If a person produces X and AI produces X faster and cheaper, the math is simple. Replace people with AI. Except the equation isn't true.
This week Josh covers AI Leadership Skill #4: Know the Value of Your People — the latest entry in The Sh*t List, the paid Substack companion to The Job Sh*t Show.
It starts with a simple question: what does a doorman actually do? Holding the door is the job description. But anyone who's worked with a good one knows it's wayfinding, security, recognition, relationship. The job description captures maybe 20% of the value.
The same is true for almost everyone on your team.
Klarna learned this the hard way. They cut 700 customer service jobs in 2023, started rehiring in 2024, and their CEO admitted they moved too fast. Forrester's 2026 Future of Work report found that 55% of employers regretted AI-driven layoffs — and one in three spent more on rehiring than they saved from the cuts.
The value was there. It just wasn't on the dashboard.
AI might finally be forcing businesses to see what was always true: people are relational, contextual, and accountable in ways that don't show up in any metric. And the leaders who figure that out first won't be the ones scrambling to rehire.
The full piece on The Sht List includes three principles Josh is urging every leader to understand right now — and five questions that will help you see your people beyond the spreadsheet. Link in the description. If you're not on The Sht List yet, this is a good week to start.
About The Job Sh*t Show
The Job Sh*t Show is an investigation into how finding, keeping, and doing work is changing faster than anyone is admitting — and what that actually looks like for real people on the ground. The Sh*t List is a paid Substack for leaders who want to stay ahead of what AI is doing to the workplace — and actually do something about it. Every other week, subscribers get a new AI Manager Skill: one practical, field-tested move for leading your team better in an AI world.