As AI takes over more technical and routine work, the skills that set data and AI professionals apart are shifting. Raw technical ability and a high IQ still matter, but they are becoming table stakes as tools get more capable and teams get smarter. What increasingly separates people is harder to automate: communication, self-awareness, authenticity, and the ability to keep learning through failure. For anyone building a career in this space, that raises real questions. Which skills are actually worth investing in now? What holds up as AI advances? And how do you keep growing once you have already had some success?

Dr. Todd Dewett is one of the world's most-watched leadership voices — an authenticity expert, bestselling author, and top LinkedIn Learning instructor whose courses have reached more than 25 million people across 100+ countries. After beginning his career at Andersen Consulting and Ernst & Young, he earned a PhD in organizational behavior at Texas A&M and spent a decade as an award-winning professor before going solo. He is a five-time TEDx speaker and the author of Show Your Ink.

In the episode, Richie and Todd explore why fear quietly limits careers, treating failure as data rather than a verdict, the people skills that outlast raw IQ, learnable self-awareness, authenticity at work, using AI without losing your voice, getting better at speaking and writing, building habits, escaping the success trap, and much more.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

• Todd's LinkedIn newsletter (writing + his "Creswall" comic) — https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdewett/

• Todd Dewett on LinkedIn Learning — https://www.linkedin.com/learning/instructors/todd-dewett

• Free LinkedIn Learning access via your public library — https://www.linkedin.com/learning

• Gemma Leigh Roberts, chartered psychologist — https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmaleighroberts/

• Erin Shrimpton, chartered organisational psychologist — https://ie.linkedin.com/in/erinshrimpton

• Connect with Todd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdewett/

• AI-Native Course: Intro to AI for Work

• Related Episode: How to Have a Machine Learning Career in 2026 with Marina Wyss

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