Curiosity #29 - The Future is Human

🎤 Quotable quotes: “Your resume may get you in the room. Your character is what keeps you there.” - Us

The Future Is Human: What 2030’s Top Skills Really Mean for Leaders Like You

The World Economic Forum released their list of the top job skills for 2030. Spoiler alert: it’s not about coding, spreadsheets, or being the loudest in the meeting.

Good news because it is about you - the emotionally intelligent, quick-to-listen, slow-to-judge, endlessly growing version of you.

Here’s a glimpse at what made the list (sound like anyone we know ;) ):

• Leadership & social influence
• Curiosity & lifelong learning
• Empathy & active listening
• Resilience, flexibility & agility
• Motivation & self-awareness

It's all about future-proofing your character.

Why This Matters (Even If 2030 Feels a Million Miles Away)

Here’s the thing: most people will read this list and nod.

The best leaders?

They’ll train for it.

Just like Ted didn’t wait to understand soccer before leading a team, you don’t have to wait for a promotion, a title, or permission to become the kind of person the future needs.

Start building your 2030 toolkit now—because what’s rewarded in the next decade is what you practice today.

Here's a Curiosity Prompt for you:

Which future skill do you want to grow into—and what’s one small way you’ll practice it this week?

• Want to build empathy? Ask more questions than you answer.
• Want to lead with influence? Encourage someone on your team without needing credit.
• Want to build resilience? Try again—even when it doesn’t feel perfect.

🧠 Character Is the Curriculum

The truth is, every Ted Lasso character is on this list already.

• Rebecca learns how to lead with heart.
• Roy becomes the world’s most emotionally honest curmudgeon.
• Keeley turns curiosity and connection into power.
• Sam models values-based leadership like a boss.
• Even Nate (sigh) gives us a masterclass in self-awareness... eventually.

The lesson?

Character is the skillset.

And like any good training plan, you’ve got to work it out consistently if you want to grow.

🏋️‍♀️ Tiny Challenge of the Week:

Pick one 2030 skill and commit to one rep per day this week.

Not a 10-year plan. Just one week.

Let it feel awkward. Let it be new.

You’re practicing for a reason.

You’re becoming who the future is waiting for.

More leadership musings

🍪 Biscuits with the Boss: If “Empathy” were a person, what would their job title be on your team?

(CEO of Deep Listening? Director of Vibes? Assistant to the Regional Feelings?)

We dare you to actually name these skills like they’re part of your crew—and then start treating them like they belong in the locker room.

🏅Whistle. Whistle. A little Roy Kent Tough Love Advice:

Roy Kent would probably say...

“You can’t outsource character. So start showing up with yours.”

(Translation: The future doesn’t need more bots or yes-men. It needs you. Unfiltered. Brave. Ready.)

📚Beard’s collection: 

📖 Goldsmith, Marshall The Earned Life: Lose Regret, Choose Fulfillment  (2022)

Goldsmith focuses on intentionally living a life aligned with values, not outcomes. It’s packed with reflections on identity, purpose, and integrity—right in the wheelhouse of building character as a skill. His notion of “earned success” pairs perfectly with the idea that leadership is earned, not given.

“You don’t become the person you want to be by achieving more. You become them by behaving like them.”

📖 Stone Zander, Rosamund. The Art of Possibility, 2000.

This book is a leadership classic that doesn’t feel like one. It champions transformational leadership through empathy, reframing, and possibility. Benjamin Zander, a conductor, reframes the act of leading as “awakening possibility in others.” A fantastic way to support your call to action about curiosity, influence, and practicing future skills today.

“It's all invented. And we can invent it differently.”

📖 Duffy, Karen. Wise Up: Irreverent Enlightenment from a Mother Who's Been Through It. 2022.

Packed with wisdom from unexpected places—Bulgarian dancing bears, generous tippers, and weasel-free friendships—Duffy’s reflections are part stand-up set, part TED Talk, and 100% real. This one’s for anyone who believes the best leadership advice might just come wrapped in sarcasm, stories, and unapologetic truth.

Perfect for building your 2030 toolkit with more humor, heart, and hard-won perspective than any AI-generated life coach could dream of.

🌎 This week in Here - There - Every F’ing where 

By any chance are you going to be in the LA area next weekend? If so, we would LOVE to meet you! On Saturday, April 26th, we will be doing a book signing in Book 153 of the Gold Zone at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (the largest bookfest in the world!). 

Link to the full article here.

Happy Spring everyone! See you next week,
Nick & Marnie