Honesty is the shortest path to trust.
“Implementation without belief” — many leaders feel pressured to push AI on their organizations without a solid strategy or belief about how it’s meant to help their goals or people
“The things that we’re already bad at as humans don’t get better when we offload them to AI”
What is the “nutritional value” of the way we use AI? Are you using these tools in a way that you’re retaining/building cognitive fiber and nutrients? Or are you just reaching for the cheapest, fastest option?
In media, scarcity may be the next wave. I was invited to a private session with Variety and Adobe, where Mark Duplass (The Morning Show) mentioned how thoughtful activations in niche communities can drive much deeper fandom
During a conversation between SPILL cofounder Alphonzo Terrell and Dr. Marcus Collins, I was introduced to the idea of “Netnography” — how we study the behavior of how we interact in online spaces
You didn’t choose your career. Chances are, your identity did.
One idea I’ve been exploring lately is workwashing: using a job title to present a version of yourself you’d like others to think is genuine, even though in reality your true self may be quite the opposite.
I’ve had some time to reflect on my own corporate career, and something that’s come up for me is that I noticed that many of my peers had similar reasons as to why we pursued that consulting job. And I thought it would be interesting to spend some time over these next few weeks breaking down how certain aspects of our identities can make the career we ultimately choose end up somehow being inevitable.
You can see what I mean by viewing the video below:
As AI continues to encroach on the tasks and abilities of the average worker, one thing will become more and more important: cultivating trust and connection with those you work with.
I can’t tell you one skill that in your industry will make you more durable and more successful in this new work environment. But I’ve got absolute faith that those who tap into their humanity and seek to be known for not only the work they do but how they work with others, will win.
read previous notes here
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