There's a question I'm hearing more than any other right now.

 

It shows up in coaching sessions. In hallway conversations at conferences. In the messages I wasn't expecting: Am I going to be okay?

 

Not "Is AI real?" and not "Should we be worried?" That phase is over. People know the ground is shifting. What they want to know now is more personal — whether they are positioned to navigate what's coming.

 

The headlines aren't helping. Andrew Yang recently called what's ahead "the great disemboweling of white-collar jobs." Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, published an essay predicting that half of entry-level white-collar positions could disappear within five years. And new research from Harvard Business Review found that AI isn't reducing work — it's intensifying it.

 

The noise is loud. And a lot of it is alarming.

 

So here's what I'm telling the leaders I work with: Career security is still possible. But it depends on different things than it used to.

 

Success Labs President and Owner, Devin Lemoine, began talking about career security in the 90s — when mergers, downsizing, and globalization first made "lifetime employment" feel like a myth. The core principles haven't changed. But how you apply them has.

 

Three things still travel with you, no matter what the market does:

 

Mastery. Stay excellent. Not "pretty good" — genuinely excellent. That means knowing what's changing in your field right now, understanding how AI is showing up in your function, and putting yourself in rooms where you're still learning. The leaders who feel most secure right now have one thing in common: they never stopped investing in their own growth.

 

Relationships. Not your LinkedIn connections — your real network. The people who've seen your work up close, trust your judgment, and would pick up the phone for you. Most professionals overestimate the strength of their network because they confuse visibility with trust. In a tight market, trust is what moves.

 

Demonstrated impact. Can you say — clearly, with numbers — what you accomplished and why it mattered? Most leaders can describe what they're responsible for. Fewer can articulate what they actually made happen. That gap becomes a real problem when you need to move.

 

Devin goes deeper on all three in her latest post — and I'd encourage you to read it. She says something I believe deeply: the safest place to stand isn't inside a specific company. It's inside your own capability.

 

→ Read Devin’s full piece: Career Security in the Age of AI 

 

→ Read: "Stay. And Dig In." A companion piece to this newsletter — my take on why the smartest career move for most senior leaders right now is to deepen where you are, not leap. Includes a breakdown of what Yang's piece means for the executive job market. → Read on LinkedIn

Three pieces shaping how we're thinking about AI and careers right now.

 

🔊 The End of the Office — Andrew Yang Yang's latest piece doesn't pull punches. He makes the case that AI will displace millions of white-collar workers in the coming months, and that the ripple effects extend far beyond tech — to the dry cleaners, dog walkers, and communities that depend on office economies. It's provocative. It's also worth reading with a clear head, because panic isn't a strategy. → Read the piece

 

🧠 The Adolescence of Technology — Dario Amodei The CEO of Anthropic describes this moment as a "rite of passage" for humanity — turbulent and inevitable. His essay covers the risks AI poses to national security, economies, and democracy, but also proposes concrete remedies. The most striking takeaway for leaders: this isn't coming in ten years. His timeline is one to two. → Read the essay

 

📊 AI Doesn't Reduce Work — It Intensifies It (Harvard Business Review) An eight-month study of 200 employees at a U.S. tech company found that AI adoption didn't lead to lighter workloads — it led to longer days and more burnout. The mechanical load went down, but the mental and emotional load went up. This should be required reading for anyone rolling out AI tools and expecting a smooth landing. → Read the HBR piece | Fauzia Burke's excellent commentary

 

Before you get swept into the next quarter, pause and ask yourself three questions:

This is Part 1 of a three-part series we're calling Leading in the Age of AI.

 

This month, we're starting where it matters most: your career — what to protect, what to develop, and how to think about your own positioning as the ground shifts.

 

In March, we'll turn to leading your team — how AI changes the way you need to think about your people, your workflows, and the conversations you owe your team right now.

 

And in April, we'll zoom out to leading your organization — navigating what some are calling a "polycrisis," where technological disruption, economic volatility, and workforce transformation converge all at once.

 

We'll link each installment back so you can follow the full thread.

📣 Essentials Lab: 5-Star Reviews Are In — by Gloria McConnell Passman Our February 2026 Essentials Lab cohort gave the experience a perfect 5 out of 5 — for both overall experience and facilitation. Participants walked away calling it "the best class I have ever been a part of." From mastering difficult conversations through live role plays with professional actors to building real-time leadership skills, this program continues to deliver. Gloria breaks down what makes it different and why it works. → Read the recap

 

📝 Why You Should Over-Communicate During High Change — by Melissa Thompson, PhD When uncertainty is high, most leaders default to waiting until they have all the answers. That's exactly when your team needs to hear from you most. Melissa makes the case for over-communication as a leadership discipline — not just a nice-to-have — and shares how to do it without adding noise. → Read the post

📋 Essentials Lab
For new supervisors, team leads, and “step-up” employees preparing for future leadership roles by learning the essentials.

→ Next Sessions: July 15-16 and November 4-5

 

📣 Accelerator Lab
For leaders looking to accelerate their career by developing the people skills to inspire teams, manage relationships, and drive results.

→ Next Sessions: March 3,10,17,24 and October 6,13,20,27 

 

📈 Strategy Lab
For experienced leaders and seasoned professionals looking to elevate their strategic thinking, decision making, and ability to inspire teams in today’s fast-paced, complex environment.

→ Next Session: Five Thursdays - October 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29

 

Not sure the right lab for you? Take our quiz.

That's it for now. If this landed, forward it to someone navigating the same questions. And if there's a challenge you're sitting with right now — hit reply. We'd love to hear what's on your mind.

 

— Adrian and the rest of the Success Labs team