Anthony Onesto
Chief People Officer
Suzy
Episode 345
Embrace AI or obsolescence: Human 'power skills' are the future of work
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleJanuary 16, 2025 · 14:55
Thesis
“AI represents a watershed moment that will fundamentally reshape organizational structures and HR, requiring companies to proactively embrace automation for efficiency while prioritizing the development of human 'power skills' to maintain a human-centric culture.”
Show notes
In this episode of the Built by People Podcast, David interviews Anthony Onesto the Chief People Officer (CPO) at Suzy, discussing his remarkable career journey from a failed accountant to a successful HR leader immersed in the startup world. Anthony shares his insights on the transformative impact of AI on organizational structures, emphasizing the increasing efficiency and reduced need for large workforces while maintaining the essential human-centric culture. They explore how AI can augment recruiting processes through examples like Sprouts AI and highlight the critical nature of 'power skills' such as communication, empathy, and creativity for employees thriving in an AI-driven future. Anthony's parting advice encourages listeners to embrace AI by focusing on solving business problems and avoiding a head-in-the-sand approach. 00:44 Guest Introduction: Anthony's Career Journey 01:36 The Evolution of HR and Startups 02:54 AI's Impact on Organizational Structures 05:50 Balancing AI Efficiency with Human-Centric Culture 08:22 AI in Recruiting: A Case Study 10:41 Adapting to an AI-Driven World 12:31 Essential Skills for the Future Workforce 14:15 Final Thoughts and Advice
What you'll take away
- 1Companies must embrace AI and experimentation to avoid obsolescence, starting with clearly defined business problems rather than just adopting tools.
- 2AI will significantly augment middle management roles, potentially expanding reporting structures from 6-7 to 30-40, focusing human managers on relationships and development.
- 3The 'power skills' of communication, storytelling, relationships, and empathy will become increasingly critical as AI automates technical and tactical tasks.
- 4Organizations must balance AI-driven efficiency gains with human-centric policies, including retraining for employees whose tasks are automated.
- 5AI can automate labor-intensive functions like recruiting sourcing (e.g., finding candidates 24/7), freeing up human recruiters for qualification, connection, and negotiation.
What most organizations get wrong
- •The idea that 'knowledge and being able to calculate things or know something is going to be diminished because AI is going to be able to augment those things,' challenging the traditional value placed on rote knowledge.
- •A direct warning that traditional, risk-averse companies must 'start taking risks' with AI, or risk becoming obsolete like Kodak, despite their reasons for caution.
In Anthony's words
“Instagram sold for $1 billion to Facebook. They had 13 employees, right? So this idea of the acceleration of the internet and where we're going today with AI is nothing new, and it's just going to continue.”
This quote highlights the historical precedent for rapid scaling with few employees, setting the stage for AI's similar impact.
“middle management is gonna be augmented. So you, you might have middle managers that have traditionally in HR, we kind of say 6 to 7-ish, you know, reporting structures is ideal. That might be 30, it might be 40 if you have augmented AI next to that manager...”
This provides a concrete, impactful example of how AI could drastically change traditional organizational hierarchies and manager-to-report ratios.
“Brad Marcus wrote a book that I've been reading and he's been talking about just like, we have to also make sure that if we are replacing jobs or tasks that people are doing with AI, what are we doing with those folks? Like, are we retraining them? Do we have the right policies in place?”
This emphasizes the crucial human element and ethical responsibility in AI adoption beyond mere efficiency, touching on reskilling and policy.
“I can tell you what they shouldn't do, which is put their heads in the sand, right?”
A concise and direct piece of advice for traditional companies, underscoring the urgency and inevitability of AI adoption.
“I call 'em, they were traditionally called soft skills and I call 'em power skills 'cause I think they again are going to be more and more powerful for individuals to own where I think the technical skills... are going to be diminished because AI is going to be able to augment those things.”
This redefines the value of interpersonal skills in an AI-augmented world, predicting their increased importance over traditional technical expertise.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Companies struggle to scale efficiently due to limitations in human capacity for tasks like recruiting sourcing, leading to missed talent opportunities.
- •Traditional, risk-averse organizations face the challenge of adapting to rapid technological shifts like AI, risking obsolescence if they don't experiment.
- •Organizations need strategies to balance the pressure for AI-driven cost reduction and efficiency with the imperative to maintain a human-centric culture and address potential job displacement.
- •HR teams often lack the ability to effectively measure and develop 'power skills' (communication, empathy, storytelling) which will be critical for future workforce success.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
And as a starting question, I always, I love to ask about your career journey
How Did You Get Out of College?
AI could enable companies to scale faster with fewer employees
WSJDLive: Will AI reshaping organizational structures?
What strategies can organizations use to balance efficiency gains of AI with a human-centric culture
How to Balance Efficiency and Human-Centricity
We talk about AI in the context of augmentation versus replacement of the human workforce
Will AI Replace Human Agents in Recruitment?
How should traditional companies adapt their workforce and organizational design to remain competitive in AI-driven world
How should traditional companies adapt their workforce and organizational design to remain competitive
What skills will become essential for employees to thrive in an augmented workforce
What Skills Do Employees Need to Have to Win in an Augmented
Anthony Miller: Embrace AI, but think about problem first
Anthony Levinson on AI
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
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