Some future realities are obvious: the world will be increasingly automated, digital, and connected. But that doesn’t mean humans will be obsolete; just the opposite, in fact. It will be our most human qualities that are most valuable, as these can’t and shouldn’t be outsourced to machines.

What many people describe—and often discount—as soft skills are the uniquely human skills that are the positive enablers throughout your life and work. These good human skills make life and work far easier. As technological capability advances and encroaches on human cognitive tasks, our uniquely human skills become increasingly valuable. A 2019