(With apologies to the great Gil Scott-Heron.) This is the first in a series of conversations with the estimable David Foote, Chief Analyst & Chief Research Officer for the eponymous Foote Partners, on the Big Shift: the tectonic changes sweeping the workplace. Highlights: - David compares AI to previous industrial revolutions, and why its potential to bring positive change (productivity, innovation, etc.) should outweigh broadly felt fear and uncertainty. - The five “shifts” disrupting the workforce, focusing on the massive generational shift, what each generation uniquely offers, and the challenges of managing people with different workstyles, learning styles, goals, and values. - The increased value and need for soft skills, one of the Big Shifts that we’ll focus on in a future pod. Foote Partners are innovators of advanced techniques for benchmarking enterprise tech jobs, skills supply/demand, and compensation; tracking/forecasting tech labor trends; and analyzing human factors in technology development.