FROM SANTA BARBARA WITH STRATEGY ☀️
Hey LinkedIn. I’m in Santa Barbara recording my new LinkedIn Learning class and let me tell you the behind-the-scenes content coming your way is about to be fire.
I’m pulling back the curtain on what it really takes to build a course that actually works. The edits, the start over moments, the strategic rewrites, the clarity bombs. All of it.
🎥 Follow me here and ring the bell
You’ll see it all first. This is what it looks like to build learning that sticks.
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THE HEADLINE 📰
AI Is Creating Millionaire Employees (And Your Company Better Keep Up)
Productivity in AI-heavy industries has jumped from 7% to 27% since 2022.
Translation: The people who master these tools aren’t just valuable—they’re becoming irreplaceable.
But here’s the catch
Most employees haven’t even started using AI yet
It’s what some call the Ferrari problem—companies buy elite tools, then never teach people how to drive them
Your Move
Start identifying your AI champions now
They’re not just power users—they’re your next competitive advantage
WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT 🔥❄️
🔥 HOT
AI Literacy Skills → Up 6x YoY. More than half of hiring managers won’t even consider a candidate without them
Four-Day Work Weeks → 78% of employers expect this to be standard by 2030. And yes, it actually boosts productivity
Human Skills → Emotional intelligence, adaptability, storytelling. These are rising fastest in value across technical roles
❄️ NOT
Traditional Entry-Level Roles → Nearly 50 million U.S. jobs are exposed to automation
One-Size-Fits-All Workspaces → “Good enough” is out. “Feels built for me” is in
Rigid 9 to 5s → 93% of employees now prioritize schedule flexibility over remote status
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INSIDER INTEL 🎯
The Secret Sauce Smart Companies Are Using
🧩 Interruptions Are Killing Output
Employees are interrupted up to 275 times a day
Top companies are creating "interruption free zones" and revamping Slack culture to save actual hours per week
🧩 AI Deployment Isn’t a Sprint. It’s a Loop
The 1% of orgs doing this well are testing small, showing early wins, celebrating fails, and adapting fast
🧩 Retention Is a Trust Game Now
Job security is no longer assumed. Companies that become safe harbor brands are pulling ahead without increasing comp
TREND ALERT ⚡
What’s Coming Next (And How to Prep)
📍 Workpoint Over Workstation
Employees want space that fits the work, not the badge swipe. Think hotel lobby meets creative studio
📍 Skill Transformation Is Speeding Up Then Slowing Down
39% of skills will evolve by 2030. But the rate of change is flattening, meaning teams can catch up if they start now
📍 Middle Managers Are the Make Or Break Layer
Smart companies are investing in manager coaching. Not to control employees but to unlock them
LEARNING CORNER 📚
This Week’s Development Hit
🛠️ Master This
Prompt Engineering
Rewrite your last three emails using AI. Compare tone, clarity, and time saved
🧠 Reflect On This
Your tech stack won’t save your team if they don’t have the thinking stack to go with it. Are you training both
📆 Try This
One interruption free hour a day. Defend it like your mental bandwidth depends on it—because it does
THE BOTTOM LINE 💰
The workplace isn’t just changing. It’s being completely rewritten
The companies that win in 2025
They won’t have the best AI. They’ll have the best human systems wrapped around AI
Your advantage isn’t the software. It’s how fast your people learn to dance with it
🔒 EXCLUSIVE FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS
This week’s premium downloads are live
✅ AI Skills Assessment Tool
Built using the same framework top enterprise teams are using
✅ Four-Day Workweek Playbook
Includes legal considerations and rollout scripts
✅ Interruption Audit Template
Quantify your team’s lost hours. Take back your day
🎯 [Upgrade to unlock all →]
FOLLOW THE JOURNEY 📹
You’re not just watching a course get made. You’re seeing strategy in motion
🎥 The lighting fails, the learning pivots, the “Is this worth it” moments—it’s all there
🔔 Follow and hit the bell to catch each drop
The People Puzzle is your weekly source of workplace strategy, insight, and clarity. Forward this to someone who’s still learning how to drive that Ferrari
Next Week Preview
The “Quiet Constraint” epidemic—why your best people are holding back, and how to unlock them
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