Lately I’ve noticed a different kind of loss underneath the changes we’re living through. Not just jobs, as the headlines suggest, but identity. The moment you realise that the thing you’re known for might not be needed in the same way anymore…
Loss isn’t just about what’s happening around us, it’s about what’s happening within us too. When the markers we’ve built our identity around start to shift, it’s not just our work that feels uncertain, it’s also us.
For years, many of us have measured our value by what we know and what we do. We’ve been the ones with the answers, the expertise, the experience. The smartest in the room, the fastest to deliver or the ‘go-to’ person for that thing we’ve always done well.
But in a world where tech can draft the first report, summarise the meeting, write code, surface patterns in data and generate options for a strategic plan, those anchors just don’t hold the same weight anymore.
Last week a client told me their monthly reporting process dropped from two days to two hours with AI support, and what shocked them wasn’t the efficiency, it was the question it triggered, “So what am I for now?”
And that’s confronting. Not because part of our roles are being replaced but because it’s causing us to redefine what makes us valuable going forward.
The Identity Trap
You see, people aren’t just worried about their tasks being automated, they’re now worried about what it means for who they are…
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“If I’m not the one who builds the reports, what’s my role?”
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“If the system can analyse this faster than me, where do I add value?”
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“If my expertise becomes outdated, what do I have left?”
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“If my people go to the bots for answers first, what use am I?”
These are questions that come up in my workshops. And you can feel the room shift when they land. Because they’re not about technology, they’re actually about identity.
And when our sense of self is tied to what we do, any change to that, feels like a threat to who we are. So it’s natural that we hold on and protect the old story even when it no longer fits the world we’re now operating in.
The Mindset Shift
The uncomfortable truth is that our edge isn’t being the smartest person in the room anymore. Not when knowledge is on tap.
So our edge lies in being the person who can make sense of what matters, brings others along with us, and adapt in real time. And that’s the opportunity in this moment – to become more human, not less, more authentic, and more aligned to our true selves.
But for that to happen, we have to be willing to let go and evolve. That means letting go of the need to be the expert in every moment, and delegating the tasks that once defined us but no longer deserve our time. It means shifting from “I’m valuable because of what I know” to “I’m valuable because of how I think, relate, and show up.” And that looks like redesigning how we spend our time – automating what can be automated and reinvesting that space into work that needs judgment, care and leadership.
This isn’t about diminishing what we’ve built. Our experience, our knowledge, our skills, all still matter. But they’re no longer the whole story. And if we cling too tightly to the old chapter, we miss the chance to write the next one.
From Doing to Being
When the tasks shift, when the tools evolve, when the landscape changes, what remains is us. Our capacity to learn and unlearn. Our ability to connect, to adapt, to bring energy and trust into a room. Our willingness to sit in discomfort and grow through it anyway.
That’s the work we have to do now. Not just reskilling but re-identifying. It might therefore be time to consider:
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What parts of your identity are tied to tasks that may be done by tech?
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What story have you been telling yourself about your value, and does it still fit?
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If you couldn’t rely on being the smartest, cheapest or fastest, what would you bring instead?
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Who do you want to become in this next chapter, not just professionally, but as a person?
These aren’t easy questions but they’re necessary ones. And the pace of change rarely waits for us to feel ready.
The people who thrive through this shift won’t be the ones who cling tightest to the old story. They’ll be the ones willing to write a new one.
So, what story are you ready to let go of?
