Get Fired Before AI Does It for You.
Change is always more energizing when you do it to yourself, instead of having it done to you.
A few years ago, I had one of those gut-punch realizations that only shows up when you're already exhausted, deep in it, and pretending everything is fine.
I was running a company mid-pandemic, surrounded by a team of epic fire starters - but we were fighting to keep people motivated through a screen, rebuilding the business model in real time, navigating investor pressure, employee burnout, economic whiplash—you name it. From the outside, I think people thought I was on fire.
From the inside, I was fried.
I remember the moment I realized I had literally nothing left in the tank. And that my relentless fire fighting was causing everyone to feel they had to do the same. It was time to give up on the image I had of Sarah the energizer bunny who never stops - and finally surrender to the situation.
I had to fire the version of me who worked to exhaustion and burnout.
Not from the org chart. From my operating system.
And in that moment, a new version of me had room to step in.
Thankfully with the inspiration of many around me, I was able to begin a journey towards a more sustainable way of working - and see how much more effective it was. Here now, a few years later, I literally would never ever go back to the way things were.
🔥 That’s what I mean when I say: Get Fired.
Fire the outdated version of yourself—before reality does it for you.
And if you think this is just a personal growth metaphor, think again.
Because it’s clear: AI is about to fire a lot of people who never saw it coming.
I absolutely loved listening to this podcast between Aneesh Raman the Chief Economic Opportunity Officer at LinkedIn, and my great mate Bob Safian the founder of the Flux Group. First of all - what an epic title Aneesh has - and that’s exactly the point. Titles…schmitles - that’s all about to change as Ai rolls into your workplace and changes the kinds of roles us humans even need to have. As Aneesh stated, “We are moving from a world of jobs-based identity to skills-based identity.”
Translation?
Nobody cares what your title was. They care what you can do.
And whether you're still evolving.
That’s a big freeken shift.
We grew up believing success meant climbing a ladder. One job, one title, one company.
Now? People are switching roles, industries, even identities—not because they failed, but because they got Fired Up!
I was punching the air with excitement in the podcast, when Aneesh said:
“We are in a moment where people want more purpose, more growth, and more agency over their careers.”
Yessss! For REALS. BUT - we don’t get any of that by staying the same.
We get it by letting go of the identity that no longer fits.
We get it by firing the safe version of yourself who just wants to blend in and not screw up.
We can’t work like it’s 2019 and expect to lead in 2025.
So lets agree to fire the version of ourselves who
Got rewarded for just being busy
Waited for permission instead of taking initiative
Confused burnout with value
Believed in titles and hierarchy as a road to impact
So once we have done that, and we have room to think about this bold new future, lets think about where we should double down!
Top 5 Human Skills AI Can’t Replace (Yet)
1. Courage
The ability to trust and use your human instincts to find the gap in the market, to understand what colleagues, teams and consumers will respond to and make the bold moves other’s won’t.
2. Creativity
Not just analyzing data—but connecting seemingly unrelated dots to invent the new.
3. Communication
The ability to say the real thing—not just report up. But to bring the “elephants onto the table” as I like to say - and help team’s get to their most effective place.
4. Compassion
Emotional Intelligence. Reading rooms. Building trust. Sensing unspoken dynamics and navigating them like a damn ninja.
5. Curiosity
Your ability to change direction fast, unlearn faster, and learn faster than that. Being the thermostat, not the thermometer. Sparking momentum. Inspiring action without burning people out.
BTW - these are the most awesome parts of being a human and getting to do great work.
Bob Safian asked a question in the episode that stuck with me:
“If we’re not optimizing for ladder climbing anymore, what are we optimizing for?”
My answer?
Energy. Culture Creation. Reinvention.
That’s the new resume.
It’s not about where you worked or necessarily what you did THEN. If we believe the data - 70% of skills for the average job will have changed by 2030. Therefore it’s about who you became along the way and the folks you truly impacted who still want to collaborate with you.
So yeah—fire the small version of you. The one clinging to the past job descriptions.
The one who says “that’s not my skillset.”
Because if you don’t?
The system will do it for you.
And trust me: it’s way more fun when you light the match!
Resources you might find useful:
Lead Like a Human - Win with Ai
My Lightning Lesson with the awesome Richard Maclachlan who is the CMO of Work Human
How to Scale a Business with AI and Agentic Workflows
This was a course that I took to upskill myself and I have to say I thought it was AWESOME!
AI will break the career ladder (with LinkedIn’s Aneesh Raman) | Rapid Response
One of my favorite conversations on AI to date with the amazing Bob Safian and Aneesh Raman.
I know this story all too well. Before I left my last role, I got comfortable knowing my hours, my team, and my responsibilities. The writing was on the wall, but I stayed in that safe zone a little too long and the system did it for me.
Fourteen months later, I’ve learned so much during my time off and many of those lessons align with the five you shared here (some from your course as well). I’m close to the other side with some promising leads, and my interviewing game and mindset are stronger than ever.