Knowledge Work Is Dying—Here’s What Comes Next

Studies show that teams whose members feel safe to speak up learn faster and hit their targets more often. Google’s Project Aristotle, which set out to understand what made teams successful, found that of all variables studied, psychological safety was the number-one predictor of high-performing teams.

The Harvard Study of Adult Development—the world’s longest-running longitudinal study, tracking people since 1938—found that the single strongest predictor of both happiness and physical health in old age was the warmth of participants’ close relationships. In fact, quality of connection at age 50 predicted health at 80 better than cholesterol leve

why tomorrow’s economy will prize wisdom workers. Let’s dive into their three core skills: emotional clarity, discernment, and connection.

While people do grow attached to chatbots and develop bonds that soothe loneliness, these connections are fundamentally parasocial and transactional: The flow of care moves in one direction; AI has no skin in the game. Deep connection demands mutual, embodied relational presence—nervous systems coregulating through micro-expressions, tone shifts, a

It is the ability to recognize your emotions, feel them, and move forward unobstructed—the difference between being caught in the storm and becoming the sky that holds it. Surveys show that this kind of emotional intelligence is already the number-one criteria for managers when considering a team member for a promotion or salary increase.

Discernment goes beyond what is true in the stacks of data. It is the ability to see things clearly and zero in on what matters.

What most people don’t realize is that your relationship with yourself sets the tone for everything else. If you don’t trust yourself, you won’t trust your team. If you shut down your own desires, you’ll feel resentful of

Indeed, the two building blocks of a company are (1) decisions and (2) relationships. Emotional clarity underpins both of these. It’s why people like Altman hire me, because they see emotional clarity as “[o]ne of the most critical skills in a post-AGI world.”

If you want to change the world, you’ll need to be deeply connected with other humans. If you want to be a part of a high-performing team, you’ll need to be deeply connected with other humans.

Connection: Vulnerability, impartiality, empathy, and wonder

The majority of us have been taught that connection is earned through achievement. We believe that once we become successful, smart, or generous enough, we’ll be worthy of connection.

But people don’t want you to be perfect. They want to be connected to you.