Graphic Media Alliance

08/18/2026

The Skills of Tomorrow Aren't Just Technical

Preparing People for the Future of Work

The conversation around artificial intelligence often begins with technology: What can it do? How much time can it save? Which jobs will change?

But there's another side of that conversation that may ultimately matter even more — how are we preparing our people for what's next?

In Reskilling for the Future: AI, Technology, and Human-Centric Innovation, GMA partner Sedgwick explores how organizations can prepare their people and processes for a workplace increasingly shaped by AI, changing employee expectations and the continued need for strong human leadership.

Drawing on a conversation between Sedgwick Chief Brand Officer Kimberly George and Ian Bell, SVP of Global Talent Management, the article makes the case that reskilling and upskilling aren't simply training initiatives. They can also play an important role in employee engagement and retention.

As technology takes on more routine work, human skills become increasingly valuable. Communication, empathy, judgment, relationship-building and the ability to coach and develop others are difficult to automate — and increasingly important for the people responsible for leading teams.

Sedgwick also highlights the importance of intentional mentorship and a shift away from relying solely on traditional annual performance reviews. Instead, leaders can create an environment of continuous development through timely feedback, ongoing coaching, knowledge sharing and opportunities for employees to safely learn and grow.

AI remains an important part of that future, but Sedgwick's message is decidedly human: technology can identify patterns, increase efficiency and provide leaders with better information, but people must ultimately provide the context, judgment and leadership necessary to turn those insights into action.

The organizations best positioned for the future may not simply be those adopting technology the fastest. They'll be the ones developing their people right alongside it.

Read the complete Sedgwick article:
Reskilling for the Future: AI, Technology, and Human-Centric Innovation

Developing the Leaders Who Will Develop Your Workforce

These same challenges are at the heart of GMA's Emerging Leaders Academy.

Technical expertise can prepare someone to do a job exceptionally well. Leading people requires another set of skills entirely.

Today's emerging leaders need to understand how to coach employees, communicate expectations, interpret information, make difficult decisions and create environments where people can continue learning and growing. Just as importantly, established leaders have an opportunity to make sure they're preparing the next generation to take on greater responsibility.

The next Emerging Leaders Academy session will take place as part of the ENCORE Leadership Conference on October 5 and will focus on:

Performance Analytics for Leaders

This cornerstone Academy session demonstrates how effective leaders use performance analytics to make better decisions, coach employees more effectively and improve organizational results.

Rather than measuring everything, participants will learn what truly matters — and how to translate data into action.

Participants will explore:

• Practical leadership scorecards
• KPIs that actually matter
• Coaching strategies based on performance data
• Better decision-making frameworks
• Ways to align employee performance with organizational goals

It's a fitting continuation of the conversation Sedgwick raises: technology and data can give us powerful new tools, but strong leadership determines what we do with them.

The future of work isn't just about preparing for better technology.

It's about preparing better leaders.