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Humans Are Underrated: What High Achievers Know That Brilliant Machines Never Will Geoff Colvin Format: Paperback, 256pp. ISBN: 9780143108375 Publisher: Portfolio Pub. Date: October 11, 2016 Average Customer Review: For Bulk Orders Call: 626-441-2024 Description and Reviews From The Publisher: As technology races ahead, what will people do better than computers? What hope will there be for us when computers can drive cars better than humans, predict Supreme Court decisions better than legal experts, identify faces, scurry helpfully around offices and factories, even perform some surgeries, all faster, more reliably, and less expensively than people? It’s easy to imagine a nightmare scenario in which computers simply take over most of the tasks that people now get paid to do. While we’ll still need high-level decision makers and computer developers, those tasks won’t keep most working-age people employed or allow their living standard to rise. The unavoidable question—will millions of people lose out, unable to best the machine?—is increasingly dominating business, education, economics, and policy. The bestselling author of Talent Is Overrated explains how the skills the economy values are changing in historic ways. The abilities that will prove most essential to our success are no longer the technical, classroom-taught left-brain skills that economic advances have demanded from workers in the past. Instead, our greatest advantage lies in what we humans are most powerfully driven to do for and with one another, arising from our deepest, most essentially human abilities—empathy, creativity, social sensitivity, storytelling, humor, building relationships, and expressing ourselves with greater power than logic can ever achieve. This is how we create durable value that is not easily replicated by technology—because we’re hardwired to want it from humans. These high-value skills create tremendous competitive advantage—more devoted customers, stronger cultures, breakthrough ideas, and more effective teams. And while many of us regard these abilities as innate traits—“he’s a real people person,” “she’s naturally creative”—it turns out they can all be developed. They’re already being developed in a range of far-sighted organizations, such as: • the Cleveland Clinic, which emphasizes empathy training of doctors and all employees to improve patient outcomes and lower medical costs; • the U.S. Army, which has revolutionized its training to focus on human interaction, leading to stronger teams and greater success in real-world missions; • Stanford Business School, which has overhauled its curriculum to teach interpersonal skills through human-to-human experiences. As technology advances, we shouldn’t focus on beating computers at what they do—we’ll lose that contest. Instead, we must develop our most essential human abilities and teach our kids to value not just technology but also the richness of interpersonal experience. They will be the most valuable people in our world because of it. Colvin proves that to a far greater degree than most of us ever imagined, we already have what it takes to be great. Reviews “Beautifully written and deeply researched, Humans Are Underrated is one of the most creative and insightful leadership books I have ever read. It is a triumph!” —DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian “A powerful exposition of the strengths and limitations of technology in shaping our lives and addressing today’s greatest challenges. More than ever, as Colvin demonstrates, we need people who embody the most human of qualities. An uplifting account of the enduring potential of humanity itself.” —PAUL POLMAN, CEO, Unilever “As machines inexorably become ever more competent at doing machinelike things, interpersonal skills, irreplaceable skills of human interaction, will come to be recognized as being even more valuable than they’ve always been. This is an extremely important, highly practical, and indeed exhilarating book.” —SIR MARTIN SORRELL, CEO, WPP “Through a series of practical case studies and insights, Colvin clearly demonstrates that—regardless of where the future takes us—emotional intelligence will remain one of the most valuable human skills and the Human Element will remain a differentiator.” —ANDREW N. LIVERIS, chairman and CEO, Dow Chemical Company “Geoff Colvin’s fresh take on how to respond to the rise of brilliant machines and the changing nature of work is as wise as it is inspiring.” —DOMINIC BARTON, global managing director, McKinsey & Company “Corporate leaders often say, ‘People come first.’ True innovation is realized only when their actions match their words.” —ROBERT GREIFELD, CEO, Nasdaq
About the Author Geoff Colvin, Fortune’s senior editor at large, is one of America’s most respected journalists. He lectures widely and is the regular lead moderator for the Fortune Global Forum. He also appears daily on the CBS Radio Network, reaching seven million listeners each week. His previous book, Talent is Overrated, was a national bestseller and has been translated into a dozen languages. Find Items On Similar Subjects Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else |
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