Why Want to Work Here?

A leader asked me a question recently that has stayed with me.

I was conducting an executive interview in preparation for a leadership team offsite. We had spent the better part of an hour discussing the business, the leadership team, what’s working, and where there may be opportunities.

It was a thoughtful conversation with a seasoned executive. As we wrapped up, the conversation naturally continued.

He paused and said, “Rob, what really has me concerned right now is my team.”

I assumed he was about to talk about performance, priorities, talent, or engagement.

Instead, he asked if he could share something that had been on his mind.

“Of course,” I said.  He told me he was worried about the impact AI is having on his team. I responded with curiosity.  “Tell me more.”

What followed wasn’t a conversation about reducing headcount, efficiency, or technology. It was a conversation about the experience of work.

He explained that throughout his career, he had built teams and cultures around the quality of the work. People gathered data. They analyzed it. They debated findings. They discovered insights. They solved problems together. There was a sense of purpose because ultimately there was a patient benefiting from the work.

As I listened, I realized he wasn't describing a process. He was describing the part of the work where people learn, grow, and develop expertise.

Now, many of those activities are being performed by internally developed AI tools.

In his words, people are increasingly pushing a button to get the answer.

The work is getting done.  But something feels different.

I recently read an opinion piece by neuroscientist and former Google engineer Anne-Laure Le Cunff that put words to what I had heard. She argues that curiosity depends on the space between a question and its answer. It is in that space that learning deepens, and unexpected discoveries emerge. Her observation made me wonder if this executive was sensing something that wasn't simply the impact of AI providing answers, but the possibility that we may lose some of the experiences through which people learn.

He wasn’t questioning the value of the technology.

He went on to say that he doesn’t believe we’ve fully recovered from the effects of remote work. People are less connected to one another. Less connected to the work itself. Less connected to the shared experience of solving problems together.

Then he asked a question that has stayed with me.

“Why would someone want to work here?”  Not because the company isn’t good. Not because the mission isn’t important.

But because the nature of the work itself is changing.

As I listened, I found myself wondering if this is one of the leadership questions of our time.

For generations, work has provided more than income.

Work has been a source of personal growth.

A source of mastery.

A source of identity.

A source of connection.

A source of contribution.

What happens when technology changes the relationship between people and the work they do?

I don’t know the answer.  I also don’t know whether his concern will ultimately prove justified.

Executive coach Joe Hudson recently wrote that as knowledge becomes increasingly commoditized, wisdom becomes increasingly valuable. Knowledge can be generated, stored, and retrieved. Wisdom is different. It is shaped through experience, reflection, and judgment.

In thinking about my conversation with this executive, I realized he wasn't questioning knowledge. He was questioning what happens to the human experiences that transform knowledge into wisdom.

What struck me was that this wasn’t a technology discussion.

It was a human discussion.

A leadership discussion.

A discussion about meaning.

When he finished sharing, I thanked him for his honesty.

The only response that came to me in that moment was this:

This is exactly why we need to invest in developing leaders.  Not because leaders need to become AI experts.  Because leaders need to help people navigate change.

They need to create clarity when things are uncertain.

They need to help people make sense of what is changing and what is not.

They need to help people remain connected to the meaning found in the work, to one another, and to their own growth.

The more I think about that conversation, the more I wonder if leadership development is becoming less about teaching leaders what to do and more about helping them develop the awareness to see and feel what is happening around them.

Perhaps the challenge isn't keeping pace with technology.

Perhaps it's making sure we don't unintentionally lose the experiences through which people learn, grow, and find meaning together.

Technology will continue to evolve.

Jobs will continue to change.

Organizations will continue to adapt.

The question that remains for me is this: If technology changes the nature of work, what becomes the leader's role in helping people find meaning in it?