Being Good at Things Used to Be Enough
The next 5 years will upend how we lead, manage, and work. Consider yourself warned.
Quick note before today’s post: My free course, Cowork Mondays. Zero to Claude Cowork in Six Weeks, is up and running! The feedback has been positive, and I’m so glad it’s helping people dip their toes into the waters of agentic AI. You know, AI that “does stuff” for us. If you’re curious, check it out!
Every year, for the rest of our lives, being good at “doing things” will become less important.
The normal, mundane to-do-level items that have been the hallmark of the daily workflow for so many are quickly becoming completely irrelevant.
Let’s sit with that for a moment, shall we?
It’s about to screw with our heads.
Think about it: for our entire lives, we’ve been trained to do things. Heck, the entirety of our school years was spent “doing:”: memorizing, writing, calculating, assembling projects, making flashcards, and taking tests. We spent at least 13 of our most formative years learning how to “do.”
And now, our “doing” days are done.
Here are just some skills that will be mostly obsolete by the end of 2026:
Data processing
Bookkeeping
Data analysis (not interpretation, necessarily)
Document creation and formatting
Transcription and meeting notes
Basic customer service and email triage
Scheduling and calendar management
Expense reporting and invoice processing
How many people have some or all of these as part of their primary job description?
And coming to an office near you, in 2027 and beyond, the extinguishment of:
Strategic direction
Day-to-day decision-making
Financial modeling and interpretation
Legal analysis and action
Design and specification
Hiring and talent assessment
Sales prospecting and initial outreach
Project scoping and estimation
And why, you might ask, is this happening? Well, agentic AI, of course. AI that does stuff. AI that is better at stuff. AI that does not care about unemployment figures or the impact on the economy. It’s a locomotive heading down the tracks, gaining steam, oblivious to anything in its way.
And mark my words, this is going to cause a fundamental shift in how business owners and operators own and operate.
Think you’re good at running your business? Soon, AI will be better.
Think you’re good at negotiating compensation with your team? Soon, AI will be better.
Think you’re good at conducting a hiring round? Soon, AI will be better.
Think you’re good at navigating a sticky situation with a toxic customer? Soon, AI will be better.
So, what does it mean for us? Those of us who own, operate, and/or lead within the small and mid-sized business (SMB) ecosystem?
The Rise of the “Commando Economy”
I just finished a fascinating book called The Winter Fortress.
TL;DR: Small groups of Norwegian commandos work to sabotage Nazi efforts during the World War II occupation.
They were quite successful, these industrious northerners. The original MacGyvers, they could blow up an ammunition factory using a paper clip, some fertilizer, and a pair of wooden shoes... (I know, that’s Dutch, but go with it...)
And it got me thinking: this is the future of SMB. Small, efficient, elite forces of professionals running businesses on top of AI infrastructure.
What used to be a team of 20 will be a team of 4.
Anyone who currently lives in the “doing” phase of a business process will need to transition to leadership, people management, or to “the factory floor.” There will be no other option.
And I think this will have two distinct results:
There will be a massive wasteland between SMBs and gargantuan corporations. The economy will be littered with only small, agile, AI-heavy companies run by a few experienced souls, or massive international corporations that spend all of their waking hours automating their machines.
Entrepreneurship will accelerate at an astonishing pace due to the confluence of opportunity and need. Opportunity because starting a business in the age of AI will be 10x easier than in the decade prior, and need because employment opportunities will be scarcer than a factual political ad.
Wrap Up
So, what does this mean for you?
Prepare. Starting today.
Learn the nuances of agentic AI for your specific industry.
Start considering AI proficiency in your hiring and retention decisions.
Consider becoming the AI-forward company that, if you delay, will put you out of business in the next five years.
Capitalism is an unforgiving beast. It cares not how long your company has been around, how much your clients like you, how many Google reviews you have, or what type of “team culture” you’ve built. All it cares about is how well you allocate resources: capital, people, equipment, real estate, etc.
Don’t get caught flat-footed on this. Because pretty soon, your ability to “do” won’t matter much at all.
As always, if you’d like to chat about topics like this, I’m here for you: scott@scottmonday.com.
This week’s YouTube video is a fascinating look at why Toys R Us, that merchandise mecca for so many of us 70s, 80s, and 90s kids, went from toy powerhouse to liquidation in just a few short years. Check it out!
Things I've Enjoyed Lately: I couldn’t talk about Norwegian commandos without mentioning the book that inspired the analogy, now could I… The Winter Fortress is a fantastic work of non-fiction. If you’re a history fan, you’ll love this one.