Comms FutureLab is a media platform for communications and marketing leaders who are endlessly curious about the future of our profession. Through thoughtful analysis of AI, media, leadership, trust and organizational change, we help today's leaders prepare for tomorrow's challenges and opportunities.
Experience matters. But curiosity matters more.
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A few weeks ago, I appeared on the Comms Confidential podcast. We talked about leadership, career growth and how AI is changing the communications profession. One idea has stayed with me since my conversation with host Jo Gallo: the importance of being a lifelong learner. Early in our careers, learning is built into the job. We attend training, ask questions and seek feedback because we're expected to develop. As our responsibilities grow, the expectation changes. Our calendars fill with meetings, decisions and people leadership. We spend more time applying what we already know than expanding what we know. We don't always feel we have the luxury to slow down and learn simply because we've become more experienced. Communications leaders are navigating AI, changing media habits, shifting audience expectations and new ways of working, often at the same time. The knowledge that helped us become successful won't answer every new question we face. That's why I've adopted what I call a learn-it-all mindset. Experience matters. But curiosity matters more. I've found AI useful because it gives me another way to learn continuously. I use it to explore unfamiliar subjects, compare different viewpoints and test my own thinking before I form an opinion. Those conversations often send me back to books, research and trusted sources with better questions than I started with. I think this is one of the biggest opportunities for senior leaders. Too often, learning is viewed as something that belongs to the early stages of a career, while the leaders making the biggest decisions gradually stop investing in their own development. A good example came a few months ago when Mark Zuckerberg shared that he had gone back to coding alongside Meta's AI team. Even at the highest levels, learning remains part of the job. Leaders are the people who need to keep learning. They shape strategy, advise executives and help organizations respond to change. Their learning has a ripple effect across the business. I'd love to know how you're approaching learning today. And if you've listened to the conversation on Comms Confidential, what part stood out to you? 🎙️ Watch or listen to the full conversation here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAbImNeiwbE Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-a-learn-it-all-the-ai-readiness-mindset-every/id1867324496?i=1000770749199 |
Comms FutureLAB
Comms FutureLab is a media platform for communications and marketing leaders who are endlessly curious about the future of our profession. Through thoughtful analysis of AI, media, leadership, trust and organizational change, we help today's leaders prepare for tomorrow's challenges and opportunities.
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Welcome to Comms FutureLAB Hi, I’m Susan. For more than 20 years I’ve worked across communications, influencer marketing, and social media. I’ve advised executives, trained spokespeople, built communication strategies, and watched our profession change through social media, then mobile, and now artificial intelligence. Over time I realized my gaze has always been drawn a few steps ahead to how shifts in technology, trust, and culture are reshaping how we communicate. Every few years we’re...