Imagine a workplace where your skills – not your job title – define your value. What if the way we've understood work for decades is about to be completely transformed? In this episode, Kevin is joined by Ravin Jesuthasan to discuss how the rise of skills-based organizations is reshaping work, talent management, and leadership. Ravin shares a case for why organizations must move beyond traditional job structures and adopt a new model where skills are the currency of work. He also discusses how AI is driving this transformation, both as a disruptor and as a tool. AI offers a pathway to match skills with opportunities at scale. Ravin also highlights the importance of combining technical skills with human (enabling) skills, the role of leaders in recognizing potential, and how emerging tools can help individuals navigate their career paths in meaningful ways.

Listen For

00:00 Introduction 00:29 Podcast Overview and Sponsor Introduction 01:18 Book Promotion: Flexible Leadership 02:08 Guest Introduction: Ravin Jesuthasan 03:05 Genesis of The Skills Powered Organization 06:31 Challenges of Transitioning to a Skills-Powered Organization 09:11 Why Now? The Case for Skills-Based Work 12:44 Drivers of Change in a Complex World 17:05 The Role of Skills and Passion in Work Design 19:02 Essential Leadership Skills for a Skills-Powered Organization 22:20 Challenges of Shifting from Jobs to Skills 24:22 How AI Enables the Transformation to Skills-Based Work 28:01 Unilever’s Example of a Skills-Based Marketplace 30:04 Personal Insights: Ravin’s Hobbies and Interests 31:26 Current Reads and Closing Remarks

Meet Ravin

Ravin's Story: Ravin Jesuthasan is the author of The Skills-Powered Organization: The Journey to the Next-Generation Enterprise (October 1, 2024; The MIT Press) with Tanuj Kapilashrami, the Wall Street Journal Bestseller Work without Jobs (MIT Press), as well as Transformative HR, Lead the Work, and Reinventing Jobs. He is a recognized futurist and authority on the future of work, human capital, and AI, is Senior Partner and Global Leader for Transformation Services at Mercer. He is a member of the World Economic Forum's Future Skills Executive Board and Global Foresight Network. He is a member of the faculty at Caltech.

https://www.ravinjesuthasan.com/

https://skillspoweredorganization.com/

https://x.com/RavinJesuthasan

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravinjesuthasan/

 

This Episode is brought to you by...

Flexible Leadership is every leader’s guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos. 

Book Recommendations

• The Skills-Powered Organization: The Journey to the Next-Generation Enterprise by Ravin Jesuthasan, Tanuj Kapilashrami 
• War by Bob Woodward

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